Why You Need a Mentor In Your Circle
There are many factors when it comes to success in your career. One of those factors is having a strong network of support around you. And one of the most important pillars of that network is a mentor. Why do you need a mentor? Read on to dive into some of the reasons that having a mentor can give you a significant boost when it comes to pursuing your career goals and achieving growth.
A Mentor Teaches You
One of the many ways a mentor can serve you is as a source of knowledge in your career. They know a lot about a particular area or professional niche that you don’t. And mentors can offer insight beyond that found in textbooks or how-to books. In school or postgrad, you will want to soak up all the information that you can, which means reading up on subjects related to your field of interest. But nothing you read will be quite the same as gaining experiential insights from someone who knows you and feels invested in your success. And your mentor should be someone who has achieved a certain level of success in their area in order to help you reach the next level for yourself. They can give you personalized advice and assessments much in the way that an advisor might have while you were in school.
A Mentor Encourages You
If you've lived on this planet for any considerable amount of time, you know that failure is an unavoidable aspect of life. With that being said, facing failure over and over, especially on your own, can be really discouraging. Without someone to brainstorm with or even just vent to, you can easily find yourself wanting to give up.
Your mentor is often someone older or more experienced who has gone through the highs and lows of pursuing the career track or building the type of business that you are. They can offer perspective and build you up when you’re feeling like you might never get over the hump!
A Mentor Can Offer Networking Opportunities
When thinking about someone who will actually pitch you in rooms, you might want to consider seeking out a sponsor. But a mentor can still use their connections to aid you. A mentor has been in the business for a minute and should have a large network already built up. This means that they will likely never be at a loss for people to introduce you to.
Your mentor could connect you to someone who knows a lot about a specific niche you’re tackling, or a peer at the same stage as you who could end up being a great partner to take your career journey with. The possibilities are endless once your relationship with your mentor begins to solidify based on the trust and confidence that you have in one another.
These are just a few of the reasons that you should consider finding a mentor to add to your network. Be sure to find someone that you can have a real conversation with; the last thing you want is to feel so intimidated by your mentor that you can’t communicate effectively with them. Once you achieve this important step, you’ll be well on your way to leveling up in your career journey!
Are you interested in a program based on mentorship and group growth in your career? Enroll in the Career Maven Academy today and join a community of women working to level up in their career journey.