Discussion points for the first mentoring meeting

Someone recently asked me to mentor them.

From past experience and looking around, I found this list to be a good starting point for our first meeting. I asked them to schedule the first meeting and I suggested that we would start with discussing the following points:

1. Introductions and experience background of each of us (let's please exchange resumes and/or brief autobiographies before the first meeting)
2. Goals? (for both of us)
3. Constraints, issues, boundaries, and considerations
3.1. Confidentiality
3.2. Duration, frequency, and Length of meetings (How long of a commitment will this be for? How often will we meet? How long will we meet each time?)
3.3. Checkpoints to assess the mentoring status and/or if we should continue
3.4. Considerations of environment: such as lack of confidence, new to position, etc.
3.5. How will we consider that we're reached the goal
3.6. Can we contact each other ad-hoc? Under what conditions and how?
4. Agenda for our meetings?
5. Who will take notes (i.e. action items, learnings, agenda for next meeting) and how will these notes be shared?

Big consideration for the first meeting: Is there any way that we can meet in person? Even if our periodic meetings must be on the phone, can we at least meet in person for the first meeting?


A few reference articles for mentoring:

• http://www.mentors.ca/mentorpartnertips.html
• http://www.rad.washington.edu/academics/mentor/pdf-forms/Mentors%20Checklist%20-%202%20-%201st%20mtg.pdf/view
• http://deptmed.med.som.jhmi.edu/faculty/body7.html
  

I'm open to suggestions for improving this list. Please leave a comment!