NOTES FROM AN EX-MENTEE (ALSO A LIFELONG LEARNER)
“Mentorship is the bridge that turns potential into performance.”
As we near the end of an intensive degree and many of us are already in job-search mode, it’s crucial to seek and embrace all the support we can get. Being a lifelong early bird, I joined Psychology At Work’s 2023/24 ‘Emerging Occ Psychs’ mentoring cohort, hoping to gain the clarity and direction I needed to map out my career.
Now, as my partnership with my mentor concludes, I realise that this was a strategic and pivotal move that I made—one that provided me a clear path forward to define my career goals and next steps.
A mentor is an experienced and trusted advisor who provides guidance and support, often to a less experienced individual, commonly known as a mentee. This relationship isn’t a one-way lecture; rather, it’s a dynamic, two-way exchange of ideas, feedback, and learning. This interaction ultimately helps identify strengths, areas for improvement, and sets the foundation for creating and achieving goals. There are various mentoring models, such as the GROW model or the FUEL model, but the expectations and initial discussions between mentor and mentee usually set the tone for how the sessions are conducted. Each mentor-mentee relationship is unique, has a different process and can lead to different outcomes. I’d like to briefly share my own experience being a mentee:
As a member of the 2023/24 cohort, I was paired with an experienced Learning and Development (L&D) professional, which aligned with my career goals. However, at the time, I was open to speaking with just about anyone in any field, as my main goal was simply to get started. Our first session focussed on understanding each other’s expectations and past experiences. This was the most crucial stage in the process because it helped me develop a sense of trust and confidence in my mentor. I felt at ease and could openly, without fear of judgement, share my concerns and fears related to my career and professional development. Over the next eight sessions, we discussed my strengths as well as potential areas where I could stand out, based on my skills and interests. We then delved into the different avenues I could explore to shape my career strategy. Since L&D is a broad field and my skills ranged from customer service to research and consultancy, my mentor encouraged me to consider areas that slightly diverged from my profile but would still be a good fit, such as internal communications and sales. Through these sessions, I gained the clarity I needed. I knew where I stood, and what I needed to do next to move forward. As important as this strategic process was, what I valued most was the emotional support I received throughout the sessions. My mentor consistently provided me with mini-tasks to challenge my self-defeating assumptions and help me break through mental barriers. This approach not only made me more accountable for my career goals but also encouraged me to prioritise my mental health throughout the journey.
In sharing my experience, I want to highlight why these sessions had such a significant impact on me and ultimately proved to be a success. While the mentor, who is a subject matter expert or industry professional, is highly trained and skilled at guiding and coaching their mentee, the success of the collaboration also depends on the mentee’s preparedness to fully leverage these sessions. Here’s four steps for how I ensured that all eight sessions brought me closer to achieving my career goals.
Step 1: Know Your Mentor
As soon as I was informed of who my mentor would be, I immediately visited their LinkedIn profile to learn more about the person I would be engaging with. This is also a crucial tip for job searching: it’s important to fully understand the breadth and depth of experience and knowledge of the person you’ll be speaking with. By doing this, you can ask targeted questions during your initial discussion, based on what you’ve learned from their profile. This approach not only aids in building rapport but also opens up avenues for interesting conversations about your mentor’s own journey—elements of which might inspire your own.
Here are some questions you can ask; remember, the more in-depth your questions, the more you’ll gain from the conversation. This approach might even open up potential work opportunities for you.
- “I noticed from your LinkedIn profile that you used to work in ____. That really caught my interest, as I never knew a role like that existed. Could you tell me more about it and how you got into it?”
- “It’s truly inspiring how you advanced from position X to position Y within your company. What approaches worked and did not work out for you during your journey?”
- “In your ‘About Me’ section on LinkedIn, I saw that you are part of a community for ____. I’m really interested in hearing about this group and whether they’re on the lookout for a volunteer/intern?”
Step 2: Be Open and Honest
While you’re not obliged to share anything you’re not comfortable with, it’s important to remember that this is a safe and collaborative space. Your mentor is there to help you, and to do that effectively, you need to be transparent. Share your current situation, challenges, aspirations, and any obstacles you’re facing. If you find yourself at a loss for words or struggling to articulate your thoughts, consider asking your mentor the following questions to guide the conversation and signal that you need a bit of assistance.
- “There are some thoughts in my head and I’m not sure how best to phrase them.”
- “If you could ask me some questions that would help me share my career ideas, that would make this much easier.”
Step 3: Do Your Homework
We have a lot on plates, agreed! There’s the constant juggling of personal lives with job-hunting. We have to think about our relationships, our commitments, our health and well-being as much as we do have to be on our laptops, scouring the internet for opportunities. It might be a good idea, therefore, to use the mentoring sessions as a sort of planner to prioritise your time. If your mentor gives you homework, in the form of small tasks and goals to achieve, those probably would help optimise your time, and that’s why it’s always important to follow through on them (e.g., my mentor asked me to reach out to 5 LinkedIn associations in the L&D space each week with a tailored message). I prioritised this task over all the other million aimless things I’d be doing, and as expected, was able to have insightful conversations with industry experts that helped me tap into new opportunities in the field—avenues I wouldn’t have explored before. To set yourself up for success, I also recommend coming up with some ideas of your own.
- “What can I focus on for this month based on my current career goals?”
- “How do you recommend breaking down this task into manageable steps?”
- “What are some best practices for writing personalised messages to potential industry contacts?”
Step 4: Own Your Sessions
Your mentor is there to guide and support you, but the journey of job-hunting is yours alone, and its accountability is yours to shoulder. It’s easy to become passive and dependent on someone more experienced to pave your way forward—it’s social psychology! However, the most productive and ultimately successful mentor-mentee relationships are those where the mentee takes the reins and actively collaborates to achieve goals and maintain progress. Try these out and own your sessions: Schedule your sessions by being the one to reach out first (unless session dates are pre-set). Reach out to update your mentor and share your progress and difficulties so that they are prepared to discuss them in the next session. Adjust your sessions and goals to best fit your needs; after all, this is for you.
- “Would you prefer I reach out a few days before our sessions to confirm the agenda?”
- “Since our last session, I’ve made some progress on _________. Here’s some challenges I’m facing, though. Could we discuss this in our next meeting?”
- “I’d appreciate your feedback on how you think I’m progressing, and any improvements you would suggest?”
Finally, and I’m sure we’re all good at this, but be sure to show your appreciation and gratitude for your mentor’s time and investment in your professional development.
Occasionally, to express your gratitiude, write them a thank you message:
“Thank you so much for your time and efforts. Your advice and encouragement have made a significant difference in my approach to job-hunting.”
“I appreciate all your help and advice on ___________. It’s been very useful.”
Signing up for mentoring is a wise step that shows your dedication to improving yourself, focussing on your goals, and striving to achieve them. The Emerging Occ Psychs initiative can further support this journey by offering events and mentoring to recent graduates of MSc programmes in occupational psychology and related disciplines. It opens applications for mentees each October and operates on a first come first served basis. You can learn more about the initiative HERE, and follow the PAW LinkedIn account HERE.
All the best on your career journey! Onwards & upwards 😀
Psychology at Work 