Career Coach: Want to Excel at Your Job?

If you’re ready to take your career up a notch, look into your company’s mentoring programs. They can provide a significant benefit to mentees and mentors alike. The value of learning from someone who has “been there, done that” can’t be overstated, especially since the best mentors are creative individuals who are well-suited to serve in this role as models, sounding boards, and guides.

These programs match people with a good deal of experience to those who are less acquainted with the industry, and typically offer mentees the opportunity to become familiar with the organization, develop their skills, and learn how to navigate office politics. If you are in such a program, choosing someone who you feel you can learn from and develop a rapport with is important. In particular, the mentor must like and feel invested in your growth and success. 

The best corporate mentoring programs provide some structure for the relationship by offering mentor and mentee training. For mentees, these orientations help you understand how to appropriately use your mentor and get the most from the experience. Here are some tips from programs I’ve conducted:

Own your career growth and personal/professional development plan. It’s not your mentor’s job to set your goals or ensure you have a strategy. You must be in charge and be proactive, with your mentor simply supporting you on your behalf. 

Venture outside your comfort zone to explore and grow. You won’t grow if you don’t stretch yourself. Take some risks and seek guidance and support from your mentor. 

Create a clear goal and objective. The clearer the objective, the better your mentor can focus his/her efforts to support you. Make them SMART: Specific, Aggressive or Attainable (your choice), Relevant, and Time-bound. Be prepared for all of your meetings. 

Take the lead with new relationships. You should reach out first and get time on your mentor’s calendar. But don’t feel that you have to limit yourself to one mentor. Research has proven that developmental networks are the most powerful way to ensure quality support of your career goals and action plan. 

Most corporate mentoring programs have a finite timeline, anywhere from six months to a year, but their effect can be ongoing. In many cases, the mentor-mentee relationship will convert to informal status once the program has concluded, with “graduates” adding their former mentors to their developmental networks and continuing to benefit from their guidance and valuable connections. 

–Andrea Zintz, Career Coach