Whether you are looking to further your career or start your own business, it is difficult to succeed with only your own experience to guide you. Without someone to show you the ropes, you might find yourself wasting valuable time and resources on a trial-and-error approach. That is why a seasoned mentor is so important in reaching your goals. Finding the right mentor can be a bit of a challenge, but you can narrow down the search by understanding exactly what qualities to seek. You should also take some time to learn a few techniques for getting the most out of your mentor-mentee relationship.
Know How Your Mentor Can Help You Succeed
Reflect on the specific goals you need to achieve to find success in your professional endeavors, and then seek a potential mentor who has reached those very same goals. By doing so, you will have a guiding hand to direct you away from disastrous mistakes and toward the best choices.
Work With a Mentor to Update Your Resume
As one example, your mentor can provide insight when you are updating your resume. It is important to keep your resume up-to-date, and an experienced professional can help make sure you provide the necessary information in a format that matches industry standards. A free resume builder makes it easy to create a visually appealing and professionally formatted resume. This tool provides a number of premade templates that you can customize with images, colors, and various fonts as you see fit.
Someone Who Can Guide You Financially
Business and finance go hand-in-hand, but managing the two sometimes requires completely different skill sets. If maintaining good financial health is something with which you struggle, then seek a mentor who can advise you in this area. The right mentor will be able to pinpoint issues with your business finance, personal finance, or both. Debt management, investing, and business cash flow are just a few of the skills that can drastically improve your financial future.
Tap Into Available Resources for Finding a Mentor
Once you know what to look for in a mentor, you can begin your search in earnest. Business experts explain that when finding a mentor, the first place to look is within your own network. Supervisors, university contacts, and entrepreneurs among your friends and family are all options that might be immediately available to you.
If you decide that you must reach out beyond your circle of acquaintances, consider speaking to a local business owner that operates in the same field or industry as you. There are also online business coaching programs that might benefit you, but be sure to review credible testimonials before committing to a course.
Learn How to Have a Productive Relationship With Your Mentor
The success of a mentoring relationship depends on effective communication. The best mentor cannot help you if you do not provide feedback and communicate your successes or failures. Being a good mentee is also about being open to trying new things. Your mentor might feel as if they are wasting their time if you resist their advice and stubbornly cling to your own way of doing things.
Mentorships can be a force that boosts your professional trajectory to an extent you might not expect. However, your mentor can only give you as much as you are willing to put in. Having an effective mentor requires an effort in setting goals, finding the right person, and building a strong interpersonal relationship.
A quick editor’s note: If you’re applying to school or looking at post-military careers, check out Service to School and Sitreps to Steercos for free, virtual mentorship options as you transition out of the military.
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Thanks to Angelo Saris for the guest-author content!
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