What could be better than learning all about the road ahead from someone who has been there before? A good mentor can be a wonderful way to learn how to do things correctly and how to avoid the pitfalls. They are not there to work for you, promote you or tell you what to do.
If you are lucky enough to find someone who would be willing to give up his/her time to be your mentor and share his/her experiences with you, make sure you give it all you got. You need to drive the relationship and the conversation, be specific in how they can help you, why you want him/her as a mentor and for what period of time.
How to choose a mentor:
- If you respect their achievements and knowledge, and you would welcome their advice.
- This is an informal relationship so you should have good chemistry or a good working relationship (often mentor relationships originate from a shared workplace but this is not essential).
- You don’t only need to have only one mentor; you could have three or four different mentors with a variety of experiences across different spectrums that all contribute something different.
TIP: Think about choosing a mentor that’s not similar to you. It can be very useful to find someone who thinks differently to you and can provide you with a varied opinion or insight.