RISHTEY

Alumni Student Mentorship Program, IIM Calcutta

PHASE : A

MENTEE BROUCHURE

Alumni Cell, IIM Calcutta

RISHTEY 13 : PHASE A
Rishtey is the

launched by IIM

Just about ANY personality trait

Calcuttas Alumni Cell to help current students build long-lasting

or skill can be learned: simply

relationships with the alumni.

find it in someone you know and

copy it. Then watch what

In the current year of this initiative the program is divided into 2 Phases A &
B catering to PGP1 and PGP2 respectively. A total of over

happens.

and

Steve Goodier

have registered for the Phase A of the program.

Alumni Mentoring Interests

Mentee Interests
0%

20%

40%

Consulting

46%

Finance

40%

Marketing

52%

Operations

19%

Entrepreneurship

16%

Systems/IT
HR

19%
5%

General Mangement
Others

60%

49%
2%

0%
Consulting
Finance
Marketing
Operations
Entrepreneurship
Systems/IT
HR
General Mangement
Others

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

36%
38%
22%
8%
21%
12%
2%
35%
17%

Interest in multiple sectors shown by both mentors and mentees

Rishtey- Alumni Student Mentorship Program

For internal use only

Alumni Cell, IIM Calcutta

PROGRAM GUIDELINE
Allotment
Mentor-Mentee
Preference
Mentor details
Ristey POC

Launch
Know your mentor
Introductory Email
Goal Setting

Relationship
Feedback

Explore
Course Correct
Communication

Rishtey- Alumni Student Mentorship Program

Mentee Feedback
Rishtey Feedback

For internal use only

Alumni Cell, IIM Calcutta

MENTOR ALLOTMENT & POC

Rishtey team takes into account the sectorial preferences of both
mentor and mentee while allotment of the mentors to the mentees

Post allotment the mentor and the mentees will be informed about the
allotment and subsequently a introduction will be made by the POC
through a common email

RISHTEY POC

Along with the mentor information you will also be informed about your allotted Rishtey POC, whom you can
contact for any query or clarification regarding the program.

All requests should be addressed to your POC in the subject line and sent to rishtey@email.iimcal.ac.in. (Ex.
Subject : Rajeev Kumar: Mentor not responding since 2 weeks)

You can also contact the POC personally through phone or face to face meeting after sending an email.

Rishtey- Alumni Student Mentorship Program

For internal use only

Alumni Cell, IIM Calcutta

KYM- KNOW YOUR MENTOR

Research about your mentor
before your first interaction.

People admire you when you know

about them and show preparedness
social media profiles

Personal website

Mentor
Rishtey- Alumni Student Mentorship Program

Blogs
Company
website

For internal use only

Alumni Cell, IIM Calcutta

SAMPLE INTRODUCTORY EMAIL

Dear _____________ .
This is _________________. I received your name from the Rishtey
Mentorship Program, IIMC. I am a first year PGDM student. Thank
you for taking out time to mentor students of our Institute.

Introduce yourself. Thank them for their interest

I am a 2011 BITS, Pilani graduate in Chemical Engineering after

which I worked with a IT firm for 11 months. Outside of classes I
volunteer with INCA. I love playing the guitar. I am also very involved
in institute bodies like Intaglio and MARCELL.

Share your background Graduate college, branch, work exp., clubs,

internships, and interests, Keep it short

I am interested in learning about the rewards and challenges of

working at a startup, and how best I can prepare to work in such an
environment after graduating from IIMC.

Mention your expectations about the program

and relation ship

I look forward to hearing from you post which we can connect over
phone or Skype at a mutually convenient time

Decide on next time to talk

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Your Name.

Rishtey- Alumni Student Mentorship Program

Do not use these exact words in your email. This is just a guideline,
Alumni do not expect same email from every student
For internal use only

Alumni Cell, IIM Calcutta

GOALS SETTING FOR MENTORSHIP

At the start of the relation discuss and jointly :

Establish NORMS
How will we interact? Skype ? Phone ? Email
(remember, you want to have weekly interaction)
In general, how often would we like to interact ?
If we cant make it for an expected interaction, how will we inform?
Date & time of next meeting?

Set Goals
What do you hope to gain from the relationship?
Prioritize to 3 goals for this mentoring relationship?
Get to know mentors goals for this mentoring relationship?
Actions that you & your mentor can take to achieve these goals?

Rishtey- Alumni Student Mentorship Program

Some of the goals can be

Insights on academia vs industry

Choosing sectors for career

Work vs life balance

How to chart your career path

Knowledge about life in Joka

For internal use only

Alumni Cell, IIM Calcutta

HANDLING THE RELATION

Communicate

Course Correct

Be Proactive
( Alum can be busy)
Be consistent , dont let it die
Be responsible: Inform about
missing interaction as

Do not

Redefine goals

Ask for Internship / Job

Renegotiate norms

Show Irresponsiveness

Ask for feedback

Discontinue relationship

Contact Rishtey POC for

Disrespect while being

Unresolved issues

decided

friendly
We value our Alums
& relations with them

EXPLORE TO GAIN MORE

Insight into mentor's own academic
experience

Decision to change job, sector or

industry

Given all this be

Introduction to colleagues or
contacts

Guidance on how to seek a job or

internship in the field

Friendly &

Attending a professional meeting or

program with mentor

Discussion on how mentor

navigated graduate schools

Rishtey- Alumni Student Mentorship Program

For internal use only

Informal

Alumni Cell, IIM Calcutta

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How much time should devote in this
program?

This depends on the availability of the mentor. You are expected to be in touch
with him/her once or twice weekly . Mentors and mentees can interact
through mail, phone and/or Skype.

Can I ask for a new mentor?

Mentorship team has tried allocating mentors based on both mentors as well
as mentees preferences. Hence it would be difficult to change your mentor.
But, you can register again in the next phase to get a new mentor.

Who should I start the conversation?

You are supposed to start the conversation after the mentorship team
connects you with your mentor. Sample email can referred from page#6.

How long should I continue this

program?

This program is officially up to the end of third term i.e end of first year.
However, you are encouraged to continue the relationship beyond this period.

Is the Mentoring Program a way for

students to find a job?

No. While it is a great way for students to connect with alumni for valuable
career guidance and other support, this should not be used as a job search
tool. It is expected that you will adhere to all the Placement Policies and
Guidelines

Whom should I contact related to

queries / clarifications / problem
reporting?

Please note that you will be allotted a POC for this program who will connect
you to your mentor. In case of any problem reporting / queries / clarifications
please contact the Rishtey POC so that we can help you.

Rishtey- Alumni Student Mentorship Program

For internal use only