How to Find a Professional Mentor

• Author: Kelly Cooke
• Posted: 2024-05-06

Every person can benefit from the help of a mentor over the course of their career. Sometimes, you can best learn from someone who has been there before you who has an interest in your progress. However, it is not always easy to find the right person to give of their time to help you. You cannot just enter into a mentoring relationship without getting to know the person first. Moreover, you need to make them want to help you. Here are some tips for how to find and secure the right professional mentor.

Give Them an Interest in Helping You

People usually tend to act in their own self-interest. Even people who act altruistically do it because it makes themselves feel good. You need to create a situation where your prospective mentor feels like they have a stake in your career and progress. When people help you, they feel like they are a part of your team and will likely continue to assist you. However, the first thing that you have to do is to get them interested in helping you.

Usually, this starts in one of two ways. First, the mentor may come to like you and want to take you under their wing. Second, the mentor may have their own professional interest in giving you advice and assistance. If it is the latter, you should quickly identify what their interest is and play to it.

Figure Out Where You Want to Be

Many times, your mentor is someone who is at a more advanced stage of their career than you are. People opt for mentors because they want to get where the mentor is in the future. However, that requires some knowledge of your own goals in life and your career. This requires you sitting down and having an honest conversation about where you see your future career headed. While your goals do not have to completely align with your mentor's current standing, it at least helps to have some significant overlap. Otherwise, it would not be an effective use of your time or that of your mentor.

You should also take an inventory of the people who you look up to in this world. Many people opt for mentors who they already know and respect. You can opt for a mentor who is identity-based if there are people who have come before you who have trailblazed a path of success.

Don't Try to Find a Sponsor

There are times when it works out that the mentor can help open doors for you in your career. However, that should not be your expectation or your goal from your relationship with your mentor. They may not be an inclined to help you if they think that you are using them as a sponsor. Some people just like to give advice, but they do not want to feel pressured to make introductions and give their mentee access to their network. Sometimes, mentors can put you in touch with sponsors or can help you on their own, but go into the relationship only with the expectation of advice.

Think of People That You Know First

Approaching people with whom you do not have a preexisting connection can be intimidating. Moreover, they do not really owe you anything. Some people may help you solely because they like to assist others. Your best bet to finding a mentor is using your existing network. Hopefully, you already know someone who can help you. Alternatively, someone who you already have a relationship with can introduce you to someone who they know. This is also a smoother process than making a cold call or sending a blind email.

If you are randomly approaching someone, try to think of an angle that you can use or find a connection. Generally, it is better if someone knows you first, but you can always ask the question. The worst thing that happens is that the person who you approach either ignores your request or says no. You lose absolutely nothing by asking in the first place.

Respect the Mentor's Time

If someone has agreed to become your mentor, remember that they are giving you their time. This is one of their most valuable commodities. This means that you should always be prepared for a conversation with them. Prepare thoughtful questions ahead of time that prove you are taking the relationship seriously.