On Thursday, November 30, it was time for The Next Generation Event. Together with Lof, we organised a speed date event for potential mentors and mentees.
Before the speed dating started, there were two sessions, in which recruiters from AT Kaerney and Achmea spoke about the ins and outs of job interviews, resumé’s and the whole recruitment process. The group was split in two and there was plenty of room for questions, so everyone could get the most out of it. The small group session was followed by a short plenary session for the last urgent questions.
“My very first night joining a TopFem event (the Next Generation Event) felt like the warm bath every ambitious young woman deserves: an astounding atmosphere, filled with dedication and perseverance, in which every individual actually sincerely grants one another to live up to her full potential and will do anything to support her.” – Julia van der Torre
The second part of the event was all about mentoring and getting to know potential mentors. We were joined by several Lof ladies, all potential mentors, and we started this part of the event with a short presentation on the differences between mentoring, coaching and sponsoring, with our focus being of course mentoring. Furthermore, we focussed on how to make the most of your mentoring process and shared some best practice. After the presentation, it was time to meet some potential mentors through speed dating. In three relatively short rounds, it was time to meet three potential mentors. This part was all about getting to know some interesting potential mentors and maybe even meeting the person you want to become your mentor for the mentor programme. Luckily, many of the potential mentors joined us afterwards for a drink, so there was a lot of possibility to also meet the potential mentors you did not have a speed date with. We are looking back at a very successful event, during which we were able to share all the benefits of mentoring and meet many potential mentors.
“The LOF women present at the Next Generation Event were exceptionally friendly, sharing personal advice and anecdotes as we got to know each other; it was definitely an inspiring experience!” – Dideke Teunissen (Leadership Programme participant 2017-2018)
