WHAT SOFT SKILLS CAN BE DEVELOPED IN A MENTOR? - THE FIRST EXPERIENCES OF A MENTORING PROGRAMME

Abstract

The study presents the results -focusing on the mentors- of a mentoring programme launched at the Faculty of International Management and Business at Budapest Business School. The basic aim of the programme was to provide a support programme for foreign students, who have recently been enrolled in the faculty as the number of foreign students has increased significantly. The project involved not only mentored students, but also students who volunteered as mentors to help their foreign counterparts integrate. From the start, the authors conducted two surveys, one with the mentored students and one with the mentors. The aim of the survey was to find out what the participants’ expectations were at the start of the project. Whose skills will develop, what skills are expected to be developed in the project, what motivational factors play a role in getting someone to participate in such a project. The authors' unhidden aim is to repeat the research every six months and every year to monitor changes. The first studies were quantitative surveys, and the mentors' side of the story is that they believe that the programme can make a positive difference to their soft skills and help them to become better mentors.