Mentorship Program
How Does the Program Work?
Mentor/Mentee pairs will meet regularly for the duration of the program (at least 1x/month) to work collaboratively on the mentee’s goals for the program.
All mentors and mentees are invited to participate in a monthly group meeting, typically held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month via a hybrid format (some virtual and some in-person meetings in Bellevue) from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. A commitment to attending at least 80% of the meetings is required to participate in the program. A full list of virtual and in-person meeting dates will be provided at the program kick-off.
While Mentor/Mentee pairs are ultimately determined by the mentorship committee, mentors and mentees will have the opportunity to meet their potential pairings prior to the start of the program and provide their recommendations about which mentees/mentors they are interested in working with.
Who Can Be a Mentee?
The program is designed to support mentees with a wide range of goals and objectives, including:
Early-career HR professionals looking for HR expertise or guidance in advancing their HR career
HR professionals seeking new work opportunities.
Non-HR professionals looking to break into the HR profession.
While exceptions occur, the program may not be able to support mentees who are:
Mid-career HR professionals or greater seeking executive-level mentorship or coaching
Primarily seeking HR expertise in a single, specific function, i.e., compensation, recruiting, L&D, etc. (while many mentors may have experience in this area, most mentors tend to be multi-faceted and/or generalists).
While the core aspects of the program can be conducted remotely, the program is only available to individuals within the greater Seattle area.
Who can be a Mentor?
The mentorship program is a tremendously rewarding opportunity for those who are interested in “giving back” to the local HR community by contributing to the growth and development of the next generation of HR professionals. To help support the mentorship program’s objectives, a mentor should:
Have a diverse background in HR; ideally, at least five years of experience is needed, although opportunities may exist for mentors with less experience.
Be committed to the success and development of their mentee and be willing to devote the necessary time and effort to support their mentee.
Understand that this is a volunteer opportunity; as such, there is no compensation for this role.
Be a current SHRM member with LWHRA designated as your primary chapter.
On the other hand, the program is not designed to support mentors that:
Specialize in a specific HR function, such as compensation, DEI, benefits, etc.; while we do accept and even encourage applications from HR professionals who specialize, there may not be opportunities to pair you with a mentee explicitly interested in your area of expertise.
Have specific criteria that may limit the number or type of mentees they are interested in partnering with.
Are seeking to utilize the program for personal objectives that conflict with the mentor role, i.e., utilizing the program to promote a product or develop business connections.
I’m Interested! What do I do next?
That’s awesome! If you want to be considered for the program, either as a mentor or mentee, please send your resume to committee member Samantha Bowes, sbowes@homage.org. We are no longer receiving mentee applications due to the high number of applications that exceed our program capacity. Please reach out if you wish to be put on a waitlist or an interest list for 2025. We hope to see your application next year! Along with your resume, please send a message that includes:
The role you are seeking – mentor or mentee
A brief description of your HR background
What you are hoping to achieve through your participation in the program
At least three important aspects you are looking for in your Mentor/Mentee partner
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