The purpose of this guide/blog entry is to provide practical advice for those seeking professional mentorship. These guidelines are based on my unique experience pursuing professional mentorship during a major career transition and should therefore be modified given each unique situation and career stage.
What is the benefit of a professional mentor?
I am a firm believer that the professional growth path is more fruitful when paved by the wisdom and support of others. For many high achievers, it’s tempting to take on the “I can do this on my own,” attitude when pursuing the next goal or professional milestone. But the reality is that the professional world can be isolating and intimidating when navigating a fork in the road or a stalled career trajectory. Even though I have decades of academic and career success behind me, I see that I still have decades ahead and have therefore identified a need for mentorship. Even though I regularly tell my students, “You can never have too many adults in your corner who can support and advocate for you,” I sometimes forget to take my own advice. After all, even adults need adults.
What is a professional mentor?
At the very least, a professional mentor should be knowledgeable, or interested in learning, about the path you are on, and the path on which you want to be. In short, someone who has been there, and done that. It is the wisdom and practical advice that differentiates a professional mentor from a cheerleader (i.e., those in your life who provide emotional support). In addition to this necessary condition, I advise mentees to assess compatibility with a professional mentor on the following:
- Interest in your success. Do they express a sincere interest in your career goals and want to provide knowledge and resources to help you achieve those goals?
- Relevant knowledge and experience. While redundant, it’s worth reiterating. The mentor should be able to speak to your skills and talents and help you build a plan to use those skills and talents toward achieving your career goals.
- Time availability. Does the potential mentor respond quickly to your inquiries? Do they demonstrate their ability to allocate time to the relationship?
- Vulnerability. Are they willing to be open about their own career mistakes and offer advice on how to avoid or overcome similar challenges?
How does one find a professional mentor?
Relationship building (AKA "networking). I set a goal to speak to one person every week for three months. I started with people that I knew in my immediate professional network, then worked outward using connections on LinkedIn. I attended webinars, networking events, and joined professional organizations (that’s when I found the CXPA and its mentorship program). In each case, I identified aspirational professionals who had traveled my path or who were already on my future one, and I sent them an e-mail. In the email, I did three things:
1) Introduced myself and explained our connection.
2) Outlined my career goals.
3) Closed by saying, “Given that I am making an important career decision, I am seeking mentorship and am hopeful you are willing to chat. My primary questions are…”
I presented a set of questions unique to my background, skills, and indicated that I would enjoy discussing them over a 30-minute coffee chat. While I did hear back from 100% of my contacts (17 during the three-month timeframe), only one was unable to make time for a chat but was happy to connect. In the end, I now have 17 new “connectors," in my network, three strong advocates who are providing me with regular advice, and one formal mentor who is actively guiding me on my career journey.
Do you have a professional mentor? If so, how did you build that relationship? If not, I challenge you to begin building a relationship with a mentor today.
Interview Guide for Potential Mentors
When someone agreed to chat with me, they already knew my background from my e-mail. So, in most cases, our conversations flowed very naturally with each of us exchanging our professional journeys while I focused on my motivations for seeking mentorship and the specific advice I was seeking. The specific advice was asked through these prepared questions, which I only referred to if I felt like the answers did not emerge organically.
1. Tell me about your professional path to XX and what attracted you to work in this field.
2. Based on my background, in what roles or strategy processes do you see me providing the most value to practitioners in XXX?
3. Based on my professional goals, how do you advise I approach seeking experience in this area?
4. What qualities are companies like XX looking for in a successful candidate? What can I do to stand out from other candidates? Should I emphasize or de-emphasize anything?
5. What job positions in this field do you see as a good fit for someone with my background?
6. How does XXX source positions? Is it typically an open search, or do they have recruiters to look for specialized candidates?
7. Is there anyone else that you think would be worthwhile speaking to and if so, would you be willing to broker an introduction?