How to make the most out of Cmd+J — Mentees
By: Anshuman Dhar
Tags: India, Best Practices, Mentorship, Design, Advice

How does Cmd+J work?

Once you’ve signed up on the homepage of the website, you can simply sign in using your email and password, anytime. You would schedule time with Mentors through a page that lists all the mentors on the platform together in one place.

You have 4 opportunities to schedule time with various mentors every month, to make sure that nobody misuses the facility and it isn’t overbearing for our mentors as a whole. The counter will be reset at the end of every month at which point you may schedule time with 4 more mentors.

So make sure you take time to go through their bios, their work and choose your mentors well!

This was a short summary — You find out more details about how the platform works here.

(Note: With every platform with potential for good, there is potential for misuse, please note we absolutely do not tolerate badgering, stalking or treating Cmd+J as a job portal to ask for jobs among other things which violate our Code of Conduct)

What Now?

So you’ve set up your Cmd+J account, and already have a good idea of how the platform works. But you’re still unsure about your first conversation with a mentor? Thinking about it gives you the heebie-jeebies?

We get it. We’ve been there, having some amazing designers who have volunteered their time to talk with you, can be anxiety-inducing. 😬

But here’s the thing, even if there are a couple of things which might not work out or go wrong… There are so many things which can be magical!

We’re here to make sure you can make the most out of the opportunity you have and have the best experience possible. 🌟

Here are a couple of good practices which will ensure that-

1. Be that Enthu-cutlet

A lot of the mentors are giving their time while being in a job or being a student. Sometimes things get busy. They might not have seen your calendar event, it might’ve passed the radar, or they might’ve forgotten about it. It happens to the best of us.

Always make it a point to follow up with the mentor either once you’ve booked a call with them or anywhere between a day to an hour before your call is scheduled. Sometimes this small reminder really helps, especially when something shows up last minute. That way, your mentor can tell you in advance and you can reschedule for a better time. ⏳

This isn’t the only reason why an email before your call is scheduled can be helpful… You can use it as an opportunity to tell the mentor about what you’re looking to get out of the call or a little bit of background on yourself.

One example of the same —

Subject: Looking forward to our Cmd+J conversation today Hi Anjana, Really looking forward to chatting with you today at 5:00–5:30 PM IST about my doubts regarding finding an internship in Industrial Design. Since we decided on having the video call over Hangouts, here is my email ID so that it’s easier for you!

(whateveryouremailis@gmail.com) Thanks,

Pranjal

Make sure you don’t overdo it though. Enthusiasm can very easily be perceived as a little too much. Keep your emails short, and save some information for the call as well!

2. Punctuality is the best 1st Impression

Make sure you’re on time. If your call is from 2:30 pm, make sure you’re ready by 2:15 pm with all the materials and information you need. You can always spend time making sure your connection is alright and going over what you want to ask.

Don’t underestimate the duration of your conversation. 30 mins might feel like a lot but it can go by in a flash. You don’t want to have wasted it because you were late for the call. Everyone is quite busy, don’t expect that because a call started late it’ll also go on for as long.

If you start 10 mins late into a call which was meant for 30mins, you’ll only be going on for 20 mins (at the discretion of the mentor). Be on time, that’s the first impression your mentor has of you — you don’t want to ruin that.

3. “Tell me About Yourself”

We know, its a cliché, but it’s also one of the most common questions you’ll be asked first. This helps mentors gauge you a little better, so that they can be more helpful. Who knows you might have something in common with the mentors! 😄

Regardless of how long you‘ve scheduled a meeting for (15,30 or 60 mins), a short self-introduction is a great way to practice quickly presenting yourself — think about how you would introduce yourself at an interview or how you would deliver an elevator pitch, and consider this conversation practice for the same .

And remember, you’re not being graded! So keep it as genuine as possible. Mentors don’t want to know if you’re a team player or a go-getter they want to know you — your interests, hobbies, passion etc.

4. Do your Research. Period.

No one likes someone who is underprepared. We don’t mean stalk the mentor and figure out their entire life trajectory, but at least know where their interests and focus lies, read about them wherever they’re active. Know which parts of their life coincide with what you’re looking to get out of the call.

The last thing you’d want to be doing is asking a mentor the same questions she has already answered in an interview. It’s a massive waste of both your and their time 😐

While some mentors might include a short bio on themselves on the Cmd+J site, but it never hurts to google the person you’re about to chat with and familiarize yourself with their experience so that you can ask them questions which they’ll be able to help you best with. (More on this below)

5. Vocalize, then Prioritize

Prep 3–5 great questions, and prioritize them. If you’ve done your research, you’re sure to come across a lot of points that make you naturally inquisitive about how the mentor went about doing a certain something. Your questions can be based on the mentor’s background (ex: “What was the biggest difference you noticed when you transitioned from a big corporation to a startup?”) or about a specific topic/crossroad that you’ve been pondering (ex: “What informed your choice while selecting the major for your Masters in Design?”).

Having good questions is half the job done. But you only have a limited amount of time with the mentor. No matter what questions you have, you should prioritize them ahead of time. Sometimes conversations take a more meandering turn which isn’t really in your control. In such cases, you’ll have made sure you ask your most pressing questions first!

6. Take Notes, Not Quotes

What? Notes? How do we talk to people and stay focused!!? While this isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, taking notes is a great way to stay attentive, indicate your interest, and obviously to record any major points that come up in the conversation ✨

By making notes we don’t mean make long detailed notes about everything the mentor says! (doing this and paying attention to what the mentor says can get hard, however, if you’re capable enough, go ahead)

You can make sketchnotes, write in shorthand, take audio-transcribed notes (with consent) or just go figure out something that works best for you! There is no one right way. Prep your notebook/computer ahead of time if you’re planning on writing things down.

7. The Power of the Follow Up

Following up with a mentor seems simple– sending them an email thanking them for their time after the call! (after all, they are volunteering time for you out of their busy schedules)

But you’d be surprised at the power of a well written follow up message.

Prep your followup before you even begin the conversation. Writing down a followup email or Linkedin message can help you focus on how you’d like to guide the conversation during the time you have, and after the chat is over, you can add your biggest takeaways from the discussion before sending it over.

Not only is this is a great way to indicate your interest to the mentor, but it also gives them something to refer to if you ever reach out to them in the future again. You can always reply in the same email thread or reference something from the chat history which will help the mentor remember you and some of what was discussed.