Why I love having a mentor

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Why I love having a mentor

Posted by Rob on August 5, 2013

Do you ever feel a little lost in terms of the direction of your career, or are you still trying to “figure it all out?” At our age, it’s very common, and you shouldn’t worry that you don’t have all the answers. However, I do have an idea that might be helpful to you. It’s called mentorship.

My very first mentor’s name was Jack (that’s not a pseudonym). He was a colleague at the student union that I was president of. He was in his late 40s. I was only 19 at the time, yet carried responsibilities similar to those of a person in their 30s or even 40s. One of my favourite quotes from him that I use to this day is to “control the controllables.” Meaning, don’t stress out about things you cannot control.

I walked away from that experience learning a lot about myself and having grown. Much of that was as a result of having a mentor. Since we live in a world where it can sometimes be all about “who you know,” having a mentor is one way to bridge connections to new contacts, help you with professional development and open doors. I recommend finding a mentor who is in a position similar to one you aspire to be in one day, whether it’s as a manager, supervisor or even higher than that!

Picking a mentor isn’t easy though. A mentor has to be willing to help and must have the time, have your best interests in mind and be a person who can speak positively about you and who is willing to work with you on areas needing improvement. It’s a serious time investment, but it pays off wonderfully if done correctly. Here are some of the benefits of having a mentor.

A mentor can help you:

make decisions about your career path
develop or improve your leadership skills
increase your ability to critically reflect on your own performance and self-awareness
target professional development goals
bridge connections and build new contacts
learn specific job-related skills that can help you advance your career

It’s important to remember though that a mentor is not someone to take advantage of. You have to take it seriously by putting in the same effort you’re expecting from them. If you take it seriously, they will too. In some cases, mentors may even assign homework!

So how can you find a mentor?

Create a list of possible mentors, ideally located within your industry. Build this list using your own knowledge of your industry, or do some research to find out key players in the kinds of areas you’d like to work.
Approach them slowly at first, setting the foundation for the relationship. You can send off a polite, but professional email and see if they respond.
Schedule a time to meet that’s convenient for them. Express your interest in having them as a mentor, and demonstrate that you’ve done your homework on their professional history.

If it doesn’t work out the first time, always try again. It’s like dating in a way. Your personalities have to click and there has to be mutual investment in each other’s professional development. Having a mentor is probably one of the biggest pieces of career advice I could give a person. They’re not easy to find, but whenever you do find them…hold on to them as long as you can!

What is your experience with mentorship? Would you like a mentor?

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