Mentoring is not a difficult time investment for me

Experience report with mentor Monika Pfingstl

Dear Ms. Pfingstl, how would you introduce yourself in three sentences?

I am from Burgenland and studied business administration at the University of Graz.
I have been living in the Middle East, in Dubai, for 15 years, which means I lead an expat life.
In my professional life, I have been working in HR management for many years with great enthusiasm.

What was your original motivation for becoming a mentor?

When I read about it, it just appealed to me. I think because mentoring and coaching are very close to my job description as an HR manager and it's something I simply enjoy doing.

"Mentoring is something I really enjoy doing. It's not a difficult time investment for me. You simply pass on your own experience to someone who is just starting out in their career."

What was your reaction when you were first contacted by your mentee?

I was delighted that someone was interested in my background. My profile is specifically geared towards Dubai, so I was very pleased that someone approached me.

How did you organize the mentoring process with the large local distance?

We always met online. It was super easy with Benjamin, as he was always extremely disciplined and committed during our appointments. Fortunately, the penultimate meeting was in Graz. That worked out very well because I was there at the time. If the mentorship is otherwise only online, it's great for the process to meet in person. I can certainly recommend that.

A good interpersonal basis is very important for a successful mentorship. How did you manage to build this up?

As an HR manager, it is generally my job to network with other people. I therefore had no fear of contact. Communication, discussions, helping someone in their professional development - that's my passion. I'm familiar with it, I have the skills and it's my passion. We managed to build a good basis with Benjamin very quickly. Our home towns are only just under fifty kilometers apart. When you come from the same region, it's very easy to start off with small talk. Because we work well together as partners, we immediately had a good basis of trust. Benjamin told me that this was very helpful for him. It allowed him to be very open to discuss and reflect on things with me.

What were the big issues your mentee had that you were able to help with?

At the time of our first interview, Benjamin was in Brazil. It was his first time working abroad, so the big topic was "What is it like to live abroad?".
Another topic was his job negotiations with the company where he was working as a student trainee at the time. Specifically, it was also about salary negotiations.
We also talked in general about the direction in which he would like to develop. Why it is important to him to work abroad and why he wants to go to Dubai. In other words, we talked a lot about Dubai, about life here, the logistics, everyday life and, in particular, about job applications in Dubai. So we covered the whole range of topics relating to an international career. And here I was able to share my experiences with him. What did I do back then? How did it go for me?

What was particularly important for you to convey on the subject of international careers?

In my experience, the most important thing is to keep an open mind when planning your career. The reality is that achieving goals is not a linear process. Benjamin is an extremely career-oriented person, with good visions and many interests - someone who wants to plan his career precisely. And here my main message was "Great that you have the goal, but you need patience, acceptance and openness." An international career is a great goal if you are not sent by a company. Such careers are dynamic and require flexibility. Benjamin has now experienced this for himself. He was presented with a great opportunity that arose spontaneously. So much for the career plan.

Has there been a personal highlight for you in the mentoring process?

One highlight for me was his feedback that he benefited a lot from our discussions. From my point of view, I only shared my story and my experiences. It was a very positive experience for me to be able to help someone with that.
Another highlight was that he made a career change at the end. That showed what we discussed beforehand, namely that careers are very dynamic.

You have decades of experience in international companies as an HR expert. To what extent do you have experience with mentoring programs in companies?

Mentoring has become a very important part of HR development in companies in recent years. We ourselves offer mentoring programs for new employees, but also for specialists who have been with the company for some time. This is part of a good development approach. And who knows, maybe I can now use my own experience as a mentor to motivate others even more to take on a mentoring role.

WORDRAP

I felt comfortable in the role of mentor because ...
... I really enjoy it and I also have the skills to do it.

The special thing about Benjamin is that ...
... he is extremely ambitious and full of energy.

I was surprised when ...
... he told me during the last interview that he had quit his job.

I learned from Benjamin that ...
... I can give something as a mentor and that my experiences are helpful for others.


In conclusion, I would like to say:
I would definitely recommend continuing the mentoring program at the university and hopefully being able to approach and find more mentors, because it is a very, very good tool.