red line Career Advice red line


July 13, 2018  

(If you haven’t read the earlier feeds on this subject please go to our website [here]).  Mentoring is something that should be built up. Don’t expect finding somebody agreeing to becoming your mentor and then, spending three hours together in your first meeting. This is something that develops over time.

They’re investing time in you and they want to find out if they are dealing with someone who will create a positive return on their investment of time. So, start off slow, pointed, focused.  Prepare questions based on what it is that you’re trying to ascertain from them. Maybe it’s ‘what is the day in the life of their current work’ or itemizing a few hypothetical challenges and ask how they would handle them. Or ask how you would spend educational dollars to get better at something in the work force. Are there any programs they might recommend? And before you hang up the phone with them, or end the coffee meeting, make sure you ask them if it would be okay to speak with them again in the future.

Put in your calendar a reminder to response to them with feedback from their advice. If they had given you input as to how to deal with a particular situation, be sure to respond to them after the event that was in question occurs, on what actually happened. They’re going to feel that their input actually created some results and they will appreciate knowing the results and they’ll probably be more likely to give you help again in the future.

The Clip