IST Austria Mentoring Program for postdocs

In 2016, upon an initiative of the Postdoc Association, IST Austria launched its Postdoc Mentoring Program. The program aims to:

provide feedback and career-related advice to postdocs
provide a second opinion to that of the PI on career-related issues
help establish the initial contact, which can often be a barrier preventing postdocs from obtaining valuable input

Topics that may be discussed with mentors:

Topics related to professional and career development
Career-development plans and steps
Evaluation of career plans and prospects
Feedback on CV and job cover letters
Advice on career transitions both within and outside academia
Guidance on how best to invest time and effort
Communication problems with other academics that have direct impact on career development

Personal problems that do not directly relate to career development
Personal and professional problems with the PI
Issues of discrimination and harassment, grievances with the institute, or other issues that are better dealt with by another contact person, e.g. an ombudsman
Administrative problems and complaints

To meet with the postdoc upon postdoc’s request, at least once but no more than four times per year
To actively inquire of the postdoc to provide self-evaluation of their progress and to comment on it
To be willing to listen and provide feedback to the postdoc in an impartial manner
To maintain full confidentiality on postdoc’s request with respect to the topics and issues discussed
To be free of conflicts of interest

To initiate contact and arrange meetings with your mentor – find a list of mentors here or contact PDO
To approach your mentor with specific questions and objectives in mind
To identify areas that you need mentoring for
To perform a self-assessment (such as the Institute’s Individual Development Plan) prior to meeting the mentor, and to discuss the outcomes with the mentor
Not to request mentoring on any of the topics not meant for mentor-mentee meetings