Mentoring is a one-to-one relationship between a mentor (more experienced or senior person) and a mentee (newbie or a less experienced person). Such relation proves to be really beneficial for the mentee’s career development as he is constantly guided by his mentor.
Here are some of the benefits of mentoring in career development of the mentee:
- Gaining Expertise
You can gain a lot by learning from mentor’s expertise. You can develop some skills that are relevant to your field and which might be helpful to you in your career ahead. You can also consider your mentor as your role model and get inspired by his success.
- Feedback
By providing critical feedback in major areas like interpersonal skills, communication, technical knowledge, leadership skills, and social relationships, a mentor can bring drastic change in mentee’s career.
- Professional growth
Knowing what professional skills are required for advancement in career is one of the major benefits that you receive. You can then focus on the skills that you are lacking, develop them over time and enhance your career.
- Personal growth
If your mentor is a close friend or colleague, it will give you an added advantage as he may also guide you in your personal and social life. It is really important to maintain a balance between professional and personal life and a mentor will help you do that.
- Networking
A mentor may have more professional and social contacts and he may help you establish some, which will surely benefit your career. He might know some of the influential people in your organization and may introduce them to you.
- Be a cultural fit
A mentor can give you a better idea about the culture of your organization. You may also come to know about some of the unspoken and implied rules of the organization which may be important to be successful. Thus, you can quickly adapt your organizational culture, with a mentor on your side.
- Sharing
You also have a friendly ear in form of a mentor, with whom you can share all the frustrations and issues regarding the organization. He may provide you some solutions to the issue, however be ready to listen to his frustrations too. You may also share your organizational success along with all the frustrations.
Today’s fast-paced workplace requires employees who can learn, unlearn and relearn things at faster pace. Mentoring can be one of the ways to facilitate learning and embracing new ideas. It can provide a key to career success and enhanced performance. Pick your mentor today.