Provide a brief introduction to your mentoring philosophy and approach. A mentoring philosophy describes the underlying set of beliefs and values that guide a mentor's actions and decisions (Beatty et al., 2009; Kearns and Sullivan, 2011). Your mentoring philosophy reflects your overall perspective on the purpose and goals of mentoring and provides the foundation for your approach to mentoring. When writing a mentoring philosophy consider the following questions: 

• What is the importance of mentoring in your professional role? 
• What are your core beliefs about the role of a mentor? 
• What motivates you to be a mentor? 
• What are your goals as a mentor? 

• How do you set and align expectations with your mentees at the beginning of the mentoring relationship? 
• What tools or strategies do you use to ensure that both you and your mentees have a clear understanding of each other's expectations? 
• How do you work with mentees to revisit expectations throughout the mentoring relationship? 
• What have you learned about aligning expectations, and how has your approach changed over time? 

Prompt: Provide specific, measurable examples of tools or strategies you use to align expectations with a mentee, such as mentoring compacts or initial meetings. Highlight the outcomes and any feedback received. Describe how your approach to aligning expectations has evolved. 

• How do you ensure open and effective communication with your mentees? 
• What methods do you use to facilitate regular and meaningful interactions? 
• How do you practice active listening with your mentees? 
• How do you provide constructive feedback? 
• How do you establish a relationship based on trust? 
• How do you identify and accommodate different communication styles? 
• What have you learned about maintaining effective communication, and how have you adapted your approach? 

Prompt: Describe how you maintain open and effective communication with your mentees. Highlight the methods you use to facilitate regular and meaningful interactions and provide specific examples of feedback or data that demonstrate the effectiveness of these methods. Reflect on any adaptations you have made to improve communication and the impact of these changes, providing a specific example. 

• How do you assess your mentees' understanding of the topics and tasks you discuss? 
• What strategies do you use to ensure they are comprehending and applying the information effectively? 
• What strategies do you employ to assess and enhance your mentees’ knowledge and abilities? 
• What have you learned about assessing understanding, and how has your approach changed? 

Prompt: Provide an example of how you assess your mentees' understanding. Discuss the strategies you use to ensure they comprehend and apply the information effectively and include any data or feedback that supports your approach. Reflect on how your approach has changed and the impact it has had on mentees' learning outcomes. 

• How do you create an environment that supports the needs of your mentees? 
• What actions do you take to ensure that all mentees feel valued and respected? 
• What have you learned about creating a supportive environment, and how has your approach evolved? 

Prompt: Describe how you create a supportive environment for your mentees. Highlight specific actions you take to ensure all mentees feel valued and respected and provide examples or feedback that demonstrate the effectiveness of these actions. Reflect on what you have learned about creating a supportive environment. 

• How do you support your mentees' professional development? 
• What opportunities do you provide for them to grow and advance in their careers? 
• How do you help your mentees network effectively? 
• How do you help your mentees set career goals? 
• How do you help your mentees balance work with their personal life? 
• How do you help your mentees acquire resources? 
• What have you learned about promoting professional development, and how has your approach changed? 

Prompt: Provide concrete examples of how you support your mentees' professional development. Discuss the opportunities you provide for them to grow and advance in their careers and include any measurable outcomes or feedback that demonstrate the impact of your support. 

• How do you encourage your mentees to become independent and self-sufficient? 
• What specific actions do you take to promote their autonomy in their work and decision-making? 
• How do you work with mentees to set goals? 
• How do you help mentees develop strategies to meet goals?  
• What have you learned about fostering independence, and how has your approach evolved? 

Prompt: Provide concrete examples of how you have encouraged a mentee to set goals and support decision-making. Discuss specific actions you took to promote their autonomy and include any measurable outcomes or feedback. Reflect on the outcomes and how your approach may have changed over time.