I’ve been a Mentor throughout my career, the GitLab program is hands down the best experience I’ve had. Both Mentor and Mentee are provided with resources and guidance to ensure a successful connection. - GitLab Mentor
The Women at GitLab Mentorship program is a career development opportunity for participants to build trust across the organization, enable pathways for internal growth and development, and increase collaboration across teams. The program is hosted in collaboration with the Women's TMRG, GitLab Learning and Development team, and the GitLab DIB team.
Questions, comments, and feedback can be posted in the #women slack channel.
In 2020, the Women's TMRG partnered with the Sales Organization at GitLab to offer the Women in Sales Mentorship Program pilot. This initial iteration was a huge success and inspired the scale of this iteration to include a wider audeince.
The second iteration of this program ran during July, August, and September 2021 including 32 mentor/mentee pairs with participation from 16+ departments. The third iteration of this program ran from February to June of 2022 including 120 participants.
Here what mentors and mentees at GitLab have to say about the program:
From the Mentees
This was my first mentorship experience and I'm so glad I participated. I found my self confidence in my mentor session. I lacked that for so many years and to be reminded of my self value and worth was so enriching. I would highly recommend participating!
I really enjoyed having a mentor-mentee relationship with a Director level team member who was not in my division/department. It made it easier for me to feel safe on discussing pain points and see a different perspective on the business as a whole. I really felt supported and s thought the relationship was important to us both, which was empowering.
The openness and vulnerability delivered from my mentor made me feel supported and empowered.
This mentorship program has been one of the highlights from my time at GitLab so far. My mentor is a great example of an empathetic leader who is great at strategic planning and communicating effectively. I was able to learn things during the program that I immediately applied to my work, and she inspired and motivated me in a way will persist much longer. My mentor has become one of my new role models, and I plan on keeping in touch with her far beyond this program's end.
From the Mentors
I really enjoyed being a mentor. It was helpful to establish a relationship with someone outside of my department, because it gave me an opportunity to see how other teams are working. It also encouraged me to reflect on my own career progression.
I am really proud of the supportive culture the women of GitLab have created. And this was a valuable opportunity for me to get to take part and contribute. I learned a lot from my mentee that I was able to apply back to management.
Determining your objectives out of the program is key to getting value from it. If you don't invest time in preparing you won't have any rewards to reap as a result.
One of the elements I really enjoyed about this program was the opportunity to meaningfully connect with someone outside of my team - we both learned from each other!
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Initial program kickoff | A 25-minute discussion pannel with mentors, mentees, and company leadership. Attendance is required. |
| 1:1 Mentor Sessions | Mentors and mentees should meet every other week for 30-minutes for a total of 5 months (with the option to extend). Sessions are led by the mentee and should be focused on specific goals. Attendance is required. |
| Mentor/Mentee Resources | Async resources are available as a training guide for all mentor/mentee pairs. These resources include suggested articles to read and discuss, strategies for goal setting, sample meeting agendas, and additional training material. Use of resources is encouraged but not required. |
| Mentor/Mentee Training | Completion of the self-paced How to be a Good Mentor or Mentee course on LinkedIn Learning is required of all mentors and mentees. If you prefer to review text-based information, you can instead review this slides, created using content from the LinkedIn course. |
| End of Program Celebration | A 25-minute discussion to reflect on the experience. Attendance is optional. |
The next iteration of this program is currently being planned. Please fill out this interest form to stay informed of program updates.
| Date | Description | Related Resources |
|---|---|---|
| TBD | Discuss program details with Women's TMRG group meeting | |
| TBD | Call for Mentors | |
| TBD | Call for Mentees | |
| TBD | Applications Close | |
| TBD | Pairing of mentor relationships complete and communicated to applicants | |
| TBD | Mentor/Mentee pre-program coffee chats | |
| TBD | Initial program Kickoff meeting | |
| TBD | End of program celebration |
As a mentor, you benefit from:
Applications will be prioritized based on:
Please complete this interest form to be notified of the next program iteration.
Applying as a mentor does not guarantee you a spot in the program and eligibility will be evaluated based on criteria above.
If you've participated in a previous GitLab mentor program, you are welcome to apply again!
As a mentee, you benefit from:
Applications will be prioritized on many points including:
Please complete this interest form to be notified of the next program iteration.
Applying as a mentee does not guarentee you a spot in the program, and eligibility will be evaluated based on criteria above.
If you've participated in a previous GitLab mentor program, you are welcome to apply again!
Can I participate as both a mentor and a mentee?
Yes, this is a possibility. It's important that team members talk with their managers to discuss their capacity to participate in both roles in this program. Participation in both roles will require a 2hr commitment per month (two 30 minute sessions as a mentor and two 30 minute sessions as a mentee).
It's possible that we will have a shortage of mentors and be unable to complete all mentor/mentee pairs. If there is a shortage of mentors and you've applied as both a mentor and a mentee, you will be assigned only as a mentor in this program.
I participated in a past mentorship program at GitLab. Can I still participate in the current iteration?
Yes! Past participants in any mentor program and as either mentees, mentors, or both, are encouraged to apply to participate again.
I'd like to participate but I can't commit the entire length of the program. Can I still apply?
If you cannot commit to the 3 month program, please consider applying for a future mentorship program at GitLab. It's important that both mentors and mentees are available for the full 3 month program to achieve the best results.
I'm not eligible to be a mentor or a mentee in this program. What are my options for future participation?
The L&D team is implementing a company-wide mentor program in FY23 Q1. Please watch for updates on this iteration.
Team members are always encouraged to build mentor/mentee relationships independently. You can find resources and a list of available mentors in the Learning and Development handbook
Skill development was a key variable used to measure success of this program.
Top 5 skills developed by Mentors
Top 5 skills developed by Mentees
I am grateful the company has invested in the Women in GitLab mentorship program. My mentor and I had both a very structured approach to our relationship, but then also took the time to get to know each other and build trust, which allowed for open and honest discussions. I would recommend other team members showing up for this program, both on the mentor and mentee side!
Having someone that is not my manager to work through developmental goals has been extraordinary and I am grateful to my mentor for all the feedback and support as I went from feeling heavy with imposter syndrome to believing in myself and my knowledge level!
Women at GitLan Mentorship Program has been a crucial experience for me. My mentor is an outstanding leader who supported me in most useful ways, strengthening especially my self-value and goal-setting skills. She sought out opportunities for me, asked good questions and listened intently - all that has already helped with furthering my career development here at GitLab. I'm grateful to her and for that program, and I recommend it greatly.
The Women at GitLab Mentorship program gave me the opportunity to grow as a mentor by providing resources on how to better my listening and guidance skills so that I could better mentor across disciplines.
The GitLab mentorship program is an incredible opportunity to step out of your usual role and look at your management style from a more holistic perspective, taking a moment to get out of the weeds and look more at the big picture. I learned so much from my mentee! I took these learnings back to my team, in terms of my management style. It also gave me time to recognize the strengths of my team in terms of how we present large initiatives to a boarder audience as this was an ask of my mentee and something we worked on together.
Kick-off session recordings:
Session 3:
Watch session 1and session 2 on the GitLab Unfiltered YouTube channel.
Skill development was a key variable used to measure success of this program.
Top 5 skills developed by Mentors
Top 5 skills developed by Mentees