Mentor Ethics and Professional Standards in Mentoring 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Why should a mentor avoid giving direct advice in areas outside their competence?
- To protect themselves from legal liability only
- To avoid leading the mentee with inaccurate information that could harm their career or wellbeing (Correct answer)
- Because professional codes prohibit cross-disciplinary guidance
- To reduce session content and maintain meeting schedules
Correct answer: To avoid leading the mentee with inaccurate information that could harm their career or wellbeing
Mentors who advise outside their competence risk providing inaccurate guidance that harms the mentee; ethical practice requires honesty about the limits of one's expertise.
Question 2: What is the ethical obligation of a mentor who notices their mentee may have a mental health concern?
- Provide mental health coaching as part of the mentoring role
- Express care and concern, and encourage the mentee to seek appropriate professional support (Correct answer)
- Report the concern to HR immediately without speaking with the mentee first
- Continue mentoring as usual and monitor the situation
Correct answer: Express care and concern, and encourage the mentee to seek appropriate professional support
A mentor's ethical role is to express care, acknowledge the concern, and encourage the mentee to access appropriate professional help—not to provide mental health treatment.
Question 3: What does professional integrity require of a mentor when they cannot keep a scheduled appointment?
- Notify the mentee as soon as possible and reschedule promptly (Correct answer)
- Assume the mentee will understand and address it at the next available session
- Have an assistant send an automated cancellation notice
- Ask the program coordinator to notify the mentee
Correct answer: Notify the mentee as soon as possible and reschedule promptly
Professional integrity requires direct, timely communication when a commitment cannot be kept, along with prompt rescheduling to demonstrate respect for the mentee's time.
Question 4: A mentee asks their mentor to write a recommendation letter. What ethical consideration applies?
- Mentors are prohibited from writing recommendations to avoid bias
- The mentor should only write a recommendation if they can honestly do so, making clear they are the mentee's mentor (Correct answer)
- Mentors should always write recommendations when asked as part of their advocacy role
- The mentor should ask the program coordinator to write the letter instead
Correct answer: The mentor should only write a recommendation if they can honestly do so, making clear they are the mentee's mentor
Ethical mentors should only provide recommendations they can honestly support, and should disclose their mentoring relationship to ensure full transparency.
Question 5: What is the ethical concern with a mentor using the mentoring relationship to advance their own interests?
- It is only problematic if the mentee is unaware
- It violates the foundational principle that the relationship exists to serve the mentee's development (Correct answer)
- It is acceptable if the mentor's career success also benefits the mentee indirectly
- It is only a concern in formal, paid mentoring programs
Correct answer: It violates the foundational principle that the relationship exists to serve the mentee's development
The mentoring relationship exists to serve the mentee's growth; using it for personal gain violates trust and the ethical foundation of the role.
Question 6: What is 'role clarity' and why is it an ethical issue in mentoring?
- The process of defining the mentor's job title within the program
- Clearly defining what the mentor's role is and is not, to prevent overreach into areas like therapy, management, or friendship (Correct answer)
- Matching the mentor's role to the mentee's specific career field
- A documentation requirement for formal mentoring programs
Correct answer: Clearly defining what the mentor's role is and is not, to prevent overreach into areas like therapy, management, or friendship
Clear role boundaries protect both parties by preventing the mentor from overstepping into domains—like therapy, performance management, or personal friendship—where different norms apply.
Mentor Ethics and Professional Standards in Mentoring 2
Why should a mentor avoid giving direct advice in areas outside their competence?