The Art of the Match
The purpose of the WMA program is to match women mentees, university students and those early in their career paths with women businesses leaders in the Greater Atlanta area to facilitate a growth relationship that will benefit both. WMA carefully matches mentees and mentors to make sure they are similar enough to connect, yet different enough to be able learn from each other. Our concept is that this is a two-way street – that the mentors should gain as much as the mentees from the program. The matching process begins with mentees and mentors completing an online Matching Survey, developed specifically for WMA by psychologists, which taps background, experiences, and mentoring preferences, interests, and goals. Based on their input through the Matching Survey, mentees are paired with mentors who are most likely to share experiences and to be able to meet the mentees’ goals for growth. The automatic matching process is followed by a personal review by the matching coordinator. Once mentees and mentors are matched, they are invited to the WMA Kick-Off Training session, where they get acquainted, establish a mentoring agreement, and begin working on an action plan for goal achievement and growth that is facilitated by a workbook developed specifically for WMA.
“I believe professional confidence is something that needs to be learned how to appreciate. It is not in our feminine nature to wear our assets and skills on our shoulders. Having been in the mentoring program, I have been able to recognize, polish and wear my skills to become a more powerful, and motivating professional that seeks to reach full potential. Without Charmaine, I’m not sure I would have a female professional to guide me through my career.”
Juanita Velez – Business Professional
Improving & Advancing Careers
Many recent studies have confirmed that mentoring has a substantial impact on young women achieving their career goals. From independent research firms like PEW and Catalyst, in house studies within companies like Ernst and Young and others, mentoring young females within corporations by female executives or mentoring by female executives outside their company, provides the tools these young women need for advancement up the ladder and into the C-Suite, leading eventually to the Boardrooms.
Mentoring young females ages 20 -30 by female executives to provide the tools needed for advancement up the ladder and into the C–Suite, leading eventually to the Boardrooms