Whether you want to get quick advice from someone who has come before you, or develop a long-term relationship with a trusted adviser, you can tap into the experience of the HLS alumni community in the way that best suits you.
How long should each meeting be?
15 Minutes: For Discrete Questions
Examples
- Targeted questions about a practice area
- Seeking opinion on discrete career decision
- Tips for a successful summer
30 Minutes: for a More Traditional Informational Interview
Examples
- Clerkship advice
- Interview advice
- Navigating law school
- Hear about career paths
- Managing work-life balance
- Starting your career off on the right foot
- Learn more about a particular practice area
60 Minutes: for in-depth Discussion or Advice
Examples
- Career planning
- Discussion of diversity issues in the profession
- Considerations for transitions between public and private sector
- Managing work-life balance
- Discussion of a particular legal market
How To Be Mentored
- When inviting a mentor to speak, you should: a. clearly articulate your goals for the mentoring relationship and b. the option you have chosen (15, 30 or 60 minutes) to the mentor.
Sample Message:
Dear Ms. Lynch:
My name is Jane Doe, and I am a 1L at Harvard Law School. I wanted to thank you for your willingness to serve as a mentor. My goals for a mentoring relationship are to get advice on how to navigate the legal profession as a first generation law student and also on how to succeed in my job this summer. I would like to schedule a 30-minute meeting by phone or Skype if your schedule can accommodate that.Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe - Mentoring conversations can take place by video conferencing, email, phone, or in-person, as mutually agreed upon by both parties.
- Students are responsible for “running” the calls or meetings and should be prepared with goals, expectations and questions. In order to be helpful, mentors need to know what you need and how they can be of help.
- Students should be respectful of the mentors’ time and end the call as scheduled unless the mentor offers to extend the meeting.
- After the conversation, students should send a thank-you email to the mentor. If you hope to have an ongoing relationship with the mentor, indicate in the thank-you note a desire to speak again at some point if the mentor would be willing.
- Students are responsible for ongoing communication and management of the relationship. See OPIA’s Networking Tips page and/or OCS’ Networking & Informational Interviewing page.
Best Practices
- Follow all the Alumni-Student Mentorship Guiding Principles.
- Be flexible in scheduling (but you should not miss class) and be respectful of your mentor’s time and busy schedule.
- Be responsive and reply promptly to all mentor communications.
- Review your mentor’s profile and become familiar with their career path so you have a sense of their background and experiences.
- Send an agenda before the meeting clearly setting out what you hope to accomplish.
- Be on-time for meetings.
- Be respectful of your mentor’s experiences and perspectives and respect the boundaries set by your mentor.
- Be receptive to feedback.
- Keep perspective that while your mentor’s input is valuable, it is but one person’s advice. Advice on topics like resumes, interviews, and courses can vary by practice area, practice setting and personal preference.