by Kelly Prentice
When Yang Xiao graduated and took a job at Applied Biosystems, he was overwhelmed by opportunities. Since he had the perfect combination of skills and ambition, people at all levels of the company sought him out for projects—perhaps too often. It wasn’t long before Xiao was running on empty.
Once he found a mentor, a top executive at the company, however, Xiao was able to make realistic commitments.
“Yang’s mentor helps him make decisions,” says Dana Pulliam, university relations manager at Applied Biosystems. “He’s kind of his reality check, offering him good advice and helping him make realistic decisions so he doesn’t overexert himself.”
Today, Xiao is a successful employee who has found balance between his personal and professional life.
Mentors—whether a boss, an alumni of your school, a professor, or a co-worker—are invaluable contacts who can help you expand on current strengths and develop skills to be successful in the world of work.
Why Do I Need a Mentor Now?
“I tell students a mentor is probably the most valuable resource you will have in your lifetime, because you gain so much from them personally and professionally,” says Manuel Perez, director of the career development center at California State University, Long Beach. “You can be the smartest person in the world, but you can’t get all the information from reading books. Sometimes you need someone to talk to.”
A mentor shouldn’t tell you what to do, but offer you guidance, Perez says. For example, students have come to Perez with three job offers, confused about which one to accept. He walks them through each position to see what benefits each one will bring.
“Sometimes you’re a coach. You want them to make the right play, but hopefully you coached them so they can make the right decision for themselves.”
Mentors can also serve as a source of job opportunities. They may see openings and call you to pass it along.
“As you build your network, your mentor may know someone in an organization, and sometimes it’s just those connections that lead to a job,” Perez says.
It’s worked for Perez, who remembers his first mentor clearly.
“As soon as we met, there was something I liked about him and we hit it off. I loved the way he got along with people. It was the way this man carried himself. He could even relate to those he disagreed with, and it helped me develop those skills.”
How can I find one?
Although mentors come in many different forms, most agree a mentor relationship starts with admiration of a person for certain qualities.
“Your mentor should be someone you feel comfortable with, someone you have chemistry with,” Pulliam says. She suggests looking for several qualities in a mentor:
• Open and approachable
• Genuinely interested in what’s happening with you
• Business savvy and knowledge of your field
The ideal place to start looking for a mentor is the career services office at your college, where networks with alumni and professional associations are available.
“Our office is not just about the job search,” Perez says. “We’re also about helping students to develop as a person.”
Another good idea is to talk with a faculty member that you trust or admire, remembering that they aren’t just there for academic needs. And a mentor does not necessarily need to be in your field, according to Perez. A diverse group of mentors enriches the opinions you’ll get.
“They have a way of looking at it through a different set of lenses,” he says, “which can be very helpful. I would encourage people to have multiple mentors, in their field and outside their field of interest. You’ll start to know who to go to for what question.”
Getting in touch with alumni is another ideal way to network—they share experiences about the working world and tell you things they wish they had known as students.
How Do I Reach Alumni?
To connect students with alumni, Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT) Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services took the initiative to join with the Alumni Board of Directors and start the Career Mentor Program. To take part, students make a commitment to talk with their mentor at least one or two hours per month for six months.
“We try to make one-on-one connections,” says Michelle Magee, assistant director for alumni relations in the Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services. “At RIT, we tend to be very career-focused. I think it’s important to have someone who’s been there, who’s gone through the RIT experience. It’s comforting.”
Once students are matched with a mentor, the RIT Career Mentor Program becomes more self-directed, though the office does offer suggestions for mentors and students:
- Talk about trends in the field
- Read/discuss a book in your field
- Shadow your mentor for a day on the job
- Practice your interviewing skills
- Work on documents such as a resume and cover letter
- Discuss how to approach salary negotiations
- Talk about balance between your personal and professional life
- Attend a networking event together
For some students, the Career Mentor Program is the first opportunity they have to network.
“At RIT, a lot of students are highly technical and love to be at the computer,” Magee says. “Talking with someone can be very difficult, but it is so important to find ways to come out of your shell. If you’re not good at networking, college is the time to start.”
Each year, the RIT Leadership Institute hosts the “Connectology Conference,” a two-day event with breakout sessions that help students from area colleges step outside of their comfort zone and meet new people.
Too Busy For Me?
As you begin networking, remember that your mentor might be too busy to meet with you face-to-face. But there are plenty of other ways to communicate—by phone or e-mail.
“It’s very indicative of the way our world is,” Magee says. “If someone is too busy, take what you can get when you can be around them.”
Perhaps it’s just a meeting or lunch where you can observe or listen to the person. Absorb what you can, not putting the onus on them to be there when you’re available.
“If someone gives you a referral, keep them posted on what happened,” Magee says. “Show them you value their time by sending them a thank-you note. People don’t always get back to you right away, but remember, they are doing you a favor.”
Returning the Favor
Perhaps one day, like Perez, Pulliam, and Magee, you will be able to return the favor by becoming a mentor yourself.
“When people say, ‘Thank you, I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you,’ it’s rewarding beyond belief,” Perez says.
“If I had one day to live and had to thank everybody, those are the people who I would call,” Magee says. “I think some mentors view mentoring as a way to give back to their profession; to give back to the generation that follows. All the way around, it’s a winning opportunity.”