Learnings from 4 years of mentorship at Nova

Hey, we are Ramón Rodrigá?ez and Andrea Marino, Co-Founders at Nova, the Global Top Talent Network.

Welcome to Talent First, our newsletter where those who believe that talent is the most important resource in the economy get together.

Every week we cover a new topic related to attracting, hiring, developing, and retaining talent, as well as the learnings from our journey building Nova.

Summary:

• Mentoring is one of the most effective ways to accelerate career growth, but designing a program that truly benefits participants is no simple task. In this week’s issue, we share how we have iterated Nova’s mentoring program and offer insights for any organization aiming to build impactful mentoring relationships.

1. Mentoring - A key to unlocking career potential

Those who have experienced it can tell: that mentorship goes beyond guidance—it’s a catalyst for professional transformation. In general, a good mentor does three powerful things for a mentee:

• Asks the right questions: Mentors encourage critical thinking, challenging mentees to reflect on their goals and navigate obstacles. The right questions inspire insights that wouldn’t surface independently.
• Connects to the right people: A mentor’s network is often one of their greatest assets. Through strategic introductions, mentors open doors, helping mentees find new opportunities, resources, and perspectives.
• Inspires through experience: Having already walked the path, mentors share lessons that textbooks can’t teach. Their stories serve as a powerful source of inspiration and as a reality check, guiding mentees on how to handle success, failure, and everything in between.

At Nova, we’ve seen the profound impact that thoughtful mentoring can have. Many of our members report enhanced confidence, skills, and clarity after just a few mentoring sessions. This feedback has driven us to continuously refine and improve our mentoring model.

Actually, for a while, we had a mentoring relationship on our landing page:

2. The evolution of mentoring at Nova

The tech stack

Until we released the new mentoring program in the app, we used a tech stack of our mentoring was pretty simple:

• Typeform to get the data
• GSheets and Google Scripts to make the matching
• Emails to connect mentors and mentees
• We let mentors choose how to deliver sessions (mainly in video calls)

The group mentoring

Nova’s mentoring program has evolved through several structured phases. Initially, we operated on a quarterly matching model, where mentors and mentees were paired in groups of 1 mentor and 3-4 mentees. Each mentee got:

• 3 group sessions on common topics/needs
• 2 individual sessions in between

After testing the group mentoring for a couple of iterations, we understood that the very different levels of commitment and needs from different mentees meant that the group sessions were not always that useful, and that the commitment for mentors was just too big (3 group sessions +2x3 individual sessions = at least 9 sessions in 3 months). Even some mentees considered the 5 sessions too much.

The quarterly individual mentoring

After a couple of iterations of this “group mentoring”, we moved to a simpler “individual mentoring” model where each mentee had just 1 mentor. Mentors could have several mentees in parallel, but they could choose how many depending on their availability, which made the process much lighter for all of them.

We understood that 3 sessions were the right balance between having time to go in-depth in different topics while not being too cumbersome for either mentor or mentee.

We kept this model for a couple of years and we were generally happy with the results and the feedback.

The monthly “batches” of 3-month programs

However, while effective, this method had limitations in scale and flexibility, which we had to tackle from June 2023 when we started charging a membership where Mentoring became a core feature for paying members, not available for those who stayed for free.

As members joined almost on a daily basis, the experience was pretty different depending on whether you joined just before a new program (and had a great first experience), or right after (in which case you had to wait for 3 months to get a mentor assigned, which was really NOT good).

As feedback poured in, we iterated to a monthly matching model, with each pairing spanning three months. This rolling cycle allowed for flexibility, accommodating to members joining at different times of the year and keeping most of them waiting for less than 1 month (maximum 2).

Over time, we found that a three-month relationship provided just enough time for substantial growth without overwhelming participants, ensuring each session remained productive.

3. The new Mentoring Program at Nova

Nova’s latest mentoring model introduces a series of exciting new features designed to empower members to shape their mentoring journeys:

• Mentor selection: Instead of relying on an algorithm, members can now browse and apply to mentors directly. This self-selection model puts mentees in control, allowing them to choose mentors who best fit their aspirations.
• Streamlined requests and communication: The in-app request flow makes it easy to apply to mentors, and once both parties confirm, a dedicated chat space opens up for initial introductions and questions.
• Calendar integration: We’ve automated scheduling, with three sessions pre-booked in both participants’ calendars, along with rescheduling options. By reducing back-and-forth, this system ensures each connection is maximized from the start.
• Integrated video calls: To eliminate the hassle of switching between platforms, all sessions happen directly in-app via video calls, ensuring seamless connectivity and an intuitive experience.

This shift transforms the mentoring experience into a streamlined, user-driven process. Early feedback shows that giving mentees the autonomy to choose mentors has deepened engagement, and members report a stronger sense of ownership over their professional growth.

4. What we’ve learned from mentoring that you can apply

Throughout the journey of developing Nova’s mentoring program, we’ve gained several valuable lessons that can help any organization build an effective mentoring initiative:

• Choice matters: Allowing mentees to select their mentors (and mentors to approve them) leads to higher commitment and satisfaction. It may require some tech infrastructure, but the engagement benefits are worth the investment.
• Three-session structure: Our experience shows that 3 structured sessions offer just enough time for productive engagement without overwhelming participants. If a strong connection develops, the relationship often continues informally beyond the program.
• Training mentors: Educating mentors on expectations, effective listening, and goal-setting techniques has proven invaluable. Providing resources on mentoring “do’s and don’ts” ensures that mentors feel supported and mentees receive quality guidance.
• Clear expectations and rules: Setting upfront expectations around communication, punctuality, and session objectives minimizes misunderstandings and maximizes the mentoring impact for both parties.

All in all, designing a mentoring program requires careful thought, adaptability, and a willingness to listen to feedback.

At Nova, each iteration has brought us closer to a model that genuinely serves our members and enhances their growth.

Mentorship, we believe, is a cornerstone of career acceleration, and we’re excited to see how these refinements shape our members' journeys.

We hope our experience can help you create your own mentoring program.

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