8 Proven Strategies For Finding a Mentor And Accelerating Your Career

finding a mentor

Finding a mentor who helps you become the best version of yourself is an excellent career decision. It can boost your salary, career progression, leadership skills, and job satisfaction. 

97% of people with a mentor find that relationship valuable, but only 37% of working professionals have a mentor. So, how do you go about sourcing that person?

If you’re wondering how to find a mentor for your career, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s everything you need to know about mentors and 8 strategies for finding the best one.

What Does a Mentor Do?

Mentors are people with more knowledge and experience than you who can help advance your career. They make excellent sounding boards and listen to your ideas, provide feedback, and push you to approach situations differently.

Mentors do the following for their mentees:

  • Encourage but do not directly instruct how to do something
  • Provide general guidance and help you figure out where you want to go without telling you precisely how to get there
  • Take a long-term view of your professional growth
  • Challenge you to approach problems or situations differently; point out blind spots
  • Provide feedback when asked

Note that mentorship is not coaching, though the terms are similar. Coaches are usually in your life for a finite time to help you strengthen a specific skill or eliminate a behavior. They help you boost your performance in very specific ways.

Mentors, however, are long-term partners who offer general guidance, connections, wisdom, and support.

Who Can Be a Mentor?

Anyone can be a mentor, so long as they have experience and guidance to give. That said, who would best serve as your mentor depends on a few things. Here are some aspects to consider when finding your mentor.

Mentors are usually higher up the career ladder than you, working in a position you aspire to be in. Look for someone whose career progress you want to emulate.

Similarly, look for a mentor with a track record of outstanding leadership. For the mentor-mentee relationship to be successful, you need someone adept at providing feedback, pointing out blind spots, and generally helping people be the best version of themselves.

You may also want to consider a mentor with a similar demographic status. You may experience challenges at work based on your gender, socioeconomic status, race, ability, or other characteristics. A mentor who’s dealt with those challenges can better serve and relate to you.

8 Strategies for Finding a Mentor

Now that you better understand the mentor-mentee relationship and the type of person you’re looking for, here are some tips for finding a mentor.

  1. Is Mentorship The Right Fit?

Before finding a mentor, ask yourself if it’s the right fit for you at this moment. For the mentor-mentee relationship to be successful, you as the mentee must:

  • Be coachable and open to constructive feedback
  • Take the initiative to schedule regular conversations with your mentor
  • Be comfortable discerning which bits of advice are worth taking and which are worth disregarding
  • Constantly evaluate your career goals 
  • Be comfortable discussing with your mentor how to measure success in the relationship
  • Be ready to commit to developmental progress and prepare to be pushed outside your comfort zone

If you’re ready for all this, then mentorship could be right for you.

  1. Know Your Goals

Finding a mentor that best suits your needs is crucial. To do this, get crystal clear on what you hope to get out of the relationship. 

First, narrow down the industry and type of company you want your mentor to have experience with. Map this against your career desires. If you want to work at a fintech Fortune 500 company as a manager, find someone who’s done exactly that.

Next, consider which of the following you need out of the mentor-mentee relationship:

  • General support and guidance
  • Connections
  • Help determining your blind spots
  • Performance coaching
  • Guidance navigating an industry or achieving a position

From here, drill down on your mentorship goals for help finding a mentor best suited to your needs.

  1. Search Your Network

Review your professional network. Think about current or past coworkers and any connections they may have. See who best fits your ideal mentor.

  1. Other Sourcing Options

Finding a mentor doesn’t have to happen through your network. If that doesn’t turn anything up, consider joining professional organizations in your field or attending networking events. You can also search on LinkedIn.

  1. Make The Initial Ask

Wondering how to ask someone to be your mentor? First, come prepared to the initial ask with your elevator pitch on why you think this person is the best fit to mentor you. 

Set clear expectations on the level of commitment and what you want from this relationship. Also state what would make you a good mentee, highlighting your coachability and desire to grow.

Once that’s ready, make the ask. An email or phone call can work; choose a method based on your relationship with the person. You can ask them to meet on neutral ground in a relaxing area, such as a coffee shop or in a park for lunch. A virtual meeting will do if the person is busy or far away.

As you prepare the initial ask, be honest. You can say something like: I’m going through a difficult situation at work and could use the guidance of someone I respect. You came to mind immediately, and I’d really appreciate your perspective. Would you be open to meeting?

Whatever the situation is that’s prompting your mentorship ask, be transparent about it.

  1. Not Everyone Wants to Mentor

Finding a mentor means realizing that not everyone can or wants to serve that role. Don’t take it personally if the first person you ask turns you down – better that than you’re stuck in a one-sided mentor-mentee relationship.

If you get turned down, thank them anyway and move down your list.

Related: Is Mentorship Right For You? Your Guide to Effective Mentoring

  1. Make it Easy on Them

To show your mentor how much you appreciate their time, handle the logistics of your initial meeting. 

Get the Zoom link, find the in-person meeting spot, respect their time constraints, and buy their coffee/lunch/whatever it may be if you’re meeting in person.

  1. Prioritize a Company That Values Mentorship

Finding a mentor by striking out on your own can be challenging. Although it’s doable, to build the most effective mentorship relationship, you want to work for a company that values these relationships.

Mentorship numbers are expanding. Fortune 500 companies with mentoring programs outperformed the competition during the pandemic. Since the pandemic, 30% of companies upped their investment into mentorship programs. 

Additionally, employee retention rates are 72% for those with mentors but just 49% for those without.

All this is to say that supporting mentorship is in a company’s best interest, so you should be able to find one that invests in these programs.

Perhaps the company you work for already values mentorship. If not, Jennings Executive has over two decades of experience matching companies with talent. We’ll find you an organization whose mentorship values align with your own. Learn more today!

We hope this guide helps you on your journey toward finding a mentor.

Related: 9 Tips for Getting Promoted at Work in 2023: Stand Out And Secure Your Job!

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DANIEL WILKINSON IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES & CLIENT SUCCESS. HE BRINGS OVER TWO DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN COMMERCIAL AND PRICING STRATEGY, HAVING HELD KEY LEADERSHIP ROLES AT DELTA AIR LINES AND DELTA VACATIONS. HIS CAREER IS MARKED BY A PROVEN TRACK RECORD IN DRIVING SIGNIFICANT BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION THROUGH INNOVATIVE DATA-DRIVEN STRATEGIES, CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAM LEADERSHIP, AND ENHANCED PROFITABILITY. DAN’S EXPERTISE IS IN HIS ABILITY TO INTEGRATE DATA ANALYTICS WITH STRATEGIC PLANNING, ENABLING ORGANIZATIONS TO OPTIMIZE THEIR REVENUE MANAGEMENT AND PRICING STRATEGIES IN DYNAMIC MARKET ENVIRONMENTS.

AT DELTA VACATIONS, DAN SERVED AS VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC BUSINESS/IT PLANNING & REVENUE MANAGEMENT, WHERE HE SUCCESSFULLY LED TEAMS IN DELIVERING SCALABLE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, DEFINING GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGIES AND DRIVING SIGNIFICANT INCREMENTAL REVENUE AND PROFIT.

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BRIAN BANISTER IS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER AT JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. BRIAN HAS A BROAD RANGE OF EXPERIENCE, HAVING WORKED IN STRATEGY & CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL PLANNING & ANALYSIS, AND PUBLIC ACCOUNTING ROLES FOR LEADING COMPANIES AND CLIENTS IN THE HOSPITALITY, REAL ESTATE, MANAGEMENT CONSULTING, AND TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA, AND TELECOM (TMT) SECTORS. HE BEGAN HIS CAREER AT DELOITTE & TOUCHE, WORKING AS A LICENSED CPA. AFTER DELOITTE, BRIAN PIVOTED INTO CORPORATE FINANCE, WHERE HE HELD POSITIONS IN STRATEGY & CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT AT INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP (IHG) AND COX COMMUNICATIONS, AS WELL AS AN FP&A ROLE AT BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP (BCG). THESE ROLES ALLOWED BRIAN TO GAIN VALUABLE EXPOSURE IN AREAS LIKE CLIENT SERVICES, STRATEGIC CONSULTING & PLANNING, FINANCIAL ANALYSIS, AND M&A AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY.

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DRIVING TRANSFORMATION THROUGH PEOPLE IS OUR MISSION AND LORI’S PASSION AS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER WITH JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. SHE CONDUCTS THOROUGH RESEARCH ON EACH ROLE AND BUILDS STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH CANDIDATES TO HELP CONNECT PROFESSIONALS WITH THEIR NEXT GREAT OPPORTUNITY. LORI SPENT 22 YEARS AT A FORTUNE 500 INSURANCE COMPANY IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT, SALES/BUSINESS CONSULTING, AND RECRUITING ROLES. SHE USES THIS EXPERIENCE AS SHE SEARCHES FOR THE BEST TALENT TO HELP DRIVE CLIENT SUCCESS FORWARD. SHE’S FOCUSED ON DELIVERING RESULTS AND GETS THERE THROUGH EFFICIENCY AND TENACITY WITH AN EMPATHETIC, COMPASSIONATE, FUN, GENUINE, AND POSITIVE APPROACH. SHE HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING CLIENTS ACHIEVE BUSINESS OBJECTIVES THROUGH UNDERSTANDING NEEDS, CREATING INDIVIDUAL, DATA-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS, AND SOLVING PROBLEMS, AS WELL AS POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND TEAMWORK.

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