Getting a fully-funded scholarship this year will require the balance of all important ingredients in the journey. One of these ingredients remains the place for an experienced mentor and robust mentorship scheme.
Before we delve into why this is an important strategy to adopt to get fully funded, it is important to define who a mentor is and what a mentorship scheme stands for.
Setting the record straight on who a mentor is
From my experience, a mentor is an “experienced and trusted adviser.” A mentor does not work on a day-to-day basis to help a mentee make decisions, but they are there to serve as someone who can offer support, wisdom, and teaching over time.
Typically, individuals seek mentors who work in their same or desired field. The mentor helps this individual grow and develop as a professional, often offering advice based on their more advanced knowledge or experience. Mentor-mentee relationships can be built through networking, personal connections, or formal mentorship programs. A mentor is someone with which you can develop a long-term relationship that is centered around building the mentee’s growth and development.
With a grasp of who a mentor is, knowing the perks of being one is only necessary. Join me as we dive into some beneficial reasons to become a mentor.
Check out some benefits attached to becoming a mentor:
1. Being a mentor boosts interpersonal skills
2. Being a mentor strengthens your knowledge
3. Being a mentor expands your network
4. Being a mentor can help you receive recognition
5. Being a mentor establishes leadership skills
6. Being a mentor adds to your qualifications
7. Being a mentor allows you to learn more.
8. Being a mentor can build confidence
9. Being a mentor provides a sense of fulfillment
10. Being a mentor offers self-reflection opportunities
Let’s dive in further:
1. Being a mentor boosts interpersonal skills
Your interactions with a mentee offer numerous opportunities to practice and build interpersonal skills, such as communication, active listening, empathy, and patience. Communication is especially essential to mentorship, as you may meet regularly to discuss the mentee’s goals, ideas or concerns and provide instructions or advice. Beyond mentorship, having strong interpersonal skills can help you develop relationships and collaborate more effectively.
2. Being a mentor strengthens your knowledge
When working with a mentee, you share relevant knowledge gained through your career or experiences. You advise them or demonstrate how to perform specific tasks. For example, you may teach your mentee negotiation methods and then practice with them. While the purpose is to help the mentee grow professionally, sharing this knowledge reinforces it within yourself. You may teach them skills you no longer use regularly, so this practice can help you rebuild or strengthen them.
3. Being a mentor expands your network
You can introduce your mentee to contacts to help build their network. In return, they may have relevant or interesting connections to share with you. Networking can aid your career, as these connections can lead to professional and advancement opportunities. You also can join professional mentorship associations to meet fellow mentors.
4. Being a mentor can help you receive recognition
If your mentee finds significant success, it can demonstrate your value to others. Part of their success is due to your guidance, which can help your colleagues and peers recognize the skills and knowledge you offer. Other people may show interest in collaborating with you or asking for your mentorship. Beyond making you feel accomplished, this positive reputation or praise could also help lead you to more career opportunities.
5. Being a mentor establishes leadership skills
A mentor is a leadership position because you work directly with someone to guide them on professional development. Through your instruction, they hopefully gain useful skills or advance their career. Leadership skills are valuable for any profession or role, so this experience proves that you can manage others effectively toward specific goals. You can use this experience to help advance your career.
6. Being a mentor adds to your qualifications
Whatever level you are at in your career, you can include a mentorship experience to enhance your resume to differentiate yourself from other candidates. This experience demonstrates that you have valuable knowledge to share and can use it to guide others. Participating in mentorship opportunities can show that you value building relationships and helping others develop professionally.
7. Being a mentor allows you to learn more.
You teach and advise your mentee, but you can also learn something from them. If you and your mentee come from different backgrounds, they can teach you about things you have never experienced before. Even when you have more experience in the industry, the mentee may have insights into the latest trends or practices. For example, if your mentee is young and more technologically skilled, you can learn the latest software or trends from them.
8. Being a mentor can build confidence
When you help your mentee succeed, you can gain confidence in your skills and abilities. It demonstrates that you have qualities that support others’ improvement or development. This confidence can help boost your professional and personal worth.
9. Being a mentor provides a sense of fulfillment
Mentorship can offer a deep sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. Knowing that you made a positive impact on someone’s life or career can make you feel good and fulfilled. If you received mentorship early in your career, serving as one can offer an opportunity to pay it forward. And one day, you may serve as inspiration for your mentee to do the same for someone else.
10. Being a mentor offers self-reflection opportunities
Mentorship lets you think about and share your experiences. While assessing your positive and negative experiences, you may discover lessons that benefit both the mentee and yourself. Being a mentor may also remind you of what you enjoy about your profession, which can help you feel more engaged at work. Or, if you realize you are unhappy about some things, you can think about ways to improve the situation.
Are you still contemplating getting a Mentor to advance your personal or career development? Why are you waiting when you have several youths around desiring to have you as their mentor. Giving them mentoring
opportunity is a cool way to strengthen your network among other benefits.
According to Dametri Argyropoulos, “A mentor can elevate both your mind and your career in a way that cannot be taught in school, seminars, a boardroom, or on a business trip”. Mentorship is an invaluable part of career growth.
On the flip side, what is mentorship all about?
Mentorship is a mutually beneficial professional relationship in which an experienced individual (the mentor) imparts knowledge, expertise, and wisdom to a less experienced person (the mentee), while simultaneously honing their mentoring skills. An effective mentor can professionally guide the mentee while maintaining a friendly and supportive relationship. A mentor should always have the mentee’s best interests in mind and ensure their mentorship style meets the needs of the mentee. “Successful mentoring relationships happen when the mentor and mentee are the right matches,” Driscoll said.
Before you pick a mentor from countless options, here are 3 top considerations you need to look out for:
1. Make sure you define what you want out of your career and what you need to learn to get there.
2. Approach a mentor relationship as if it’s a business friendship – be casual, free, and friendly and try to ask weird questions like, “Will you be my mentor?”
3. Start with your professional network. Capitalize on people who are already providing advice in various ways. All you need is a little effort to grow that connection into an ongoing relationship.