When a young professional is looking to find a mentor in their industry, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Depending on where they are in their career journey, they may or may not already have access to a network of established professionals who have the desire and time to take on a mentor-mentee relationship.
Luckily, you don’t have to already know someone in order to start working on the mentorship process. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council each share one step a young professional can take today to get started as well as explain how these steps will help anyone find the perfect mentor.
Young Entrepreneur Council members offer advice on finding a mentor.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Start Leveraging LinkedIn
The only way you’re going to find a mentor is by looking. So get yourself a good LinkedIn profile and search for leaders, mentors and influencers in the industry. The biggest game-changer in my career was when I decided to make a game out of reaching 500-plus connections on LinkedIn. Not only did it make me more connected, but it also opened new doors of opportunity! So I’d say you want to start by putting yourself out into the virtual world and connecting. – Racquelle Pakutz, Zen Freight Solutions Inc.
2. Consider How You Can ‘Give’ First
Seeking out a strong mentor starts with the understanding that successful individuals likely are successful because someone helped them along the way. In most instances, people are eager to reciprocate the help they’ve received. Sometimes all it takes is the confidence to ask! In my experience, acquiring a mentor should be beneficial to both parties in some way. Always approach these relationships by thinking through how you can first “give” to that individual before thinking through what you’d like to “ask” of that individual. – Tom Shea, Adgile Media Group
3. Define Your Reason For Seeking A Mentor
At times, finding a mentor can be a natural process, like seeking guidance and assistance from a teacher, boss or co-worker. However, if you want someone in your life who is a perfect fit to be your mentor, go for it. The first step is to carry out your research, which includes asking yourself why you need a mentor and what you want to achieve from the relationship. Be very specific and honest with yourself. Once you’ve done that, you can move on to researching who will be the best fit for what you hope to gain. Remember to provide some value in return; for example, before approaching a mentor, you should be working and experimenting on your own. When approaching a potential mentor, do it with respect and don’t waste their time. – Chimezie Emewulu, Seamfix Limited
4. Attend Networking Events
One way that young professionals should begin their search for a mentor is by attending career networking events that would connect them with potential industry leaders. From there, they could then discuss ways in which they are looking to grow in their industry. Leaders who are looking to mentor young professionals would not only have the opportunity to meet young professionals looking to find a mentor, but they would also likely be able to offer them introductions to other mentorship opportunities. Building a professional community can seem overwhelming at first, but all it takes is the first step: networking. From there, young professionals can more easily build connections and grow in their careers. – John Rampton, Calendar
5. Ask For Choice From Your Personal Network
First, look at your personal network and ask someone who is in the profession you’re interested in if they know anybody they can give you an introduction to. For example, if you want to go into the legal profession, ask yourself if you know any lawyers or if your parents know any. If not, ask your dentist, your best friend and even the owner of the sandwich shop you frequent. Somebody is bound to know a lawyer. Then, ask that lawyer you meet if they know someone else, and keep networking until you find somebody who is a good fit. A good fit to me is someone whom I like personally and want to be like professionally. Ask yourself, “Is this somebody I would invite to my family barbecue but also hire if I needed their services?” – Givelle Lamano, Lamano Law Office
6. Curate Your Social Media Presence And Brand
Establish your brand via your social media platforms, such as LinkedIn. When you reach out to prospective opportunities, they’ll give you the once over, especially online. So curate your social media presence as if it were your portfolio and resume. Doing this early will establish your brand and you as an authority in the space, making you someone a mentor would want to establish a mutually beneficial working relationship with. Mentors won’t be interested in giving their time to someone who doesn’t bring their own ideas and points of view to the table, so establish your brand early and foster it. – Nick Venditti, StitchGolf
7. Identify The Qualities You Want In A Mentor
For young professionals in search of a mentor, the first step is to identify the industry they are passionate about, and then identify the qualities a person should have to be considered their perfect mentor. Once they have the industry and traits in mind, the young professional should begin to seek out people within that space who embody those traits and find ways to connect with them on LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media channels. – Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
8. Find A ‘Mentoring Manager’
The first step a young professional should take in finding a mentor is to accept a position where their manager is the type of person who will pour themselves into this young person and not only teach them how to excel in their role, but also share their life and business philosophy with them. Learning the right business philosophy early in their career will serve as their foundation for the years ahead. For example, a mentoring manager could impart and exemplify the philosophy of “Do more than you’re paid to do.” The young professional then learns to stay the extra 15 minutes to help a customer, show up early to help set up for a meeting or encourage a struggling colleague. Being mentored like this helps young professionals develop not only a career but also a rich, rewarding life. – Brian Greenberg, Insurist