ECSB Career Mentoring

ECSB Career Mentoring is aimed at early and mid-career researchers.

Academic careers are becoming increasingly complex, dynamic, and international. Demands on academics for publishing, raising funding and providing high quality teaching are increasing, and academics need to adjust by carefully contemplating and planning their careers, activities, and work-life balance.

In the ECSB Career Mentoring Programme, we help researchers navigate their career challenges by having experienced researchers and professors advise you on your personal career development for six months. A mentor supports you by listening to you, discussing your personal goals with you, providing encouragement, information, and contacts. Mentoring can assist you with assessing your experiences and achievements and considering your future options and choices.

See the ECSB Career Mentoring eFlyer (pdf)

FOR MENTEES

Why should I participate? Mentoring can assist you with assessing your experiences and achievements and considering your future options and choices. The key goal of mentoring is to support, guide and influence the professional development and direction of the mentee. Mentors are experienced people who go out of their way to assist you in clarifying your vision and personal goals.

How does ECSB Career Mentoring work? Based on your expectations and interests, ECSB will assign a mentor to you. The programme officially starts on 1 January, for a duration of six months. It is your responsibility, as a mentee, to initiate and maintain the mentoring assignment. That means that you and your mentor will agree on individual goals for the mentoring process as well as the frequency of (virtual, phone or face-to-face) meetings. Both mentees and mentors participate on a voluntary basis in this programme.

Am I eligible? To be eligible, you need to be an ECSB member – in case you are not a member you can apply for membership HERE. You will also have

(preferably) finished your doctoral thesis within the 8 years preceding the application deadline for early career mentoring or
(preferably) have finalized your doctoral studies 8 years or more prior to the application deadline and have been employed in an academic institution for more than 6 years for mid-career mentoring.

Where can I apply? Complete the application HERE and send a short CV to the ECSB Secretariat (info@ecsb.org). Once your assignment is finished, ECSB may ask you for some feedback, so that we can learn from your experiences. The annual application deadline is November 30, 2024.

Questions? Send an email to Steffen Korsgaard (stko@sam.sdu.dk) for queries related to the early career mentoring and to Silke Tegtmeier (tegtmeier@iti.sdu.dk) for queries related to the mid-career mentoring.

FOR MENTORS

Why should I become a mentor? You will receive personal satisfaction from contributing to the development of the mentee, and also be able to share your own experiences and knowledge. Additionally, you have a possibility to learn from your mentee and acquire new perspectives.

What are my responsibilities? You will be assigned a mentee for six months. You will agree with your mentee on the frequency of meetings which can take place face-to-face or in a virtual environment. Your responsibility is to listen to mentee issues, problems, and challenges, be open to offer advice and share your successes and failures, your own solutions to your challenges, but let them make their own decisions. After the assignment, ECSB may ask for some feedback, so that we can learn from your mentoring experiences.

Where can I sign up? Please send an e-mail to Steffen Korsgaard (stko@sam.sdu.dk) or Silke Tegtmeier (tegtmeier@iti.sdu.dk), stating in which areas you could offer advice. ECSB will maintain your profile and will be responsible for your assignment to a mentee. No obligation will be put onto you to take on a mentee if you feel you will not be able to provide the professional development, they seek advice on.

“The ECSB Career Mentoring Program was a fantastic experience! My mentor helped me grow both personally and professionally. The topics we discussed included not only research, building a strong network, and supervising students, but also personal growth and the dark sides of academia. I appreciate her willingness to openly share her experiences and make the meetings so enjoyable. I’m so grateful for the mentoring and highly recommend the program to anyone looking for guidance in their academic journey.” – Mentee 2024

“The ECSB mid-career mentoring program has been fantastic in helping me figure out how to take that next step in my career. Personally, I benefitted from working with a mentor who collaborated with me to clarify my goals and offered ideas on how I could build towards them through achievable actions. Working with my mentor encouraged me to try some new approaches and see how they turned out. As a result, the past six months have been very productive for me personally by providing a focus on tasks that advance me towards my goals.” – Mentee 2024

“Acting as a mentor for the ECSB mentor programme is a wonderful opportunity to get to know and support colleagues in our field. It is a supportive and engaging process underpinned by mutual respect and learning. The process unveils collaborative opportunities, new research themes and approaches as well as expanding and deepening our network of wonderful researchers in entrepreneurship.” – Mentor 2023

“I found the mid-career mentoring to be extraordinarily beneficial. I was so grateful to have a fantastic mentor who was always available for advice and suggestions and had a vast knowledge of the academic environment. She was incredibly helpful, and her guidance gave me the confidence to face the next challenges in my career.” – Mentee 2023

“Being a mentor in the ECSB Career Mentoring Program has been an enriching experience. Guiding a promising researcher’s professional journey with insights drawn from my own path has been truly rewarding. The program’s emphasis on holistic development and the exchange of perspectives with mentees has also impacted my personal growth. If you are contemplating mentorship, I encourage you to explore the ECSB Career Mentoring Program. It is a fantastic opportunity to guide the next generation of researchers, share your wisdom, and cultivate a community of growth and support in a meaningful way.” – Mentor 2023

“I had the privilege of being part of the ECSB mentorship program, and I can confidently say that the guidance and support have been instrumental in shaping my academic career as a working mom. Through the mentorship sessions, I got invaluable insights and strategies for balancing the demands of academia and motherhood. Her deep understanding of the challenges faced by working moms allowed her to offer tailored advice and practical solutions that empowered me to navigate complex situations. Thanks to my mentor, I have gained the confidence, skills, and perspective needed to excel both professionally and personally as a working mom in academia.” – Mentee 2023