Can a Mentor Help You Get Ahead?
Posted September 3rd, 2015
One of the most effective career advancement strategies is also one of the least utilized – enlisting a career mentor. Learn how one can help you achieve your goals faster, and decide for yourself if now is the time to start looking or a mentor.
Gain New Skills and Experiences
Typically, mentors are older professionals who have worked in the same position/company/field as you. Learning from their experiences proves to be a huge asset for you because you can repeat their successes and avoid their mistakes. Their career journey comes to serve as a helpful guide for your own.
Stay Positive During Tough Times
Career struggles can leave you feeling frustrated, dispirited, and ready to quit. It’s likely that your mentor has been through the same experience, and they can provide you with meaningful encouragement to help keep you on course.
Refine Your Credentials
It’s notoriously hard to judge your own skills and weaknesses. But without this kind of self-awareness, it’s almost impossible to accentuate the positives and minimize the negatives. A mentor can provide you with an objective and informed critique you can then use to focus your professional development efforts.
Enhance Your Professional Network
Since your mentor is likely older and more experienced than you, they likely have a well-developed network of professional connections. You can then draw on this network when you are looking for a job, seeking out information, developing more skills, or establishing yourself in a new industry.
Glean Unspoken Insights
Career success takes more than just the right credentials. You also need the appropriate soft skills and cultural awareness to thrive in your particular organization/industry. Your mentor likely knows a lot more about these characteristics than you do and can give you tips to help set you up for success faster.
Speak to a Sounding Board
When you want to speak to someone about your career, who can you turn to? Your family and friends may be too out of the loop to be of much use, and approaching your boss or co-workers can create complications. Having a mentor means you always have someone to talk to about your short- and long-term goals.
A mentor really can help you get ahead, but only if you have the right mentor. Look for someone that has skills/experiences relevant to your own, and that you have a true raport with. If you want to get the most out of the relationship, you need to feel comfortable being open and honest with your mentor, and taking criticism when it’s warranted. Discover other ways to move your career forward by working with the team at Bayside Solutions.
