Finding your perfect mentor
A mentor is essential for a successful career, the mentor will help you learn since they possess great experience in invaluable business opportunities, whether it’s your first job or if you are already making a career. It is always valuable to have someone who sees what you do from a different perspective.
Matt D’Angelo in his article How to Find a Mentor conveys the importance of having a guiding hand in figuring out complex and stressful issues in a professional world. He mentions three important things to keep in mind when looking for a mentor
- Define what you want out of your career and what you need to learn to get there.
- Approach a mentor relationship as if it's a business friendship – be casual and friendly, and try not to ask weird questions like, "Will you be my mentor?"
- Start with your own professional network. We often already have mentors who provide advice in various ways, and all it takes is a little effort from us to grow that connection into an ongoing relationship.
By making yourself available to mentors with your own role and career in focus, range
of business professionals who will see your talent and want to help you grow. The relationship between the mentor and mentee is an ongoing dialogue conversation and should not substitute your own career. The mentor can assist in elevating your mind and your career in a way that cannot be taught in school, a boardroom, or on a business trip.
Steps to find your mentor
- Define what you want out of your career – leave room for changes and unexpected events, consider your career path, and narrow it down so you can determine who has your dream job and who you admire.
- Reach out – Your desired mentor can be former bosses, former professors or teachers, co-workers in another department, or family friends. Prioritize an individual who can give you long-term advice about your industry and has a good idea of your own company and what it takes to advance within your role.
- Keep it casual – The approach to a potential mentor should be the same as a potential friend, the relationship will be developed over time. However, the difference between mentorships and friendships, however, is in how you follow up.