One of the easy ways to move smoothly up the corporate ladder is to find yourself a career mentor. In fact, you don’t even have to restrict to only having one mentor. I am very fortunate to have my first mentor when I was 18 years old. I was in my first permanent job in the early childhood education because I love children. She told me to get out more, explore out of the industry and set my sights higher. I heeded her advice and realised that even though I love working with the little beings, I have so much more in me to give, challenge myself and gone on to try many different industries.
When you are new to the job, having a mentor would definitely help you settle in your new position. They will give you a low down on what the company is all about, what ways you can help and how you can advance.
Even if you are in the workforce for a number of years, having someone as a mentor will help you to focus on your existing goals and share valuable experiences that goes beyond what you have encountered.
However, not every senior member of the staff is “mentor material” and picking the wrong person may be detrimental to your career. The wrong “mentor” will:
undermine your talents
be negative around you
refuse to listen to you
steal your limelight or your ideas
take all the credits
guide you only if he or she benefits in some ways
steer you in the wrong direction
have a prejudice mindset
unwilling to help you
To help you out, here are our tips on how you can find that awesome mentor to help you at your workplace.
Know what a Great Mentor should have
Every great mentor must be happy to give you some assistance in dealing with tricky situations at work. They should also help you stay motivated in the job and listen to you when you have problems.
A great mentor also gives out honest and constructive feedback that would help his or her mentees improve, as well as give them advice on how to reach their potential.
Mentors must also build their relationship with their mentees through open communication, acceptance and respect.
Know your future career goals
If you want to succeed and need a mentor to guide you, you must know what you want for your career.
While mentors can’t give you all the answers you need, giving them an idea on what you want to be in the future can help them give you the right advice you need. They will also be able to assess how much help they can offer and how to make the mentorship work.
Check the people you already met
In a workplace, there may be a person you always turn to when you have problems. This person may be your mentor even if you both don’t realize it.
Keep your relationship open since most mentorships do not really need a formal recognition from both the mentor and mentee.
If someone is already acting as a mentor for you before you considered getting a mentor, you are in luck.
Check other employees outside your team
There are times that your ideal mentor is not a part of your department. If you are a big company or group, look at other teams and departments that are related to your department and see if you can find someone who stands out.
Don’t worry if that person doesn’t have the same job position as you do. They can give you the perspective you are looking for to assess your next move.
Seek those who have the skill to be a mentor
As I stated above, not all senior staff can be a “good” mentor.
Look at your colleagues who give out good advice and feedback even if you are not asking for it. You should also be open to such criticism because it will help you improve.
Don’t be afraid to ask those on the top
Seeking training or mentorship from your company’s top brass isn’t a bad idea. They have the experience and insight your coworkers do not have, as well as ideas on how your company could grow even further.
If you see someone like that in your company, ask them. Even if they said no, at least you tried. You can ask them for recommendations in case they do say no.
Lastly…
Work is filled with challenges that you can’t easily overcome without getting guidance from a mentor you can trust. With these tips, we hope that you will be able to find that mentor that will help you advance and be the person you could look up to for guidance.
Need a career boost? Here are some articles that could help you: 12 Things You Need To Do Once In Your Career Life Time to Kick Away those Bad Work Habits for 2019 4 Ways to Prevent Yourself from Getting Complacent at Work
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