Information Technology Advisory Board

Information Technology Advisory Board (ITAB)

IT Mentoring - Protégé FAQs

Here is a list of questions students may have:

· Am I eligible to participate in the ITAB Mentoring Program?
· Why is participation in the ITAB Mentoring Program restricted to IT Managers, IT Directors and CIO's employed by the State of Missouri?
· Why aren't other professions eligible?
· What does it take to be a good protégé?
· Should I be flexible about being matched with someone outside my field?
· What can I do if I'm not an IT Manager?
· How are protégés recruited to participate in the ITAB Mentoring Program?
· How can I get my colleagues involved?
· How can I get my agency involved?

Am I eligible to participate in the ITAB Mentoring Program?
Yes, if you are:

· Currently employed by a state agency that participates in the CIO's Information Technology Advisory Board and
· Employed by the State of Missouri as an IT Manager, IT Director or CIO for less than two years and
· Available to participate for one year and
· Willing to exchange email messages, phone calls and personal visits at least weekly with a mentor
· Willing to submit a brief survey or summary of your mentoring experience to the ITAB Mentoring Program subcommittee.

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Why is participation in the ITAB Mentoring Program restricted to IT Managers, IT Directors and CIO's employed by the State of Missouri?
We are constraining our growth so that we can build and test systems and maintain a quality program within the resources we have available. Every year we hope to add more IT job categories. As we add more supporting partners, we will continue to invite more and more employees to participate. We hope to get to the point where any State of Missouri IT. employee can participate.

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Why aren't other professions eligible?
The ITAB Mentoring Program's mission is to promote learning in the information technology field of state government. Therefore, we recruit mentors who are in the information technology fields and are working in one of the government agencies or state universities. We do not have the mentor pool to match other profession's protégés with a suitable mentor.

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What does it take to be a good protégé?

· Be teachable, take initiative, and honor your commitment.
· Be willing to learn new things, obtain another perspective, and be responsive to suggestions and constructive criticism.
· Take the initiative to ask your mentor a question, to let him or her know what tests or projects you are working on, and to ask about his or her academic and professional experiences.
· Keep the mentoring relationship sustained by engaging in small talk until a relevant topic for discussion emerges.
· Please be appreciative of your mentor's time and investment; mentors usually have very demanding jobs and are participating in the ITAB Mentoring Program because they are committed to mentoring.
· Respond in a timely manner to your mentor's questions and comments. If you don't have the time to respond at the time, send a short message letting him or her know you will be in contact when you have the opportunity.

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Should I be flexible about being matched with someone outside my field?
The decision to be matched with a protégé or mentor who does not necessarily share your educational background and specialty interests can be a positive one, both for your mentoring partner and for you.

Although mentors have biases of their own, compared with other advisors, they have much less of a stake in the decisions that protégés make. This allows the mentoring relationship to develop an atmosphere in which the mentor is a confidante who is "safe" to bounce ideas off or to whom one can air insecurities or other concerns.

In addition, mentors provide a real-life perspective and valuable general knowledge based on their experiences in the field of information technology. For both mentors and protégés, it can also be an educational opportunity to learn about a new subject.

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What can I do if I'm not an IT Manager?
The ITAB Mentoring Program is presently open only to State of Missouri IT Manager, IT Directors and CIO's. The mentors participating in the ITAB Mentoring Program are in the field of information technology and the mentoring efforts focus on IT issues.

You may search the Internet to find a professional society in your field, and then contact the local chapter. Many have mentoring programs, and even if they don't, you may want to attend a meeting and ask someone to be your mentor. More mentoring relationships result because of someone asking to be mentored, rather than a mentor offering to mentor. You may want to interview some professionals in your field to find out how they obtained their job and what they do on a daily basis.

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How are protégés recruited to participate in the ITAB Mentoring Program?
Protégés are recruited through the Information Technology Services Division and the ITAB who get the word out through email, by visiting with new IT Managers and by encouraging IT staff to let new employees know about the opportunity.

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How can I get my colleagues involved?
If they are in a participating agency, please direct them to our web site or ask them to call the Information Technology Services Division for more information.

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How can I get my agency involved?
The participating agencies were identified based on existing relationships with the Information Technology Advisory Board considering resource constraints, the number of volunteers and the direction provided by the IT Advisory Board. Every year we hope to add more agencies and more volunteers. For now, talk to your senior IT manager or visit our web site.