2b. Finding a Pairing - Cohort Programs 📚 (User-led with Approval)

Now that you have successfully registered for the program, the next step along your mentorship journey is to get paired. You've put some time and thought into your responses, so don't miss out on finding the right match!

We will split this guide into three sections, so feel free to skip ahead to the section most relevant to you:

1. Finding a Pairing as a Mentee
2. Finding a Pairing as a Mentor

Note: this pairing guide is specific to Cohort programs, if you're not sure which program format your organization is using, please reach out to your admin team to confirm. Curious about the differences? Check out our article here.

Finding a Pairing as a Mentee

Once your admin team turns on pairing, you will receive an invite to begin searching for a mentor. The invite will look a little like this:

To get started, click on the Submit Mentor Preferences button. Once you log in to the platform, you will be taken to the Directory to begin searching for a mentor. At first, you will notice a list of some recommended pairings for you based on the information you provided in your Registration Questionnaire. 

• Note: pairings are sorted by default in order of the highest match score. Your "Top overall matches based on preferences" will be at the top of the list.

You can click on each user to review their profile on the side of the page:

If you want to narrow down your results further, we encourage you to make use of the Filter Tab along the top left-hand side: 

• Filter by Questionnaire Response: you may also filter by an individual's response to specific questions that were asked in your Registration Questionnaire. To do so, simply click on one of the pre-populated filers or click the All Filters button for more options! This will automatically filter your list to display the most relevant results. 

Once you have found a mentor you would like to pair with, you can add them to your shortlist by clicking the Add to Shortlist button on their profile:

Once you have added some mentors to your shortlist, you can go ahead and click the Next: Send Requests button to continue.

Tip: We encourage you to use the shortlist to its fullest! In my program, I can select up to 5 potential mentors, however, your program may have different limits. You may shortlist fewer than the maximum, however, it is recommended to fill out the list in order to have the highest chance of finding your preferred mentor.

Now that you have created your shortlist, the next step is to adjust the rank of your shortlisted preferences. On this page, you can re-order your shortlist based on which is your most preferred mentor. In other words, rank #1 is your highest preference, and #5 is your last preference:

• Note: Once you submit your preferences, you will not be able to edit your shortlist. If you would like to make changes, you will need to withdraw your pairing request that was sent to your first preference. For information on withdrawing a pairing request, please refer to this article: How do I cancel a pairing request?

After you submit your preferences, an email will be sent to your first preference. You will be notified once you're paired with a mentor. Generally, it takes 1-3 days to confirm a pairing, however, this can vary depending on how long your preferred mentors take to respond to your request.

If your first preference is not available to mentor you, Together will automatically send a request to your next preference until you are paired with a mentor. If none of your shortlisted mentors are available to mentor you, you will be notified to re-submit new mentor preferences.

Finding a Pairing as a Mentor

Finding a Pairing as a Mentor is a bit more of a waiting game. As part of the mentor directory, mentees will have access to your profile and can choose to request you as their mentor. You will only be shown to mentees with which you share common skills, goals, and preferences.

Once a mentee chooses you, you will receive an email asking you to Approve or Decline the mentee’s introduction. Click on either option within the email to review and approve/decline the request. By default, you have 3 business days to decide.

• Didn’t receive it? Check your Spam or Junk folder frequently to ensure you have not missed the email. If it is in Spam, please mark verify the email as Not Spam.

After clicking one of the options from the email, you will be shown 3 different options on Together. You can either:

• Approve the request
• Decline the request
• Decline & Ban the pairing: this will prevent the mentee from requesting you as a mentor again in the future.

You can also view the mentee's profile for more information about them by clicking the View Profile button.

Once you have approved the request, both you and your mentee will receive an email confirming the pairing.

• Tip: Communicate with your mentee via email, text or phone to find a time that works best for both. The onus is on the mentee to schedule the first meeting.

Have more questions? Submit a request here and let us know how we can help!