ARF Women in Analytics Mentorship Program 2023
Part of the mission of the ARF’s Women in Analytics Group is to provide members the opportunity to connect with one another. In just two years, the WIA Mentorship program has served nearly 200 mentors and mentees with connections that built meaningful industry wide relationships. We were thrilled to continue our mentorship program this summer. See what we did in 2023.
Mentorship Is Important for Both Mentors and Mentees
For mentors, providing positive guidance and sharing knowledge built up over years is a good leadership skill. Helping people navigate their careers, both in terms of big decisions (changing jobs) and everyday ways (enhancing reputations by volunteering to lead a task). Providing feedback to a mentee is also a good exercise in clear communication. Lastly, after years in the workplace it’s nice to “give back” to the next generation.
For mentees, having a mentor — someone who can help you advance your career goals through shared knowledge and more experience — is invaluable. Expanding networks is an important step towards professional growth. Maintaining and growing a relationship with a mentor is excellent training that can be adapted to working with management, clients and colleagues.
Four Phase Program
| Phase I | Participants | Mentors and mentees sign up to participate in the program. |
| Phase II | Survey | A survey is fielded to get insights into participants’ preferences, values and objectives. |
| Phase III | Analysis | The data is analyzed against benchmarks to produce the optimal set of connections for all participants. |
| Phase IV | Introductions | Matches are introduced. Mentees are encouraged to reach out to their mentors to schedule a first meeting. |
How Did We Do in 2023?
In total, 78 people, 36 mentors and 42 mentees, signed up to participate and completed the values survey. Nineteen of the mentors were matched with two mentees with a total of 56 matches.
The sign up to apply to be a 2023 Mentor or Mentee closed on 6/23. We look forward for you to sign up in 2024 for the next program.
This year’s mentors/mentees attended the 2023 Women in Analytics Mentorship Program virtual event on 8/1.
The event was designed to provide an overview of the program, provide an understanding of how mentors/mentees were matched, and hear tips from mentors and mentees that participated last year.
Jamie Thomas of Cophi discussed how the values system works and provided a better understanding of the methodology behind the survey.
There was a panel of mentors/mentees from the 2022 Women in Analytics Mentorship Program that shared their experiences on how to maintain a successful mentor/mentee relationship.
