An ideal mentor can provide personalised recommendations and counsel to help you set and achieve realistic career or business objectives. The success of a relationship with a mentor may be impacted by a wide variety of career, business and personal circumstances. Finding the right mentor involves thinking about these criteria and learning about the ways in which different mentors could benefit you. Several questions for identifying a suitable mentor are discussed here.
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Who exactly is a mentor?
A mentor is someone who has made it to the top of their field of expertise and is eager to help you get there, as well. Through a shared set of beliefs and a mutually agreeable demeanour, they may serve as an invaluable resource in your professional endeavours. Managers, more experienced employees, past lecturers, or professionals in your network may serve as mentors.
Is it neccessary to have a mentor?
Possessing a professional mentor may help you in numerous ways, such as:
In terms of Feedback and direction, a mentor can assist you by providing you with feedback and direction, a mentor may help you design your own career path.
When it comes to guidance on recruitment procedure, a mentor may provide feedback on your résumé and cover letter, and even act as a reference if necessary.
A mentor can help you in uncovering New ways of thinking. A competent mentor will help you see your business or profession in a different light and offer you fresh ideas and methods for tackling challenges or difficulties.
Acquiring a mentor’s professional experiences through learning can help you understand more about the industry you work in and stay abreast of changes and innovations in the area of your interest.
Questions you should ask yourself before selecting a mentor?
Ask yourself these four questions when you compile your list of possible mentors:
Do I hold this individual in high regard?
Ask yourself first whether you respect this individual because of their expertise and accomplishments in the field. You should search for a mentor who shares your professional values and has achieved success in the same areas.
Can we collaborate effectively?
Even if you’ve found the perfect mentor for you, they may not make the most compatible business partner. Knowing that you have a good working relationship with the person who will steer your professional trajectory is crucial.
Your mentor should be someone who is understanding, open to discussion, and who can motivate you to reach your goals. You should get to know the individual well before asking them to be your mentor. Get to know each other first. It’s also important to bear in mind that just because you believe your ideal mentor has a lot of information doesn’t mean they’re good at conveying that knowledge to you.
Is this individual capable of helping me achieve my professional objectives?
Mentoring is not about having someone tell you what to do; rather, it’s about having someone push you to figure things out on your own. A competent mentor will show you the way instead of telling you what to do; they will encourage you rather than push you; they will provide constructive feedback rather than criticism; and they will provide suggestions rather than take over the task themselves.
Is this person happy with what they do for a living?
Just because you excel in your chosen field doesn’t imply you’ve made it in life. If someone is successful on the outside but inwardly despises their profession, they are not a good example to follow. Look for somebody in that field who enjoys what they do.
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5 Steps in finding a mentor and how to choose one
A successful mentoring depends on a number of variables that benefit both parties. Compatibility is essential, but it’s also crucial to recognise that differences may bring their own set of benefits to a partnership as well. Finding the proper mentor will provide the groundwork for a productive and mutually rewarding working relationship. Here are some steps and guidelines to follow while searching for a mentor:
1. Find a mentor who “gets” you and your goals
It’s crucial to think about your own personality and beliefs and choose an advisor that shares them when you’re in need of guidance. While it’s great to have some differences between you to assist in introducing fresh insights, it’s even better to have some common goals to help cement your partnership. If you and your possible mentor have similar professional and industry aspirations, you’ll be able to better comprehend their perspective.
Whether or if you and a potential mentor in your network are a good fit will be something you are already aware of. You may learn a lot about prospective mentor and their values by examining their past experiences, professional networks, and internet profiles before deciding whether or not to engage with them.
2. choose a role model who has succeeded in the same areas as you
If you want to succeed in a new field, advance in your existing one, or launch a successful career, you need first determine what it is you want to do professionally. If you have a clear goal in mind, finding a suitable mentor will be much easier.
It’s possible that you’ll encounter an individual whose accomplishments in a target position will inspire you to strive more and aim higher. Finding a mentor who may serve as a role model throughout a move into a new area requires investigating their professional history. Someone who has been where you want to go in business or in your career might be an excellent asset.
3. Find someone who is kind and outgoing, and who can help you make new connections.
You and your mentor will need to commit time and effort to developing a working partnership. As your mentoring relationship develops, a mentor who is actively involved in your professional industry may increase your access to resources and contacts. They should have a vested interest in seeing you succeed, which will motivate them to aid in the creation of specific objectives and plans of action.
Spending extra time talking on the phone or exchanging emails at the start of your mentoring relationship is a good idea. You may later find that you no longer need to check in as often as you did when you first met. The commitment and willingness to work together may be guaranteed by taking into account the time invested throughout the partnership.
4. Choose a mentor who’s unique qualities drive you to improve
While the chemistry between you both is key, it’s also necessary to consider how a mentor might push you to expand your horizons. You should seek for someone who has conquered the professional obstacle or shortcoming you’re trying to overcome, the talent you’re trying to hone, or the area you’d want to enter. By sharing the unique advice and resources they’ve gleaned from their own expertise, they may aid your development in that area.
You should seek for a mentor who is not just talented but also has a unique perspective or experience. When two people who value similar things in their careers form a bond, that variety of experience may help them both become more aware in their work and find novel approaches to old problems.
5. Schedule a meeting with a possible mentor
Once you’ve identified a person who would be a good mentor, you should meet with them to get to know them better before formally asking them to be your mentor. You may confirm your chemistry and see how well your researches about their personality matches up by having a chat with them over lunch or coffee. It’s also a good moment to discuss whether or not your personality and professional goals align with the mentor’s expectations for a mentee.
Connecting with a Mentor- Step-by-Step Instructions
Schedule frequent check-ins to see how things are going.
Think carefully about how and when to follow up after your first meeting with a potential mentor. If they seem interested in carrying on a conversation, schedule follow-up calls or in-person encounters with yourself. The aim is long-term understanding, thus the frequency of your conversations with your mentor is up to you. That may be talking over the phone every three months, or getting together for coffee twice a year.
Use networking sites.
Through social media, mentees and mentors may keep in touch on a regular basis without any added stress. You should keep your tweets and updates on LinkedIn and Twitter very minimal, sharing just the most relevant and intriguing industry news and articles. By using social media, mentees may gently poke their mentors, reassuring them of the significance of the connection. But don’t poke too much, or you’ll come out as pushy.
Don’t send sensitive information before meeting in person.
Don’t use email or social media to talk about your possible next position. Keep it for when you two really meet in person. If their schedule is full, go outside the box by saying, ‘OK, I’ll meet you at your office’ or ‘Can we FaceTime?’ simply to get that contact… You need to do more than merely send emails.
Make use of postal mail. Mentoring relationships are strengthened via correspondence. A simple word of appreciation or holiday card may go a long way towards letting your mentor know how much you cherish their guidance and friendship.
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How do you identify a good mentor?
Selecting a mentor should be done with great care. They should be somebody you desire to emulate. However, there are defining characteristics shared by all effective mentors.
As a bare minimum, your mentor should have more expertise in the field than you have and a proven record of accomplishment. Obviously, a great mentor is someone whose qualities make up a much better version of who you envision yourself becoming.
A good mentor should have high moral standards so you can model your own behaviour after. Seek for role models who are genuine, kind, inventive, and forthright. You need a mentor who cares about your success in the workplace and is willing to give you honest feedback. It’s important to get both positive reinforcement, such as a high five or slap on the back, and constructive criticism or a reality check from time to time. A good mentor may give you all of that and more.
An ideal mentor should shares your values and beliefs. Having a mentor who works in a similar field to your own may be helpful, she also stressed that this was not necessary for a mentoring relationship to be successful. Potentially more significant is the leader’s style. It’s important that you and your mentor have comparable leadership and management philosophies. Before committing to a mentoring relationship, it’s important to have a firm grasp of your own leadership identity. Then and only then can you find the perfect mentor to lead you.
How to improve the connection between a mentor and mentee
It’s easy to become stuck in a rut as a mentee, when you always expect your mentor to do more with less. Even if your mentor is glad to provide guidance, you should still find methods to demonstrate your gratitude and be accessible to them.
Taking your mentor’s guidance and time seriously is a great way to express your gratitude for the connection. Make your mentor’s life easier by doing things like arriving early to meetings or rearranging your schedule. They may not have much to give their mentors, but young professionals may provide respect and gratitude.
You’ll impress your mentor if you do what you say you’ll do, keep in touch but don’t bother them too much.
Summary
Mentoring is a kind of professional connection in which an experienced person (the mentor) helps a less experienced person (the mentee) develop their abilities while also learning from and contributing to the development of the mentee.
A mentor is a more seasoned professional who provides informal guidance to a colleague with less experience.
Mentors should act in their mentees’ best interest at all times and modify their mentoring approach accordingly.
Locate a seasoned professional in your network and field whose approach to leadership and management you like and learn from them.
The best mentors are able to help their mentees develop professionally while also being supportive and good friends. A good mentor will have the mentee’s best interests at heart and adjust their approach to mentoring accordingly.
There are three guidelines everyone seeking a mentor should stick to:
Get your bearings and focus. Define your professional path and establish practical commercial objectives.
Realise the knowledge gaps that must be filled in order to succeed.
Be professional about it. Treat a mentorship like you would a professional friendship.
Maintain a relaxed and cordial demeanour and avoid asking direct inquiries like “Will you be my mentor?”
Find a role model in your field and learn from them.
It’s possible that someone in your professional circle already serves as a mentor and offers guidance. With little work, you can nurture that first connection into a lasting friendship.
