How do you approach mentoring? 2

[zldh]

Since getting my first ME job out of college 10 years ago, I have heard more senior engineers tell me about the good old days when they would get sent to the Trane Little Red Schoolhouse HVAC courses (or in person course) and how they had a formal process for mentoring up engineers. I personally wish I could have experienced this method but realize the company/employee relationship doesn't really support these long term development plans anymore. I'm now in that nebulous range of "I'm not brand new but I'm also not a seasoned engineer" and I have been placed in charge of some new college grads/junior engineers (<2 yr). I'm struggling with getting deliverables out the door while also helping the junior engineers progress with the basics. I need them to be affective not just for their future success but also because it's too much work to do it alone.

My question is this: How do you approach mentoring new college grads/junior engineers while not letting deliverables get out of control?

 

[pmover]

#1. Communication - #1 reason why business and projects fail.
set & establish the expectations/deliverables within established codes, standards, guidelines, etc. There needs to be accountability for not meeting expectations/deliverables. Preach reliability for those employees that the company can rely/depend on under abnormal situations or unforeseen events.

this should get you started & I'm certain others will reply . . .

 

[Ron]

Agree with pmover....communication is key and it has to be consistent. Check in with your protege routinely. I am currently mentoring 5 young engineers who are pursuing their PE...all are at least 3 years away. We have weekly meetings and I give assignments for them to work on, in addition to their project work.

 

[GregLocock]

My assumption is that if the company thinks spending my time mentoring engineers is worthwhile, then I might as well treat it as my top priority, since if the mentoree is struggling, they aren't doing productive work, and I'd get around to helping them eventually, so it is more efficient overall to do it now.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

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[CWB1]

IME development programs vary a LOT by company size. Large companies today still commonly have rotational development programs for junior engineers where they are placed in 3-5 roles for a few months each within various design, manufacturing, business dev, etc groups. They also often have professional skills development courses, "labor loans," and tons of other opportunities internally. Freshly graduated as an older adult I was considered too old for my first employer's rot dev program, but did attend two employers' future executive development programs, signed up for most every bit of training offered, was "labor loaned" to the foundry and several other locations for months at a time, and was voluntold for a few other activities which were great learning experiences.

JMO but the best thing you can do for any junior engineer or intern is to broaden their knowledge as much as possible. Let them try a bit of everything, not only so they find their own interests but also so they understand the larger process/picture of how a product is developed. A LOT of this doesnt need to involve you. Give them a list of interesting current projects and a (forewarned) contact for each, have them ask the contact for a 5-10 minute overview, then make them sit in on all design reviews. Two other oft-forgotten learning experiences are FMEAs and supplier sales pitches, voluntell your mentees to attend every one of both possible so they learn every function and failure of every part, how they're made, and what else each supplier is capable of.

 

[TheTick]

I always tell new engineering school graduates the last thing they should worry about at their first job is salary. The single most important thing for a new grad is to land in a place where they can learn and grow.

 

[CWB1]

Disagree on salary. I would say that juniors shouldn't focus too much on being promoted or their position within a company, but income as a separate matter is important. Its unfortunate but there are many companies providing mediocre income and mediocre training opportunities, and your first employer or two does have a huge impact on your career. If a junior's income starts off low vs their peers then it can be tough to justify the increases needed to "catch up" to future employers. The easiest way to earning a top senior engineer's salary is to start with a top junior's salary. My advice to juniors regarding choosing employers is to compare theirs against the salary survey and recognize that many of their peers are getting a ton of standardized classroom training, not just OJT and an online video or two. If they're not then its likely time to start a job-search and hop before the next downturn.