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Career Center

Mentoring Programs

Professional Mentee

A mentoring relationship is a learning and development partnership between two people, typically a more experienced person (mentor) and less experienced person (mentee). The relationship can last days, weeks, semesters or even years depending on the goals and experiences of the people in it. Mentors and mentees discuss topics like personal and professional decisions, explorations of career paths and ways to navigate a career. At Villanova, we encourage students and alumni to connect in mentoring relationships, and there are several ways to do so, including methods of creating your own.

Mentoring Programs at Villanova

Below is our list of known mentoring programs at the university, available to students and alumni with specific interests and backgrounds.

The Center for Global Leadership (CGL) pairs Advisory Council members with students that are part of the Global Leadership Fellows (GLF) program. All GLF students and CGL Advisory Council alumni mentors opt-in and are paired based on the student’s primary field of interest, desired work location, and mutual areas of interest.

Website: CGL Mentor Program

Contact: kimberly.cahill@villanova.edu

As part of the College's Career Compass program, students are paired with an alumni or industry mentor beginning in their sophomore year. Students are asked to interact with their mentors three separate times throughout each semester. Students maintain these partnerships through the end of their junior year, and our hope is that they stay connected beyond the program requirements.

Website: Career Compass

Contact: emily.park@villanova.edu

For Honors Program students to connect with Honors Program alumni mentors. Students can reach out to alumni mentors at any time during their course of study. Mentors can be searched by career areas and have short bios describing their experiences.

Website: Honors Alumni Mentor Directory (Redesigned Website Coming Soon)

Contact: honorsprogram@villanova.edu

The mentoring program provides HRD graduate students with the opportunity to work with successful HR professionals and to continue to develop a range of skill sets. Mentors benefit by accessing fresh talent, improving their leadership skills and building a rapport with Villanova’s reputable HRD Graduate Program.

Contact: bethany.adams@villanova.edu

This program for Villanova Law students, sponsored by the Minority Alumni Society and minority student organizations, enables minority alumni to serve as mentors and provides students/mentees with the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and insight from alumni who are currently practicing attorneys, or who are otherwise using their JD degrees in a business or professional setting, while also sharing practical advice concerning the challenges of law school.

Website: Law School Minority Alumni Society Mentoring Program

Contact: kim.moore@law.villanova.edu

This Program brings undergraduate VSB students and alumni volunteers together in one-to-one relationships to support the student’s career and professional development goals. Students opt into this program in the spring semester of sophomore year after declaring their major. Using mentoring software, each student selects a mentor based on their primary field of interest, desired work location, and skill-building needs. The pair works together through the student’s graduation.

Website: VSB Mentor Program

Contact: vsb.mentoring@villanova.edu

For Master of Science in Finance students in the School of Business to connect with a mentor during their year in the program. All student mentees and mentors opt in and are paired based as much as possible on the student’s primary field of interest, desired work location, and mutual areas of interest.

Website: VSB Mentor Program

Contact: vsb.mentoring@villanova.edu

MBA students can elect to join this program in their final year of study.  Students are matched with a mentor who shares the student’s primary industry or career interest area.  

Website: VSB Mentor Program

Contact: mbamentoring@villanova.edu

The Nova Network is Villanova’s social and professional network and home to nearly 20,000 alumni, students, faculty and staff. Students may search the community by company, city, or industry of interest and directly connect for a networking meeting. Novanetwork.villanova.edu, choose “Villanova login” for the quickest access. See how easily you can direct message and schedule a meeting in this 3-minute STUDENT WALKTHROUGH. Here are just a few of the tips and tricks you will learn:

  • Searching for professionals in your preferred industry, city or company
  • Using the built-in messenger, scheduler, and video conferencing tool for your convenience.
  • Joining the 60+groups, based on your regional, industry and interests filled with Villanova community members
  • Accessing on-demand resources guides and videos

Head to novanetwork.villanova.edu and choose Villanova Login to register.

What do I talk about with my mentor?

We're glad you asked. The answer is: many things, although we suggest you focus on topics that are easily answered and will help you define short-term and long-term goals in your career planning. Asking questions about how to break into an industry or specific company, how the mentor made specific career choices and the day-to-day realities of working in that role will likely prove beneficial for you (and likely even for the mentor). Below, we're providing some questions you can consider asking a mentor to get a conversation going.

Important Note: this relationship is just that - a relationship. Be sure to thank your mentor early and often. Email thank you notes are great. Hand-written thank you notes are even better. It's a great idea to offer your support of the mentor in return for the generosity they are offering you by sharing their time and knowledge.

  • What is your educational and professional background?
  • What do you like/dislike about your job and why?
  • What types of companies/organizations might employ someone to do this type of work?
  • How did you decide to get into the field and what steps did you take to enter the field?
  • What should I do to best prepare myself for a job in this field?
  • What suggestions do you have for someone wishing to enter this field?
  • What skills and background are needed to get into this field?
  • What is the salary range for a person in this field?
  • What personal qualities do you feel are most important in your work and why?
  • What are the tasks you do in a typical workday and could you describe them?
  • What types of difficult issues/stress do you experience on the job?
  • What are the most significant changes facing your field/organization?
  • What are the trends/issues to be aware of in the field?
  • What is the job outlook in this field?
  • What related occupations might I investigate?
  • Is advanced education beneficial in this field?
  • Are there professional publications or organizations that I should be familiar?
  • Can you recommend additional people for me to talk to?

Additional Ways to Create Mentoring Relationships

Alumni and friends of Villanova often make their time available to be resources to Villanovans who are exploring their next career decision. Below are a few ways to explore possible connections with whom you could start an information-sharing relationship.

Located at www.linkedin.com/alumni (select Villanova University as your school)

A searchable listing of all LinkedIn users who have listed Villanova University in the education section of their profiles. Sort by keyword or pre-defined categories such as "where they live," "where they work," and "what they do" - then, reach out and connect.

Master Your Professional Development and Pay it Forward


Curious about what the Nova Network can do for you, but not sure how it works? Check out this three-minute Nova Network walkthrough video for alumni! Here are just a few of the tips and tricks you will learn:

  • Searching for professionals in your preferred industry, city or company
  • Using the built-in messenger, scheduler, and video conferencing tool for your convenience.
  • Joining the 60+groups, based on your regional, industry and interests filled with Villanova community members
  • Accessing on-demand resources guides and videos

Upon sign up, you’ll be asked how you might like to help students. The process will take about 10 minutes. Here’s what to expect. Explore more and sign up for Villanova’s exclusive social and professional network at novanetwork.villanova.edu.