How Mentoring Builds Job Skills
How Mentoring Builds Job Skills
65% of the jobs Gen Z will perform do not even exist yet. With technology driving the pace of change in business, it's up to you to manage your career and your job skills. One of the best ways to build new skills is through mentoring. No matter where you are in your career, being mentored by someone else in your company is a great way to learn and develop within an organization. Your mentor can help you identify areas for growth and development, and provide a low-stress opportunity to have real conversations about your career. Alternatively, being a mentor to others can help build your own leadership skills by giving you opportunities to lead, listen, and identify and solve problems.
How to find a mentor
It is very important that you get the right mentor, one who understands your struggles and can help you overcome them. A good mentor is someone who listens well and helps you get past hurdles by encouraging you and helping you solve problems that hold you back.
One place to look for a mentor is your company's human resources department. Ask your HR department if the company has a mentoring program you can join. If your company is too small to have an HR department, or your company doesn't have a mentoring program in place, talk to your boss. She may be able to recommend someone.
If you are struggling to find the right mentor in your company, try going outside of your company within the same industry. Try networking or volunteering to meet new people farther along in their careers.
How to find a mentee
If you want to be a mentor, finding the right mentee is a lot like the other side of the equation. Do some networking. Talk to key people in your company about the type of person you want to be a mentor to, and be specific. You may even have your eye on someone in your company that you see potential in. Open up the conversation and tell that person you'd like to mentor them. Check with your college or university - many have alumni/student mentoring programs in place that you can join.
Being a mentor to developing talent can go a long way to developing your own leadership and communication skills. By volunteering to be a mentor, you can help someone else build new job skills for tomorrow while pressing your own career forward with new job skills.
Would you like more professional development tips? Check out these related posts:
How to Develop Leadership Skills Through Mentoring