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First Cycle Great Success

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PMI LUXEMBOURG CHAPTER, in 2021, has had the pleasure to offer a Mentoring Program where chapter members are partnered with established certified professionals to receive individual attention and guidance related to career aspirations, professional development, and networking, as well as gain valuable insights into Project Management Certification.

The Mentoring program aimed to develop the project management skills of the mentee as well as support career development. The goals and objectives of the Mentor relationship were to contribute to the individual growth of participants by developing the set of soft skills, supporting the development of the talent triangle skills, and providing an opportunity for networking and earning PDUs.

Five mentor-mentee pairs participated in the first cycle, which finished in December with an official wrap-up meeting.

Some of the testimonials of the Mentors and Mentees from the cycle can be found below:

MENTORS:
  • SASKIA VAN DYCK: “The main benefit of this experience was understanding what the challenges are of a young woman in our profession at the start of her career” and “I enjoyed the experience and would like to continue (even after the formal closing of this cycle of the mentoring program)”.
  • DANIELA DRAGOMIR: “It was empowering to be able to share my experience with passing the PMP and it was empowering realizing that my experience was useful to my mentee”.
  • LESLEY PRICE: “I enjoyed exchanging with someone looking to progress their career. I am also a coach so helping people tap into their resources and move forward is always an enriching experience”.
MENTEES:
  • MARIA HAZIR: “I joined the Mentoring Program as a Mentee because I felt like I am stuck in a rut and I wanted to kind of think for myself and what I want to do next, and how I want to do it, and what are my options for professional growth and development, so these were my goals in terms of mentoring. I am really excited and happy the program is going to continue because it has made me really think and be accountable towards myself and to be committed to my goals and to what I want. I also could discuss my plans and my goals with my Mentor and get her advice but the biggest contribution was the accountability and the commitment that I felt because if you feel that having a Mentor who is trying to guide you and help you, you feel more commitment and more accountability so this was really great for me”.
  • CAROLINE DURIEUX: “I took part in the Mentoring Program because I felt like I am stuck where I was and was not going anywhere, and I was wondering what should I do to progress further and I added mini questions about all PMI certifications what could be possible and what does that bring. So my Mentor was really helpful, who also pushed and encouraged me to start something. She explained me all the details about PMI certifications, told me what that brought to her, to her career path and that could be interesting for me, and she give me a lot of advice/strategy to prepare/learn for the exam and I really appreciate it”.
  • VICTORIA CUNETCHI: “I am very happy that I have this mentoring opportunity with Saskia Van Dyck and I am fully satisfied with the mentoring program. One piece of advice I would like to give to myself, and maybe to the following mentees is to be more proactive and have checklists in place in order to have a more structured follow up”.

The program was managed by Kseniya Gonzalez who was very passionate about it from the start. Kseniya took care of the whole organization process including matching the mentees with the right mentors and followed up during the process with each participant individually to make sure that everything was running smoothly and that both mentors and mentees were reaping the benefits of the program.

She also had a previous experience with mentorship (as a mentee) and below you can find her testimonial:

  • KSENIYA GONZALEZ: She had a previous experience with mentorship (as a mentee) when she joined an MBA program at the University of West Florida after having served in the US Army. In her own words: “I felt like an imposter because my classmates were established professionals with five - ten years of business experience running departments and I’m fresh off the boat not even knowing what direction I want to go.” Her university ran a mentor program, to which she applied. “My wonderful Mentor was the one who helped me to overcome the imposter syndrome and take the most of my time in school. So, I’m a big mentorship advocate and I encourage everyone to participate as a mentor or mentee.”

After a successful first cycle, the preparations are ongoing for the next cycle where the call will be open from January – March 2022. Since Kseniya Gonzalez took up a Director role, the Mentoring Program will be now managed by Blerta Iberhysaj - Mentor Program Associate Director.

The program is open and free of charge for the Chapter members.

Being a mentor provides an opportunity for project management practitioners to share their knowledge, skills, and experience with the new people in professional field. The Mentor will act as a role model to help a mentee with his or her personal and professional growth by sharing support, assisting in clarifying career path and achieving goals. The program provides an opportunity for mentors to develop their own mentoring style and soft skills set at the same time as influencing the new generation of project managers.

Being a mentee is an opportunity to experience, understand and learn from an experienced professional established in the project management career field. One-on-one mentor relationship allows each mentee to receive individual attention and guidance tailored to their personal needs and aspirations.

The mentoring sessions usually take place once a month, either virtually or in person. It all depends on the preferences of the mentee and their Mentor. Mentee usually takes an active role, coordinating the meeting and preparing topics for discussion.

The cycle starts with an official kick-off where all mentors and mentees are invited. The meeting serves as an information session where the participants are encouraged to ask any questions they may have.

If you feel like this might be something for you and would like to participate as a mentor or a mentee, please submit your application by DATE TBC.

You will find the application forms as well as additional information on our website under the following link: Become a Mentor / Mentee (pmi.org)

If you are intrigued but not yet convinced whether you should participate or not, you can contact Blerta Iberhysaj personally at [email protected] to receive more information.