As a young female building my career in the business world, I always seem to have a great deal of questions and thoughts that swirl through my mind on a daily basis. I am trying to take in as much information as I possibly can and as a result, my head feels like it is going to explode at the end of each day....and I love it! I am constantly learning new things, new ideas & new technologies which comes flying at me at rapid speeds in so many different ways, through so many different mediums! I believe it is so important for any young person to learn as much as they can in the early stages of their career as it really serves as the foundation to our future success. Fortunately for me, I am surrounded by so many successful, intelligent & inspiring people that offer a wealth of knowledge and expertise which helps me with my development.
I have decided to write a blog that shares my experiences, thoughts and questions as I venture through my personal career & professional development. I am hoping that others in my situation will be able to take useful information from what I learn and implement it into their own growth. I am constantly learning from those out there with more life experience then me and would like to incorporate others successes & failures (my boss, Ben calls them lessons learned!) into my development.
One useful tip that I strongly recommend to any young person looking to further their careers is to find mentors. Build relationships with people that can offer you sound advice, offer you expertise on relevant subject matter and help you broaden your network and contacts. You don't need to officially ask someone to be your mentor (if you are not comfortable with this) but you can ask them for advice on a particular area you need assistance with and let the relationship take form from there. From my experience, people are more then willing to help you if you ask them. I recently went through my own mentor seeking process and I have outlined below the steps I followed. As a result, I now have someone who is willing to help me develop my skills in an area that I need assistance with and I am so excited to start this journey!
Here are the steps I used that you can follow if you are ready to take on the Mentor Seeking Process:
1. Determine one area that you could use help in. This may be finding a job, developing your passion, understanding a specific topic you are interested in, overcoming a weakness, etc.
2. Make a long list of people you respect and admire based on what you know of them. Jot down as many names as you can as quickly as you can. Don't think about whether or not they would say yes or no, or whether or not you think they could help you in the area you have identified. Just come up with your ideal wish list to start.
3. Go through this list and identify if they would be a good candidate to serve as your mentor or provide you with a referral. If you feel that they would make a good mentor then mark an M, if you think that they may know someone that could mentor you then mark an R.
4. If you have enough people marked with an M then you can start to go through each person and identify the area you think they may be able to help you with. Give thought to each person on your list and determine who you would like to approach first. If you have not identified any potential mentors then begin contacting the referrals on your list and ask them if they know of anyone that could help you with the area you have identified in step 1.
5. Once you have identified your ideal Mentor, prepare yourself before making contact. On a piece of paper write out your objectives, identify what area you need guidance and support in and what you would be looking for from them.
For example, your notes could look like this:
Objective: Finding a job in the marketing communications field
Guidance required: Expansion of professional contacts
Request: 10 minutes once a month to answer questions and provide tips related to developing my professional network to help me build relationships and find a job.
6. Make contact with this person through phone or email and tell them that you would appreciate 10 minutes of their time to talk to them about your professional/career development goals. Ask them if there is a good time for you to call them. They may tell you that they are available at that moment, which is why it is important to have your notes completed and ready.
7. If in the event they say no to your mentor request, don't take it personally. Usually their reason for saying no will be a result of their previous commitments and lack of time. Take the opportunity to thank them for considering your request and ask them if they know of anyone that could help you. Keep the conversation positive and end on a good note. Follow up with an email to thank them for their time and ask them to keep you in mind should their time free up in the future.
8. Once you find your mentor, you are ready to begin your challenge. Remember, this person is committing time to help you. Don't abuse this relationship and always show your gratification. When you have your mentor discussions, be prepared as this will make it easy for them to help you. The easier you make it on them, the more you will get out of the relationship.
It is important to note that you can have more then one mentor in different areas of your life. Don't limit yourself to thinking about one aspect you would like coaching or support in. Once you have gone through the steps listed above you can repeat the process as many times as you would like in all facets of your life. You can never have too many people committed to helping you with your personal and professional development goals.
"A Mentor is someone whose hindsight can become your foresight."
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