By Corinne Dorsey
Navigating the right steps to take in your career can be challenging. There are so many paths to take and sometimes, you find yourself in need of someone to offer guidance. The next step in career growth is to find a mentor. A mentor is a person who will guide you through all the ups and downs in your career. This person will help you make more insightful decisions, optimize your skills, and grant you new opportunities within your career.
As much as we tend to enjoy figuring things out on our own, having someone willing to help you grow is always a plus. A mentor can truly bring value to someone’s professional and career life.
Here are eight tips that will help you secure a mentor in your personal and career life.
- Define your Goals:
Think about what you want to achieve from your mentorship. Once you have a clear vision or idea of the place you want to be, seek out people who are in that place. - Identify what you Admire
Think about the traits that you admire from people online or in real life. Decipher what stands out the most to you, and look for someone with those qualities. - Ask Questions
Be genuinely interested in the person. Yes, it’s important to pick their brain regarding their career, but it’s important to build a relationship past that. - Pick a Location or Time to Meet
Figure out what form of communication works best for the two of you, and set up a call or formal meetup. - Establish Relationship
As a mentee, you must seek our guidance. So make it a part of your weekly or monthly routine to have meetups or video chats. - Be Interested
Choose a mentor, that you truly want to learn from and be open to new ideas that they offer you. - Ask
Make the ask for them to be your mentor, this will establish clear goals and expectations. - Don’t be One-sided
Be able to offer them some form of your ideas as well. This isn’t a one-sided relationship.
