"Ask a Mentor"
"Ask a Mentor" makes it possible to share what you know in a single, focused conversation.
What is Ask a Mentor?
"Ask a Mentor" is a career development concept at 911±¬ÁÏÍø based on the principles of speed mentoring. It connects doctoral students and researchers with experienced professionals, alumni, and industry experts through, focused online conversations. As a mentor, you offer practical insight into careers, working life, and professional development based on your own working life experience.
Why become an "Ask a Mentor" expert?
Sharing your experience benefits you as much as the researchers. Here's what's in it for you:
- No long-term commitment: One conversation, 45 to 60 minutes, on your own schedule. No ongoing obligation, no follow-up. Just one focused exchange.
- Growing your network: Meet doctoral researchers with sharp expertise and fresh thinking. Today's conversation could be tomorrow's collaboration, or your next great hire.
- Fresh perspectives: Step outside your daily routine and hear how the newest generation of researchers is approaching your field. Their questions might be exactly the angle you didn't know you needed.
- A pulse on where your field is heading: Doctoral researchers work at the edge of new ideas and emerging research. One conversation gives you a direct line to what's coming next.
- Developing your own communication and mentoring skills: A short, structured format that still builds real mentoring experience, sharpening how you explain, guide, and influence.
- Giving back, with real impact: Helping others has been shown to boost wellbeing. Sharing what you already know costs you an hour, and it could change the direction of someone's career.
As a Mentor, you help a doctoral researcher move forward on a real career question and walk away having learned something yourself.
What can you share?
Ask a Mentor conversations are organised around practical, career
related themes such as:
- Industry careers, entrepreneurship, or leadership
- International careers and academic careers
- Research commercialisation and sustainability
- Recruitment practices, workplace cultures, and employer expectations
- Career transitions and professional development
- Recognising and communicating transferable skills
How does Ask a Mentor work in practice?
Ask a Mentor is built around one time, low threshold conversations rather than ongoing mentoring relationships:
- Sign up: Fill in a short application to let us know you're interested in becoming an expert.
- Theme selection: A theme is chosen based on the needs of doctoral researchers, for example industry careers, entrepreneurship, leadership, international careers, sustainability, academic careers, or research commercialisation.
- Orientation session: Join a short online orientation to learn how the format works and what to expect from your conversation.
- Your profile goes live: Your expert profile is published on the booking platform for about one month.
- Researchers book you: Doctoral students and researchers browse expert profiles and book a one time conversation with the expert of their choice.
- The conversation: A single online session of 45 to 60 minutes, either one to one or as a small group discussion with 3 to 4 researchers.
- Reflection and feedback: After the conversations, you're invited to a short online feedback session, and your input helps shape future rounds of the programme.
No long-term commitment is required at any stage. Just your time and experience for one conversation.
Who can become a Mentor?
The opportunity is open to Aalto alumni, industry partners, and professionals from public organisations and other professional communities that has competed a Doctoral Degree. All you need is willingness to share what you know.
How can I become a mentor?
We are currently identifying volunteer experts for the "Ask a Mentor" pilot. If you'd like to take part, get in touch, we're happy to tell you more about this flexible way to share your career experience with doctoral researchers.