(FOR SXSW & SXSW EDU ATTENDEES)

Hi SXSW & SXSW EDU Mentors! This is your mini guide to holding optimal mentorship sessions on Mentorly during SXSW and SXSW EDU Online.
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SXSW EDU Online Mentor Sessions takes place March 9 – March 11, 2021. The SXSW EDU program facilitates purpose-driven, one-on-one connections between experienced professionals and solution-seeking attendees.

SXSW Online Mentor Sessions take place March 16 – March 20, 2021 and give registrants the opportunity for one-on-one meetings with experts in a specific field. Mentor Sessions are divided among Interactive, Film, Music, and Convergence tracks, which are all part of the SXSW Conference.

Attendees - mentees in this case - will be able to book 15-minute sessions with you.

Though Mentorly is accessible via mobile, in order to hold optimal sessions, we strongly recommend using a computer with a webcam and finding a quiet location with a strong and reliable Internet connection.

In either case, you will need to 1) ensure your device's browser is up to date and 2) that your webcam is properly connected.
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​⚠️ Mentorly supports all up-to-date browsers except 🚫 Microsoft Edge/Internet Explorer and some 🚫 Bluetooth devices such as ear pods may conflict with the platform, so we recommend disconnecting them prior to holding your sessions.

As a mentor, your main objective is for mentees to book sessions with you, but first - we need to get you set up!
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Below are the steps you should follow to optimize your experience on Mentorly. You can also view this webinar for a live walkthrough of the platform.

To sign up to one of the mentorship portals below, you can do so via the SXSW & SXSW EDU Online event platform.

☞ Click SXSW EDU Online Mentor Sessions to access the portal.
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☞ Click SXSW Online Mentor Sessions to access the portal.

Once entered, you will be directed to your dashboard where you can complete the steps indicated below.

Your Mentorly Dashboard is your very own control center where you can:

Mentorly has integrated SXSW Online and SXSW EDU Online platforms to pull your most relevant bio information and display it on your very own Mentorly profile page.
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To view you profile page, head to your Dashboard > Profile tab.

To get bookings as a mentor, you need to make yourself available, which means adding available time slots to your profile and keeping them up-to-date. That way, mentees can book with you right away.
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On your dashboard, head to Availabilities and drop and drag the time slots you wish to create. i.e.: If you drop a new event at 10am and drag until 3pm, then 20 x 15-minute session slots will be created. This means you will likely end up having multiple back-to-back 15-minute sessions for an hour or two, or more! You can duplicate times once added.
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→ How to update your Dashboard Calendar
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​Note: If you don't update your availability, mentees CANNOT request or suggest times to book with you.

For example, the following mentee below, Max, has decided to book with mentor Ryan on the 14th of March from 10:30am to 10:45am.

Max must add a booking message in order to confirm his session with Ryan.

Ryan will be able to review the booking and any links that were shared on the > Sessions Tab on his personal dashboard, like this example below.

Note: You will not be required to approve or decline a request, however you can cancel a session if necessary, by clicking the 3 dots in the top right corner of each booking.

When a session has been booked with you, an email notification will be sent to your external email associated with your account.
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It will direct your attention to the details of the session booking, including: the name of your mentee, their booking message, the start time and the link to the session.

Since sessions are roughly 15 minutes in length, that leaves very little time to join your next session. It will be crucial to have ready access to your Dashboard > Sessions Tab in order to keep track of your sessions and join your next call.
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→ Before joining your session, we recommend you test your computer setup.

When ready to start your session, click JOIN CALL on your session booking on Dashboard > Sessions Tab > Future > first booking at the top of the page.
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You can always join your sessions 10 minutes in advance if ever you want to make sure you're properly set up when the clock starts.

🚨 There's a countdown timer in the top left corner of your session window. Keep an eye on it as the session will automatically end at the designated time.

Note: Clicking the 🏴 icon will signal an issue with a specific Inbox thread and Mentorly will be directly notified.

→ How to Join Your Session

The SXSW team would love to know how you appreciated your experience connecting with your mentees and using the Mentorly platform.
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After each session, you will be prompted by 3 questions with ⭐️ ratings:
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1) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rate how you enjoyed connecting with your mentee. A less than 3-star rating will require you to leave a comment.

2) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rate the platform. Once again, 3 stars or less will require you to leave a comment.
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3) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave additional feedback (optional).
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These ratings and reviews will be shared with both the SXSW and Mentorly teams.

Mentorly prides itself on its highly responsive customer service and technical support, which is principally offered via Intercom in both English (and French) and which will be available during event hours.

For technical questions, reach out to Mentorly’s team via the Intercom message icon below, usually found at the bottom-right corner of the webpage:
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Questions, concerns, and feedback can also be directed to info@mentorly.co.

For EDU program questions, please email programming@sxswedu.com.

For SXSW program questions, please email sessions@sxsw.com.