Are You a Mentor?

Almost every professional has had a mentor somewhere along the way, be it in college, during an internship, or perhaps in the first few years of of working. The advice and guidance mentors provide are invaluable, helping young staff members learn the ropes and avoid pitfalls. Although college is a wonderful experienc where you learn a lot, you don't necessarily learn about office politics and or receive professional development advice. Yet, a successful career often hinges on just those factors.

Now is the perfect time to become a mentor. There may be a few summer interns in your office, or some newly hired graduates. Here are a few ways to get started.

Regularly Scheduled Lunches
I scheduled a “touch-base” lunch once a month, with no agenda topics. It's always a fun and informative hour to answer questions and offer encouragement.

Up Mentoring
As an HR Manager, I noticed that our multi-generation workforce would benefit from a little reverse mentoring: the younger staff offering tips to the “Boomers” on topics such as social media, blogging, digital portfolios, etc. I selected a monthly topic, scheduled a junior employee to host, invited the target audience and held monthly presentations. This was wildly successful!

In-House Seminars
Once a quarter, I organized a continuing education class held after work for Interns. This made it much easier for them to complete their intern development program and stay on track for eventual liscensure (in Architecture).

Guest Speakers
A simple way to help mentor junior staff is to host guest speakers at lunch. I arranged experts in the areas of professional speaking, dressing, and life coaching topics. These lunches were always over capacity!

Today's young workers, the Millennials, often get a bad rap. In my experience, however, I find this generation of young people to be engaged, caring and willing to learn. If you make an effort to reach out and mentor, you will be rewarded in ways you never expected!

- Kristi Enigl, Career Coach