This is part two of a series of articles in which Cassie will share tips on how students and young professionals can develop the skills needed to succeed in the workplace.
According to Encarta Dictionary, by definition, a mentor is an experienced adviser and supporter, someone usually older and more experienced who advises and guides a younger, less experienced person; a mentor is also a trainer—but I must partially disagree, respectfully.
In her December 2012 T+D article, “Preparing Today’s Youths for Tomorrow’s Workplace,“ Ann Pace wrote, “Collaboration between business and higher education is essential to effective talent development that also targets current workforce needs.” I propose that as the article strongly implies, the younger generation has something to offer the seasoned veterans of the workplace.
Last weekend I volunteered my Saturday to be an alumni advocate for a project that I chaired while I was still in school. While there, I started talking to the man serving as the security guard on duty. He expressed a need to learn typing skills and a few other various computer-based and communication skills that would have been taught some time after he probably graduated from high school. I offered to help him in exchange for bass fishing lessons. Then it dawned on me: We were going to mentor each other—offer our expertise in some skill that we possess free of charge. Indeed, anyone that has something to offer (advice, training in a skill, or otherwise) can be a mentor if they choose to be.
I realize that mentorship can be approached from two perspectives: the mentor or the mentee. For this post, I’m going to assume that the mentee is a student, and the mentor is a business professional. Don’t worry, I have something for both.
First, to the student (or mentee): How does someone find people that are willing to mentor them? After deciding what they want to learn or be mentored in, they have to, as a friend of mine says, put on their big girl pants, and ask for help.
Representatives of companies that come to speak at colleges and universities—especially at extracurricular events—are a great place to start. If they’re speaking at an event for a group that the person is a member of, they obviously share similar interests and have some kind of expertise in that field. This means that the really hard part of finding like-minded people is done! At that point all that’s left for the mentees to do is to get up, take the few steps, and in front of peers (gasp!) admit that there’s a skill gap and that they need a mentor. It might be surprising, but I have never had a single person tell me “no” when I asked them for the opportunity to network and pick their brain on their topic of expertise.
The more obvious choice is to connect with professors while still in school. I have had the privilege to work with her on several projects through my education, extracurricular activities, and even post-graduation work. Professors are natural mentors; and even if they do not have time to mentor personally, they will often direct the mentee in question to a person who would be more appropriate. Professors do care about their students, regardless of how they grade exams or projects, and they only want to see their students succeed.
I still consider one of my old professors, Gail, to be one of my greatest mentors. She’s helping me when she doesn’t even know it—I am actually writing this blog as a result of asking permission to share Ann Pace’s article with her class.
I remember sitting in her professional branding class not so terribly long ago, and sweating because I had to do a mock team interview (double gasp!). In this case, as in so many others, I overcame nerves, and took the opportunity to connect with a woman who was a member of HR for the company I now work for. As an added bonus, I was asked to come back the following year and be an interviewer for the very same class assignment. So, just about anyone a student comes into contact with in school is willing to guide them, and possibly even take them under wing as a mentee. Most are just waiting to be asked.
Now, for professionals in the working world (or mentor): We all know that networking is incredibly important to our careers. And I’m sure everyone has those one or two people that they have consistently relied on for advice – I know I do! I think it’s as important now as ever, to remember we were once those transitioning students that were unsure of what their future held. We need to make the offer to mentor those kids.
We never know who we might meet at an event hosted by a community organization or at a college or university. Take every opportunity to go out and meet the next generation of workers – and find out what they’re made of. I think it’s so important to evaluate the way students behave in an educational setting, and also to start measuring the gaps between where they’re at now and where we need them to be when they’re our employees and peers. Mentoring a young person is a great way to start filling in those gaps.
I will be the first to admit that I am a young professional – key word being “young.” Fortunately, my position as corporate trainer and my volunteer work give me the privilege of wearing a mentor hat. That being said, any other person can be a mentor in their workplace or community. Becoming a mentor is as simple as finding a skill gap and offering to help, then sticking with it. Whether the person being mentored is older or younger makes no difference.
