Prior to Registration
Even before you register you can find out whether there are any suitable mentors available for you. The search function shows you which mentor profiles best match your search criteria. However, without registration you are not not allowed to view the details of the mentors' profiles. In addition, you will not be able to save your search results in order to have your preliminary picks at hand later on.
After Registration
By registering, you create your personal profile on the alma platform. From now on you will have the possibility to save mentors' profiles and access them later and you can also view all data fields relevant to you in the mentors' profiles.
How Does the Search Work?
The search function of the alma platform allows for a combination of two principles:
- You can search for all "unique" information in the profiles of mentors, such as field of study, professional field, location for personal meetings or knowledge in the field of gender, inclusion and diversity.
- Additionally you can perform a text search which crawls all text fields in mentors' profiles.
In addition to the "unique" data fields that you see in the search function, mentors fill in the following information in their profiles.
- Main areas of work (only for the areas "Job Start" and "Self-employment")
- Vocational training (only for the fields "Job Start" and "Self-employment")
- These are the areas where I can help
- Why I make myself available as a mentor
- What I would like mentees to do
You can weight any criteria to refine your search by moving the bar underneath each field to the right.
Search Results
Your search will show you the three highest ranked mentors' profiles according to your search criteria. You can browse through the next highest ranked profiles as you like, but we don't want you to get overwhelmed by a long list of results. The results of your search will also show the percentage match of the respective profiles with your entered criteria as well as brief information about the mentors.
This way you are not forced to go through long lists of mentor profiles, but can change the list of results by adjusting your search criteria.
Tips for Your Search
To find a suitable person for your mentorship, you should have as much clarity as possible beforehand about which topics and questions you want to work on in your mentorship:
- You need orientation about which professional fields are open to you with your field of studies?
Weigh the field of study highest in your search and include related fields of study. - You want to get a foothold in a particular industry?
Weigh the professional field highest and do not put too much emphasis on the fact that mentors come from your own field of study. - You want to find out what activities you might enjoy or where your strengths lie?
Look for mentors who work in HR - they may be best placed to help you sort out these questions for yourself. - You are considering whether self-employment is a career path for you?
Search for people who have chosen the same legal form of self-employment or entrepreneurship that you have in mind, rather than a particular industry. - You have an idea for a business, but aren't sure if it is viable?
Don't necessarily look for mentors in the same business field or the same field of study: This way you avoid competitive situations on the one hand and benefit from a different perspective on your idea.