What Is A Mentor And How To Find One

Ever thought about getting a mentor during university or your work experience? You should.

A good mentor can provide advice, guidance and clarity at any stage of your career or life, whether you’re stuck on an assignment you just can’t get your head around or you’re an intern whose just taken your first step into the corporate world. 

But finding one is another story. So, where do you even begin? Before you just go and ask anyone to set up a random weekly call to chat about everything and anything, let’s look at what mentorship is, the benefits and how you can find one yourself.

• What is mentorship?
• Why it can be important for your career
• How to find a mentor
• Setting goals and expectations
• What do students say about their mentors

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What is mentorship?

A mentorship is where a mentor, helps to support an individual with either personal or professional growth. Essentially, someone you can go to for advice, feedback and a general chit-chat about work.

You might already be familiar with mentoring already and have had some sort of mentoring whether with a lecturer or even your classmates or students in the years above you.

There are many different types of mentorships, let’s take a look at a few:

Group mentoring

A mentor works with multiple mentees in a group, meeting regularly to discuss relevant topics.

Peer mentoring

Working with someone of the same level to offer feedback, assess one another or even grading each other in certain assignments. 

Reverse mentoring

A two-way relationship where both the mentee and mentor benefit. It can help people gain confidence, try new experiences, and broaden their ideas.

Traditional mentoring

A more experienced mentor provides ongoing advice to a mentee, including guidance on career decisions and challenges.

So now you know what mentorship is, how will it help you? Let’s get into it.

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Thinking about applying for placements in September? Here are:

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Why it can be important for your career

Having a mentor can positively impact your career development, in more ways than you may think.

You want to make sure you’re taking full advantage of your placement year. Whether that’s learning loads, networking and setting yourself goals that you can achieve throughout your journey. A mentor will help with that.

General Support and Guidance 

Starting your placement is a DAUNTING experience, imposter syndrome is in full swing and you’re constantly doubting yourself in all facets.

Having a mentor for these exact reasons alone should convince you to look into finding one. 

A great mentor will:

• Provide a different perspective when you are being your biggest self-critic
• Motivate you to ask any enquiries you may have
• Push you to shout about new ideas
• Encourage you to be your passionate self. 

Think of a mentor as your personal agony aunt. Having this confidence to push yourself out of your comfort zone will not only leave you with more chances to get involved in so many key business projects but even more experiences and opportunities to talk about, in your coursework, in interviews and to put on your CV!

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How to find a mentor

Firstly, think about whether you actually need a mentor. There are plenty of ways to decide this. You should always consider what you want from your work experience. Ask yourself some of the following questions…

• Are you someone who can flourish on your own or would you prefer a little guidance?
• Do you have the means to actively find out about other parts of the business, without a mentor?
• Are you going to learn something new?
• Do you think you’ll need advice during your work experience?

It may be a good idea to speak with your manager and see if they have anyone in mind who would be good to mentor you. You may find that some of your colleagues did a placement year themselves which is a really good starting point when deciding who to ask.

What to look for in a mentor and how to reach out

Explore possible mentors, a way to do this is to always have it in the back of your mind when meeting new people that you work with, will you be able to learn from them? Is there specific knowledge I can gain from talking with them?

Ask someone you also think you’ll get along with. We 100% don’t want awkward meetings or your mentoring sessions being something you dread. So our advice is to base it on friendships or positive connections you’ve made within the company. But equally don’t choose someone you talk to every day.

Reaching out is the easy part! The worst that could happen is they’ll say no, BUT at least you tried.

Don’t forget, they’ll only ever say no if they feel as though they don’t have the time – it’s not you, it’s them.

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Setting goals and expectations

You may be thinking, what can I expect from a mentor if I get one? Setting goals is a great way to start mentorship meetings, these goals could be around:

• What would you like to get out of your placement or internship?
• Are there certain metrics you’d like to hit in the year?
• Is there a fear you want to get over? For example, public speaking

You can then treat these meetings as catch-ups on where you are at with your goals, and if there’s anything your mentor can do to ensure they are achievable. 

Make sure that these goals fit the SMART Objectives format for the best chance of success. Discussing them with your mentor will not only allow you to set the right goals for you but will also hold you accountable.

Here’s what SMART Objectives stands for: 

S – Specific 

M – Measurable

A – Achievable

R – Relevant

T – Time Based

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TOP TIP
Make sure to write these goals down, so that when it comes to writing your university coursework or updating your CV you can remember what you’ve achieved throughout your work experience.

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What do students say about their mentors?

“Having a mentor has been a game changer. It’s great for someone like me who has a million questions that may sound “too stupid” to ask in meetings. I’ve asked my mentor just about everything from how a certain software works to what to wear to the work party.

They’re fantastic for getting to grips with the company culture, how things operate, and who does what. Especially if you’re on a placement year, their pot of experience is going to be so much fuller than yours and you’ll end up learning things 10x faster!“

Rhea, RateMyPlacement Campaigns Placement Student

“Getting a mentor is so much easier than I thought it would be, literally asked him and he agreed. It’s so useful to have someone outside of your direct working circle to address any struggles or celebrate successes as they act like a third body.

I would definitely recommend getting one as you can learn about things you wouldn’t necessarily have otherwise if they are in a different team. And most importantly, it’s just nice to have someone else to rely on and ask those silly questions you don’t feel you can ask anyone else.”

Lucy, RateMyPlacement Marketing Placement Student

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There are 1001 bits to tick off your list when it comes to preparing for work experience, make sure that finding a mentor is one of your top priorities – it’ll make your experience extra special. 

Good luck!

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