Mentoring Program for Professional Women

Mentoring Program for Professional Women

Respondents' Profile

Respondents surveyed totaled to N=338 females, majority of which belongs to the 20-30 years old age range (50%). Around 38%, meanwhile, belonged to the 31-40 years old age range. Most of the females surveyed, in effect, have ages between 20 and 40 years old. Majority are single (51%), but there is also a sizable portion of females that are married, albeit less than the majority (44%). Almost all have undergraduate to graduate degrees (92%), most are working for the government (74%), and there is an almost equal split between first line employees (48%) and middle to senior managers (50%). This good mix of management level among respondents provides a good representation of female employees' thoughts and attitudes about the concept of developing a mentoring program for professional women.

Mentoring Awareness

Respondents were well aware of the difference between coaching and mentoring, with most of them answering that there is a difference between the two. Despite this knowledge, more than the majority of the respondents have not participated in and have poor knowledge in any mentoring programs (58%). But almost all recognized the need for a mentoring program (92%), citing the following purposes or advantages that a mentoring program would give them: "experience, knowledge and skills transfer/self-development; career progression; network opportunity/provide exposure and visibility within the organization; opportunity to identify potential leaders and fast track them; and encourages, motivates, and increases productivity."

Interest in mentoring program

The expressed need for a mentoring program was indeed validated when asked about the respodents' interest in a mentoring program for professional women. Almost all expressed interest in participating in a mentoring program (90%). Most would like the mentoring program to run from a few months (43%) to one year (31%), and frequency of meetings was highly distributed across weekly (29%), bi-monthly (34%), and monthly (27%) meetings between mentor and mentee.

Mentoring program

Respondents were also asked about their preferences on the kind of mentoring program they would like to have. Getting the top two favorable responses (ratings of "4" and "5") from each potential benefit enumerated, most of the respondents want a mentoring program that will give the mentee an opportunity to 'expand her knowledge of career path and options' (86%) and 'develop (their) interpersonal and communication skills' (81%). Least mentioned and favorable potential benefit the respondents would like to have is to 'expand (their) knowledge of the company' (64%).

When asked about the potential negative aspects of a mentoring program, respondents feared that they will be considered as "weak" (74%). Second top or mostly cited response was that the respondents were 'embarassed to have a mentor' (73%). Least mentioned negative aspect was respondents' fear that a 'bad mentoring experience could adversely impact the program' (31%). These percentages make up the top two responses, signifying that these responses were considered the more negative aspects of a mentoring program for female professionals.

Respondents mentioned that while there is almost a general concensus in expressing their interest in a mentoring program, they considered new employees (35%) and newly-promoted first line supervisors (34%) as those who will benefit the most from a mentoring program.

These results provide insights into the needs of female professionals, who are either middle or senior managers in the government institutions or organizations they work for. From these findings, respondents would like to participate in a mentoring program that would give the least uncertainty for the mentees as possible, since their primary concern was that they would be put in an embarassing position and would be considered 'weak' by their mentor(s).

In addition, the program's content should cover topics that would promote female professionals' need to improve their interpersonal and communication skills, as well as become more knowledgeable about possible career paths given their current employment status and work experience. More specifically, as highlighted in the findings generated from the Mentoring Awareness section, the need for 'self-development, career progression, and netowrking opportunities' are recurring 'need themes' that the respondents would like to be addressed in a mentoring program. In essence, respondents would like to have a mentoring program that allows them to think of their potentials beyond the organization that they work for, and the current position or job that they hold. The mentoring program should be future-oriented, but will help the respondents achieve their goals through the skills set, experience, and personality they have at the present.

Characteristics of a mentor

The characteristics of the mentor who will be spearheading the program is as important as the mentoring program itself. As for the respondents' preferred characteristics of a mentor in the program, there was no real preference of a male or female mentor, as this 'does not matter' to them (69%). However, most would prefer an older mentor (74%), preferably someone from outside of the organization (67%). Almost all respondents considered it important for a mentor to have the 'ability to give counseling, coaching and feedback' (90%) and have the 'commitmentto the mentoring process' (90%). A mentor's 'sensitivity to (mentee's) feelings' was considered the least important interpersonal skill (56%). (Similar to previous findings, all percentages were generated by combining the percentages of the top two ratings (ratings of "4" and "5") given by the respondents to each interpersonal skill enumerated.