Whether it is something related to looking for a job or perhaps surviving a particular workplace, all of us definitely need some sort of guidance as we try to succeed and eventually reach the top. This is what mentorship can do for any individual. The role played by a mentor in the life and career of a person cannot be undermined. A professional career mentor is someone who will guide you through the challenging, confusing and overwhelming path towards a successful career.
What Does a Mentor Do?
While it is true that you can use your network of professional contacts for referencing and your job applications, having a mentor would mean there is someone who will invest his or her time in finding the perfect match of employment for you and building your career. If you intend to work in the same company or workplace, you may still count on your mentor to help you further your skills and nurture your career.
With the help of a mentor also, you could develop a better insight of your current work and you may also receive some constructive criticisms as you go along. What’s important, however, is that you are open-minded enough to consider such feedback as a vital part of this learning process towards your career development. Without a doubt, your mentor’s guidance and encouragement will help you discover your potentials.
Finding a Mentor
As you look for a mentor for yourself, you would want to work with someone you can look up to and one with the experience and the knowledge that could help shape your professional growth. So you should first ask yourself what particular skills you would want to develop through your mentor’s guidance. But along with your desired skills, you must also take into consideration your own personal goals and traits that could either help or hinder your climbing up the corporate ladder.
A lot of organizations and companies today also have a formal mentoring program which they offer their employees. Their goal is to attract, develop, as well as maintain or keep their employees. If your employer has this kind of program, this will be a good chance for you to have a mentor, especially if you are still reluctant to find one on your own.
Once you have found the right career mentor, make sure that you also keep an open relationship with him or her. Do not hesitate to share with your mentor everything about your aspirations and whatever is happening in your workplace. If you have issues with your work, whether it is on the personal or professional level, you can certainly share them with your mentor. Remember that mentorship is meant to assist you in making decisions related to your career, so you may as well consider your mentor a good friend who will not judge you and rather will lead you to the right path.
