VAM Annual Conference Mentorship Program

Is this your first time at the Virginia Association of Museum Conference? Are you a museum professional wishing to expand your network or get advice as you grow? Register today for the Virginia Association of Museums’s Conference Mentorship Program to be paired with an experienced museum professional to make connections and get guidance.

Register your spot at the conference. If you would like to meet with a mentor, please click the "Mentorship Program" box under the Conference Registration page. Mentor Applications are open (see below)

MENTOR/MENTEE EXPECTATIONS:

 

  1. Mentors and mentees will be paired based on career goals and areas of the field.
  2. Mentors and mentees will contact each other by email prior to the conference and tell each other a little about themselves. The mentor will initiate the email exchange.
  3. Mentors and mentees agree on a place and time to meet in person early in the conference. We also suggest arranging a second meeting place and time during the conference. For example, making specific plans to meet over coffee, lunch, or the break between sessions is a good idea. Sometimes it is difficult to find people in the rush and flux of the conference.
  4. Mentors will share reflections on their experiences at the VAM annual conference and try to introduce mentees to other museum professionals. The point is to develop ideas and strategies for absorbing the full benefits of attending a conference. Mentors might give the following advice:
    • What sessions on the program look particularly good this year, and which ones may be relevant to my professional interests?
    • Who should I try to meet before the end of the conference?
    • Is there a strategy to visiting the exhibit hall, making the rounds in a reception or the Poster Session, or workshops that complement sessions?
    • How do you use the annual conference (or any conference in general) as a source of professional development, new projects, or new ideas?
  1. It is appropriate for mentees to prepare a few questions in advance for their mentor about areas of interest and networking.
  2. Some mentors and mentees stay in contact after the conference, but this is not an expectation. Each year, the mentoring program is focused on the annual meeting with which it is associated.
  3. It is not the expectation of the mentor to review the mentee’s resume. If the mentee is interested in having their resume reviewed, they should register for a resume review meeting at the Annual Conference.

Are you passionate about helping emerging museum professionals or students advance in the field? Apply today to be a Mentor at the Virginia Association of Museums’s Annual Conference. 

Application for Mentors