Mentors

A mentor is a wonderful thing!  A mentor is someone who is further along in their life or career that is willing to share what they know to help you grow and succeed.  

An ideal mentor has the following characteristics:

• They have already achieved something you want to achieve (career, accomplishments, etc.).

• They are not related to you (see side notes below).

• They want to help you.  Probably because they are a good person and/or are friends with someone you know.

• They have a network of relationships that they can connect you to for potential jobs you want.

A mentor can help you by being someone you talk with regularly to share your progress, answer questions and make introductions.  You don't need many.  One or two good mentors is usually enough.

So how do you find one?  Read the section on Networking 101.

Side notes: 

• Reading and podcasts are a wonderful way to learn from those you admire.  I do this all the time.  Just recognize that these are limited because neither can make introductions.

• Ideally a mentor is not related to you.  You want someone who is able to tell you things that you may be uncomfortable hearing.  For example, I thought I wanted to join a venture capital firm very early in my career.  I discussed this with my father who introduced me to someone he knew in the industry.  That person was kind enough to tell me that I didn't have any of the background to get into the industry and that I really needed to gain a lot more experience.  My father had been uncomfortable to give me the cold truth because of your father/son relationship.  Mentors will (kindly) tell you what you need to hear in the way a relative may not be able to.

How To Learn More

• Dig into my other writings on the job search process on The Search page.

  • Better understand your own skills and where you will be successful at Roles.

  • Check out my writings on various industries and departments at the Industries page.