Celebrating National Mentoring Month
For Jim Hartley (BA UTSC 1980), going above and beyond has become a hallmark of his involvement in the Partners in Leadership program at UTSC. He first became a volunteer mentor in 2015, not long after the program began, and he admits, “I didn’t quite know what I was getting into.” That year, Hartley, who worked at U of T on the St. George campus for 34 years, drove all the way out to Whitby to meet with his young mentee at a coffee shop.
While he may clock fewer kilometres these days – especially during the pandemic, as PIL mentoring has gone virtual – Hartley continues to invest considerable time and energy into his young mentees, and his preparation is thorough.
“I created a binder to use as a framework,” says Hartley, who advises one to two UTSC students per year across a wide variety of subjects, from work etiquette, presentation tips and CV preparation to personal finance and work-life balance.
Pre-pandemic, Hartley would go so far as to book a room on the UTSC campus to meet with mentees, sometimes holding mock interview sessions. His sessions cover everything from tips to make a good impression when dining with your boss to reminding you to treat everyone you come across at interviews – even on the elevator ride up – with respect.
“I try to express that no matter where you work, you are a part of that organization. You are promoting your industry 24/7, no matter where you go.”
No matter where you work, you are a part of that organization. You are promoting your industry 24/7.
No sugar coating
But while Hartley is thorough, he doesn’t believe in sugar coating the often-arduous process of getting a job, nor the sometimes-painful experiences that can accompany career development.
“I never try and sugar coat life. I tell people like it is, and it’s going to be hard,” says Hartley.
In every career there are ups and downs, failures and successes. For Hartley, being prepared for those is an important life skill, and he urges his mentees to learn from every experience.
That also means realizing that you might have to work hard at finding your dream job. “If you don’t love the job, you’re not in the right place. You have to find the right fit,” Hartley says, in order to excel.
Hartley is there to help with that process. Among his preparatory materials, he includes extra articles and links to videos. “I don’t like to spoon feed anyone,” Hartley says, but he is a proponent of helping his mentees continue their exploration and growth on their own.
“It may take many years to find the right fit, but perhaps what I’m providing them with is a reason to keep going.”
And he warns that not every mentor-mentee relationship is a perfect fit, either. One year, Hartley recalls, his mentee was dealing with some serious personal challenges. “It took a long time for us to make a connection,” says Hartley, but once the connection was made, it was genuine. And powerful.
“He thanked me for turning his life around,” says Hartley, adding that this mentee’s transformation was likely the most rewarding of his mentorship experiences.
And while he looks forward to a day when he can meet with his mentees in person again – maybe even driving to Whitby, or at least the UTSC campus – he maintains that the genuine pleasure he gets from mentoring continues to lift him up and “supercharge” him, each and every time he spends time with his mentees.
“It’s nice to have a challenge, to maintain that sense of excellence U of T strives for. I’m just happy to be a small part of that,” says Hartley.
Looking for a more informal mentoring experience? Connect with fellow alumni on UTSC Connect (https://utscconnect.ca)