The Positive Impacts of Mentorship for Young Professionals
Mentorship is one of the main ways people in the community build their original connections. When I moved to the Reno-Tahoe area in 2015, I did not have as many connections right away as I was hoping to. Whether you meet someone at a networking event, a social setting, a mutual friend, etc, you build relationships and begin to connect with people in the community. Gaining a mentor opened the doors for myself, as well as many others in similar situations.
One of the biggest ways to get your foot in the door is having a connection, we all know that. But where does that connection come from? My first connection was by gaining a mentor. This doesn’t always have to be someone in the same field as you, but is someone you can look up to for advice and also someone who can introduce you to people who may be able to help you down the line. They are the ones helping open the doors to new opportunities.
Mentors are people who are able to open your eyes in the community, whether you have lived here for years, or if you are new to the area. Having a mentor in the marketing community has always been an important step to getting your foot in the door at local agencies. Whether you have one mentor, or even two to three, they are able to help you take on the business world, handle personal endeavors, but also taking on day-to-day challenges. Mentoring is most important for the younger community. These young minds are new to the marketing/business realm, and can use every bit of advice from a professional that has once been in that position.
Mentors can provide multiple resources to their mentees in the professional world such as:
- Preparing that individual for the professional business world
- Helping create reachable goals for their professional careers
- Introducing individuals to their connections and community
- Networking side-by-side to help the young adult see what the expectations are once meeting other people in the marketing community
Not only is mentoring others important for the young adults, but seeking a mentee is also an important step to better improve your professional career.
Seeking someone to mentor can be a challenging task. The hardest part about this is trying to find a resource where you can gain one. In many jobs, there is a mentorship aspect in some way or shape. Working in a career that is fast paced and always changing, this can be a great opportunity for you to mentor someone coming into that role. Becoming a mentor can help improve your skill set as well as helping develop other employees skills. This seems as though it could be a lot of extra work, but the payouts at the end are limitless. By having someone to mentor, you not only are helping someone advance in their future career, but you are enhancing your skills as well as learning things from your mentee as well. This provides professional socialization for your mentee by bringing them to multiple events where they can see the proper way to act in a business setting.
There are multiple things that a mentor can do to help a mentee that they cannot do for themselves. Mentors are there to be able to observe the mentee and figure out their strengths and weaknesses. Oftentimes, individuals don’t know how they can improve in their line of work. Having someone come in and observe what you are doing, can help them give feedback from an outside perspective and can ensure improvement in the workplace. They are able to recommend ways to be more efficient by giving constructive criticism which ultimately will help the mentee grow personally and professionally.
Being a mentor as well as having a mentor does not mean that it will always be positive. Mentors are there to make an individual better and to grow them professionally. Mentors can act as disciplinarians to the mentee to improve their overall work ethic and efficiency. Mentors can set boundaries for the mentee when it comes to the workplace. This can include things for the mentee to do and not to do that will make them overall more productive. Learning from a mentor’s past experiences is one of the most valuable aspects of having a mentor. They have experienced things in the professional world that they can share with their mentee to improve all aspects of their quality of work.
Having a mentor does not show a sign of weakness, it is an opportunity to gain insight into the area of work the mentee is trying to enter. There are multiple positives to being a mentor as well as mentee, so if there is an opportunity to do this in your community, reach out and make a connection!
Lauren Thomas is a VP of Social for the Reno-Tahoe AMA and a Logistics Sales Executive at ITS Logistics in downtown Reno. In her spare time, she enjoys socializing at events, finding new hikes around tahoe, and visiting family.