Mentees to Mentors
You most likely have a mentor or two that you can turn to for advice at this point in your career. More importantly, are there others that are turning to YOU to serve as their mentor? There’s no such thing as being too young or too junior to mentor someone else. There’s a lot more wisdom in you than you realize and so it’s important to develop mentoring experience sooner than later. The younger people at your firm probably feel nervous and shy about developing a mentorship with someone who is 20-30 years older than them or 2-3 levels senior to them. They will gladly jump at the opportunity to learn from someone who is closer to them in age and experience level.
Here are our tips for getting started:
See if your university offers formal mentorship programs.
Easiest way to connect to someone is to leverage your alma mater network. Try reaching out to the point of contact for alumni relations or posting a message to your school’s alumni Facebook page.
Reach out to new hires in your department.
Your mentee does not have to be younger than you in age but ideally they should be equal or junior to you in terms of rank/title. As someone who is experienced at the firm, you have a lot of knowledge and insight to offer a new hire so be sure to welcome them early on and let them know you can help them navigate the firm. Let the mentor/mentee relationship form organically after you’ve gotten to know them for a while to see if there’s compatibility.
Volunteer to help with internship recruitment
You’ll be able to meet young college students who will need all the advice and expertise they can get and coach them through their internships. It’s a great way to take initiative and show your leadership skills to senior management, human resources, and members of your team. Bonus: There’s usually fun perks like happy hours and team outings if you help with the program.
Leverage your personal network.
Offer to help younger family members, friends of your siblings, or neighbors with their career questions. While you may not have roles in the same company or industry, you can still help them develop soft skills, navigate office relationships, and come up with a strategy for excelling in their role. Don’t underestimate the power of serving as a sounding board.
They say the best way to see how much you know is by teaching someone else. The same applies to mentorship. It allows you to start developing strong listening, problem solving, and managerial skills that will serve you well when you end up leading a team in the future! The time and advice generously given to you by your mentor should be paid forward by mentoring the next wave of young people who have followed behind you.
If you are seeking a mentor or mentee, leave a comment below or feel free to email us. We hope we can serve as match makers for you!
