STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

jacks435 · Kenneth Cole

finding a mentor?

littlebean · Kate Spade

Does your university offer any alumni mentor matching opportunities? Many universities do this, so you may want to browse the alumni section of the university webpage or just give the alumni office a call.

mikacat · Coach

You can ask someone you respect in your company or in your field to be your mentor. Or if you don't know of someone you want, you can ask HR or your boss if they have a mentor program or if they could recommend someone to be your mentor.

You can join some networking groups or Toastmasters to meet more people in your field to try and find a mentor. I have two. It can be really helpful with your career and for advice, to introduce you to people, to get you on special projects or just be an advocate for you.

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

Look for someone active in professional association(s) that are related to your field. Start locally. If you can't find anyone in your region or a regional chapter, you might have to go national. Even if you have to do eMentoring, it's better than nothing.

A good way to find a list of professional associations for your occupation/field is to look up your occupation/field in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. At the very bottom of the files (occupation files), they usually list professional associations and certifying agencies (if appropriate).

jacks435 · Kenneth Cole

PollyJean, what is eMentoring? Do you mean finding someone online, or is there a specific program with that name?

Thanks for all the great advice, girls!

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

eMentoring means developing a mentor relationship by communicating in ways other than in-person meetings. It could include email, IM, phone, webcam-based meetings, SecondLife, etc. People use it or offer it for many different reasons.

Of course, it would be nice to sit down over coffee and discuss the ways of the professional world with someone who knows more than you, but that's not always possible or appropriate.

eMentoring works well for alumni who might be spread all over the country and cannot meet in-person with current students.

Sometimes schools do not want to encourage in-person mentoring because of all the liability that goes along with it. So they set up eMentoring style mentor programs.

For those NOT in school, eMentoring might be necessary if there are few-to-none professionals in your region- -so a professional association might offer eMentoring options.

For example: If I were to choose anyone to mentor me in my career, it would be a man who is like a total guru in my field. I live in NC; he lives in Ohio. Obviously, eMentoring would be the way to go.

eMentoring can be part of a systematic program established through a school, company, or professional organization; or it can be just something set up casually by two or more people. Some use the specific name, "eMentor Program;" some just use the term in a generic sense.

-- Edited by pollyjean23 at 16:44, 2007-04-11

Suasoria · Chanel

I have to say I'd be amused if a young person I didn't know asked me to be her mentor. It's like "will you be my mommy?" I think these are relationships that happen organically.

I assume someone within your company would be out of the question? If you're looking for someone who knows you well, and can't think of anyone who already fits that description, then you'll have to build a relationship. Professional associations would be an ideal place to start, or a trade union if you have one.

You may want to look into professional networking sites like LinkedIn.com and build a network. I'm a member of a couple of Yahoo groups for professionals in my field, which has exposed me to a lot of great people. We all get/give advice and support each other.

You could also try to set up "informational interviews" with senior people in your field - just like a job interview but there's no job on the table. It's for meeting people, polishing your skills, getting feedback, learning about other companies. Not everyone has time for this sort of exercise though - I'm somewhat open to it as long as it's not during a busy time of the year.

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

Yes. It should be noted that the more experienced person should express wanting to be a mentor in some fashion--whether through signing up to be one as part of a structured program, naturally developing a mentoring relationship, or whatever. Some people may not want to be one. Just asking questions of someone who has more experience can usually give you what you need without even having to express the "M-word."

jacks435 · Kenneth Cole

Suasoria, I definitely don't plan on just approaching some virtual stranger and asking him/her to be my mentor. I agree that such relationships need to be developed and cultivated over time -- that's why I said "someone who knows me well" in my original post.

Anyway, I've been doing informational interviews within my company and they're very helpful, but they tend to be one-time meetings with very busy higher-ups. I think I need to find someone closer to my level who has a bit more free time. I like the idea of using Linked In, and I think I need to try attending more networking events/happy hours for professionals in my field so I can broaden my network a bit. And I like this eMentoring idea... I'll have to investigate that some more.

Thanks for the advice, all! I really appreciate it.

cinderella4282 · BCBG

Networking events are usually very helpful for this. I was at one last night where I ran into a former college professor, a current teacher and a girl my age who is working to establish a Young Marketing Professionals group near me.

Depending on what field you are in you can always try to take some Continuing Education courses. I am currently in a program that is entirely taught by working professionals for working professionals. That will let you meet people with similar interests as well.