Actively participate in the screening process.

Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring third edition (2009) recommends that all prospective mentors be screened to determine whether they have the time, commitment, and personal qualities to be good mentors. This process typically starts with the completion of a written application and includes at least one face-to-face interview and a personal and professional reference check, although in workplace mentoring programs the latter is sometimes replaced by the employee screening process that applies. See the complete list of the screening benchmarks in the Elements. For an idea of the kind of application form you may be asked to complete, take a look at the Mentoring USA form.  It is also important to note that many mentoring programs now also conduct criminal background checks.