At the beginning of my career I was super confident I would succeed in my field no matter what – that I’d be hired by the right employer and have major career achievements just because I earned a degree from a reputable university. Despite my high confidence and certainty that things would work out, it took me longer than planned to find a career path that was a match with my personality.

The reasons for this were mostly a lack of professional experience, unrealistic expectations about the future, and a lack of support from a mentor or career adviser. No company I have ever worked for provided a formal mentoring program, and I often struggled to find someone comfortable speaking with about work, having to relying on friends, family, or experienced colleagues for assistance.

If you’re looking for a mentor, I’ve put together some key points to take into consideration.

1. Mentoring can solve career problems you can’t see

After I’d been working in the industry for some time, I started asking myself: “why am I not happy at work? how do I get recognised for my achievements?” In response to these feelings, I decided to take action. I enrolled in a coaching course, learned more about emotional intelligence and started a 1:1 mentoring relationship with a professional. This program helped to speed up my mental decision-making processes, take action in my life and achieve much more than expected.

Mentoring is a one-to-one relationship between a more senior professional and someone with less experience seeking advice. This relationship should be built on trust: be open and honest about your life goals, listen and give feedback without judgment, and address your issues in a clear and specific manner.

2. How to choose a mentor?

Mentors aren’t psychologists; they work together with you to develop strategies for achieving a specific goal (i.e. how to get a job in a specific industry, get a raise or be promoted). It is not a mentor’s role to look at the root of a problem or delve into your family structure as a child. Mentors prefer to understand your personality type, talents and skills before advising you on how to navigate your career path.

Good mentors are those who inspire you along your life journey, who are usually leaders in their industry, and who are excellent listeners that people feel comfortable talking to. It’s likely that an effective mentor can help unlock a mentees full professional potential without even saying a word, simply because they lead by example and have natural people skills.

3. Where to find a good career mentor?

People usually find mentors through industry associations such as the Australian Marketing Institute, work events, their own organisations, or reaching out leaders who do mentoring directly on LinkedIn. For UTS students, the Professional Mentoring Platform (PMP) is a good way to find mentors from the UTS community.

Ideally, find a mentor in your field who can assist in developing your desired skills. For example, if you wish to gain experience in SEO, connect with an expert in that area or search for a structured program that can help you design your future career. It’s common for mentors and mentees to be matched in group programs based on their similar skills or career paths, which fosters collaboration and promotes diversity.

4. What if I do not feel a personal connection with my mentor?

There are a variety of reasons for why you might not connect with your mentor. Maybe you’re pursuing different career paths, are too dissimilar in terms of personality or belief systems, they leave you feeling unsupported, or there’s a lack of communication.

If this is the case, I strongly suggest finding an additional mentor who fits your style. While it’s fine to receive advise from people with a different mindset, this is a relationship you want to flourish.

For me, deciding to become mentor in my field was an act of responsibility and respect for those who are in other stages of their professional life, but of course the process is not always a bed of roses.

5. Watch out for weird mentoring methods

Your career can have a big impact on all areas of your life. In some cases, you might find yourself choosing your friends, hobbies, partner, places you visit, and activities based on your career. This means that when you’re looking for a career mentor, you want to be sure you’re choosing someone who acts ethically and supports your goals.

In order to attain the desired results, finding someone who matches your requirements, supports self-assessment and helps you overcome boundaries is crucial. There are organisations out there that offer mentoring that do not respect cultural diversity, make confidentiality agreements, or act ethically. When looking for a mentor, keep an eye out for red flags and be sure to research any organisation before signing up.

Conclusion

Finding a mentor can help you with your career advancement, professional performance, job satisfaction and overall mental health. Choosing the right mentoring program depends on your industry or area of expertise, so be sure to keep an eye out for one that will suit your needs and maximize your chances of achieving your goals.

Featured image courtesy of Pexels.