ONE-TO-ONE MENTORING
Mentoring with Alex Kalinin
Bring a real work or career question. We’ll make time to understand it and consider a next step that fits your life.
Start with a free 30-minute introduction. I’d like to learn about you, and you should have time to get to know me, ask questions and decide whether my experience is useful to you.
There is no obligation to continue. Further mentoring is paid, with the fee and format agreed together before any paid session.
What we can work on
You don’t need a complete career plan to begin. One situation or question gives us somewhere useful to start.
A career transition
Make sense of the experience you already bring, explore a new direction and identify what you still need to learn.
A new role or more responsibility
Understand expectations, decide where to focus and prepare for the conversations that will help you settle in.
Leadership and communication
Think through a difficult conversation, build trust, give useful feedback or help someone grow without taking over.
Turning an intention into action
Clarify priorities, examine the trade-offs and choose a manageable step you can review against what actually happens.
The experience I bring
I’ve led global projects at Microsoft and Lenovo and rebuilt my working life after moving to the United States with my family. Working across cultures, taking on responsibility and learning through change have shaped how I approach mentoring.
I bring that experience, honest feedback and a willingness to listen. You bring your context, questions and judgment. We can examine an idea together without assuming that what worked for me will work the same way for you.
The approach in my My Mentoring Guide materials begins with a clear goal, a good match and shared expectations. That is the approach I want our conversations to follow. Read more about my story.
Mentor, coach or sponsor?
These roles can overlap, but it helps to be clear about the kind of support you are seeking.
A mentor shares perspective
A mentor draws on relevant experience, asks questions and offers guidance as you work toward your goals. You consider the advice and remain responsible for your decisions.
A coach supports a development process
A coach helps you build awareness, explore your own answers and work toward agreed goals or skills. Coaching does not necessarily depend on having followed the same career path.
A sponsor advocates for you
A career sponsor uses their influence and reputation to put you forward for opportunities. That advocacy is different from a mentoring conversation.
My offer here is mentoring based on my professional experience. It does not include recruiting, job placement or a promise of introductions or promotion.
How we’ll work together
Meet each other
In the free 30-minute introduction, tell me where you are, what you are working toward and what kind of support you hope to find. Ask about my experience and approach. We’ll both decide whether there is a useful fit.
Agree before continuing
If we choose to continue, we’ll agree on the focus, session length, frequency and price. We’ll also clarify confidentiality, any follow-up and cancellation arrangements before the first paid session. Booking the introduction does not commit you to a package.
Work with a real situation
Bring a question, an example or a decision. We’ll explore the context, consider options and discuss what you want to try. Between meetings, you put the ideas into practice and notice what changes.
Review what is useful
We’ll revisit your goals and what you are learning. We can adjust the focus, take a break or finish when the relationship has served its purpose.
A little preparation is enough
Before the introduction, think about three questions:
- What is happening in my work or career right now?
- What would I like help thinking through?
- What would make this conversation useful to me?
A few notes are enough. Share only the context you are comfortable sharing, and leave out confidential employer or client information. The free Mentoring Conversation Journal can help you prepare and reflect afterward; it is optional.
Let’s start with a conversation
The first 30 minutes are free. We’ll get to know each other and see whether mentoring together makes sense. If it does, we’ll agree on the price and format for further sessions.
30 minutes · Google Meet · English or Russian
Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Eastern
Choose a time at least 24 hours ahead. Your selection is a request; I’ll review it before confirming the meeting.
Have a question first? alex@alexkalinin.me