Mentoring and the Professional Development of Business Students

Abstract

This article has two objectives: to describe how business schools have implemented mentoring programs and to provide some insights on the success of such programs. A national sample of 154 universities and colleges was surveyed by phone to determine the proportion of business schools with mentoring programs and the structure of these programs. To obtain a better understanding of the interpersonal dynamics between mentors and mentees, in-depth interviews with 15 mentoring program administrators and five career development counselors were also conducted. These follow-up interviews provide a qualitative understanding of the characteristics that make mentoring programs successful. Mentor program administrators provide several recommendations for attracting and retaining mentors, for developing greater rapport between mentors and mentees, and for generating greater satisfaction with the mentoring program. The article points to the lack of broad-based research on the effectiveness of mentoring programs in business schools and suggests directions for future outcomes assessment research.

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