Welcome to our Mentee Spotlight of Femme Palette, where we share inspiring growth journeys from women in our mentoring program. In this interview, we meet Aleksandra Bratek, UX & UI Designer at Tietoevry and a graduate of Interaction Design from the Architecture and Design School in Oslo. Originally from Poland and now based in Norway, Aleksandra joined the Femme Palette mentoring program at a pivotal moment - leading teams as a junior designer while navigating imposter syndrome, rising expectations, and the growing pressure to connect design with business impact.
One of the most valuable assets in your professional life is having an inspiring mentor. Mentoring is still seen as a powerful way of gaining valuable skills and getting ahead in your career. It has been proven by studies and surveys that effective mentoring benefits both the mentor and mentee in equal measure. While mentors can improve their leadership skills and get a fresher perspective on the industry, mentees can identify skill gaps, boost their confidence and get access to the mentor’s prized professional network.
We asked the professionals from our mentoring program what makes a good mentor. From having the relevant experience, asking the right questions and recognising the mentee’s strengths, to opening up and acknowledging the unique journey of the mentee. These are some of the traits that, according to Kristyna, Julia, Kvetka and Lucie, define a great career mentor.
Mentoring is about building a relationship. This would presumably be done in person, however, as an ex-mentee Michaela confirms, a successful mentoring relationship can be built online, too. Michaela shares her experience with remote mentoring and gives useful tips to anyone who is considering getting a mentor.
During the COVID-19 times, our Mentoring Program for women shifted its mentoring sessions online. That’s why our Mentoring Program Manager Kelly Stary put together some useful tips on how to make the remote mentoring relationship work.
Find yourself a cheerleader! Key advice for women in HR from Zuzka Peskova, the head of HR at a tech company. She shares how having a mentor can help you not only with a career transition, but also with brainstorming ideas and facing unexpected challenges. Read our interview with the HR expert and learn how mentoring can change your life.
Starting a business and building a brand is not easy. There is also not a single solution that suits all. However, if you have a business idea in mind or want to boost your enterprise, there is a way which can help you save money and time, it is called: mentoring for entrepreneurs.
Manon Van Essen is the founder of a successful startup Magioni. With her cauliflower pizza, Manon has revolutionised the food industry. She talks to Veronika Larsen, a multi-discipline woman entrepreneur from Brno and a member of the Femme Palette community. Both girls share their advice on making it big in the world of business and what helps them overcome the fear of failure.
We are consistently impressed with the brilliance of our community and the knowledge every member has to offer. That’s why we asked our members to share their knowledge with everyone! This Member post is brought to you by Anna Kyriacou, a Creative Founder at Nomadic Projex.
