Mentoring to Develop Your Career

What Is a Mentor?

A mentor is a trusted individual whose career path you may want to emulate and whose work you may admire. In some cases, mentors can open doors for you and in other cases, mentors simply provide a glimpse into opportunities that may present themselves in the future.

If you don’t have a formal career mentor, think about whom you go to for advice. In what shape or form have they helped you grow?

What Is the Value of Having a Mentor?

Everyone enters their career with goals in mind. Even if your path is not entirely laid out, you probably have an idea of where you want your career to go. A mentor can be an incredible asset when it comes to outlining your career goals and understanding the future you envision for yourself. It is through understanding what it takes to achieve these goals, continuing to work on our strengths and working on our areas of development that we evolve.

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What Does a Mentor Do?

A mentor can help you prepare for an unknown future and strategize on ways to overcome barriers — above all, they can share advice and experiences to guide your career progress. It is common to find a mentor when you are addressing a specific career goal or challenge and need the support to pursue that opportunity. The benefits of having a mentor are similar, perhaps even stronger, than those gained by professional networking.

When you engage in a mentor/mentee relationship, a mentor may ask you questions like the ones listed below to help you reflect and plan your future career.

What were your career goals in the past, and how have they evolved?
What are your career goals for the next five years?

Mentor quote: "Let's talk about your goals and the skills we can develop to help meet them."

Quote: "How can I best support you in achieving your career goals?"

They will also challenge you to think about:

How you can solidify your skills and further your professional development
What your long-term vision is and what you can do to execute on that

To gain the most from a mentor/mentee relationship, it is important that you are clear with your mentor on what you want to focus on and your objectives/goals. For example, if you are looking to move into a manager role and you want to develop your stakeholder management skills, you would share this with your mentor so they can provide feedback and perspective on situations to help you develop this competency.

Additionally, it is important to identify how to measure your progress/success for each goal to ensure you remain on track.

How to Identify a Good Mentor

When looking for a mentor, keep your goals in mind. The person you select should be able to guide and assist you in developing yourself to achieve your career goals. They might work within your company or outside of it. They can be a co-worker, a manager or past manager or a person you trust in a similar field. If you don’t know who to call upon as a mentor, think about your professional network — those people you already seek ideas and guidance from, whom you interact with through work or hobbies. Use this network to ask for referrals, ideas and support if needed. You can also work with your manager to help you identify the right mentor for your career goals.

Once you have identified someone, be sure to have a conversation with them about what you are looking for in a career mentor. Being upfront about your goals and expectations is vital to establishing a strong relationship with your mentor. This conversation could include:

What guidance you need in your career and what support your mentor could offer you
How you will both engage, how often and the expectations you have for the relationship

Maintaining the Mentor Relationship

The mentoring responsibility lies with you, not the mentor. You must be the one committing to your career development and yourself to make this happen. You should initiate touchpoints with your mentor and thoroughly prepare for each meeting. Their time is valuable so it’s important to come prepared and drive the conversation.

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. With the help of your mentor, you can build a career plan that will help shape your future.

For more tips on how to further your career and achieve your professional development goals, visit our Aston Carter Career Advice page.

*This article was originally developed by Aston Carter EMEA and adapted for Aston Carter North America.