Women in Technology (WIT) is the leading professional association for women in technology in the United States. With over 1,000 members, the organization is committed to advancing the roles of women in the tech industry through a number of avenues including education, networking, and mentoring.
WIT facilitates mentoring through its unique Mentor-Protege Program. This program matches young professionals with senior, more experienced industry executives in structured sessions with the aim of expanding the former’s knowledge and industry exposure.
WIT offers the program through two yearly cycles, the first running from February to June and the second from September to January. With each cycle, WIT admits up to 30 women. The proteges meet with four different mentors in five monthly sessions. The first session features an orientation where all participants get to know each other and listen to guest speakers before breaking off into small groups. In the other sessions, mentors take their proteges through coaching sessions covering a specific topic such as resume building, interviewing, and negotiating. Sessions, however, are not limited to these topics. Proteges can engage their mentors on anything related to their careers.
Because WIT’s mentor-protege program matches women with mentors from outside their own companies, it accords them opportunities to seek professional assistance without having to compromise their career progression. For example, proteges can open up about their experiences at their current firms, reveal areas where they have little if any expertise, and even ask about career opportunities elsewhere. These open conversations give women the confidence they need to reach out and build relationships. They also empower them enough to be more comfortable in leadership roles.
But mentorship is not a one-way street. Mentors also gain from these relationships. They get to meet new people and learn from their experiences. Some proteges coming into the program are women making career pivots or women reentering the workforce after many years. They have something to share with their mentors.
WIT program liaisons match mentors and proteges after an extensive application process. To apply as a protege, a woman must have at least five years’ experience as a tech professional. This means the program is not open to those who have just graduated from college. The women must also complete an application where they disclose their goals, interests, and experiences, and once their applications are approved, pay a $100 program fee. This fee is in addition to WIT membership dues.
Applicants must commit to attending all five mentorship sessions. The sessions are usually held in person, and hosted and sponsored by companies in the Washington Metropolitan area. Past sponsors have included Microsoft, AT&T, and Lenovo. These sponsors usually have representatives present at all sessions, broadening participants’ networking opportunities.
To apply as a mentor, a woman must be an executive with more than 15 years’ work experience or significant experience owning a business, have dynamic leadership experience, and have listening, advocacy, and teaching skills. They must also apply for a mentorship position and commit to attending at least three mentorship sessions a year. New mentors receive an initial orientation once accepted into the program.
Both proteges and new mentors must apply to the program at least two months prior to the beginning of the next cycle. Approved proteges are matched with at least four mentors that they will get to learn from during their mentorship sessions. While the monthly sessions are typically held in person, they can be held virtually, as was the case in 2021.
