Recent Posts
Mentorship May 17, 2019
Mentorship is a two-way street.
How do you get the most out of a mentor? It’s a common question and we’re here to help answer it.
We recently partnered with career expert Chelsea Krost to host a #MillennialTalk on Twitter titled “How to Empower NextGen Female Leaders.” Throughout the TwitterChat we answered a myriad of our readers burning questions on finding a career they love, pursuing their passions, and maintaining some semblance of a work-life balance. Now, we’re bringing this career advice straight to you.
Mentors can’t just hand you the answers. You need to come prepared with the right questions.
Find out who your mentor is, what they can offer you and what you can offer them in return. It never hurts to do your research. Stalk their LinkedIn, check their websites, portfolios, etc. Nothing impresses a mentor more than when you know their background and bring up the project they worked on in 2015. Plus, it will help you figure out what kind of mentorship they can offer you.
Prepare! Mentorship is a two-way street. Mentors can’t just hand you the answers. You need to come prepared with the right questions. #MillennialTalk
— Entity Magazine (@entity_mag) May 8, 2019
Time to start looking inward. In order to get the most out of a mentor, you need to think about your strengths and weaknesses (we all have ‘em) and be honest with yourself. Figure out what you want to work on and use those insights in meetings with your mentor. If your goals are misaligned with their expertise they’ll be able to tell you early on.
A mentor can’t help you if you’re not entirely sure what you want to get out of mentorship. A 2014 study found that successful mentoring relationships were characterized by reciprocity, mutual respect, clear expectations, personal connection, and shared values.
On the flip side, failed mentoring relationships were characterized by poor communication, lack of commitment, personality differences, perceived (or real) competition, conflicts of interest, and the mentor’s lack of experience.
A3 Make it "easy" for your mentor to mentor you. Value their time by coming with questions and topics you want to discuss. Ask for their feedback on things. Say thank you for their time – they are carving time out of their busy schedule for you!#MillennialTalk
— David Carlson (@davidcarlson1) May 8, 2019
The takeaway: come prepared with a goal and let your mentor know what you’re looking for. If they’re not the right match it’s better to know on Day 1 than Day 245.
Want more #CareerAdvice? Check out ENTITY Academy where we teach you all the tips and tricks to create a killer resume, craft the perfect cover letter and land the job you want. Examples!
