Ask a Mentor: Would I Benefit From a Mentor?

Written by Sandra Kleinsasser.

I keep hearing about the mentors group. I don’t want to change jobs, so what’s in it for me?

Make Friends
Finding a mentor is SO MUCH MORE than job searching, which is completely opposite of what a mentor should do for you.

Mentors are there for you to learn from, have a shoulder to lean on, help you reach the next level in your career or perhaps give you tips/tricks as you re-enter the job force.  Consider your mentor your fairy godmother, shaman, energy giver, and really good friend.
– Andrea Schulle

Learn
Would you like to ask advice about a situation at work and don’t want to talk to a co-worker? A mentor can help. Mentors provide a relationship for personal development. A person with more experience helps guide someone with less experience. Age difference is not important, it is the area of expertise that you seek.
– Barbara Springer

Grow
Mentorship is about personal and professional growth. Mentors can give you feedback if you have questions no one else in your company can answer, and they can help you come up with ideas or a plan to make yourself a better employee. Our employers depend on us to bring our best to the job, and a mentor can help ensure that is what you are doing.
– Cara Lyons

Daydream
You may not want a new job, but you undoubtedly would like new skills, easier relationships at work, or more clarity
about your career path. These goals tend to be rather universal whether we’re job hunting or not.

For me, mentorship (on both sides) is a great way to test out new ideas, talk through tough situations, and daydream about the future with a trusted friend who understands your industry.
– Jenny L. Magic

Solve Problems
Mentors can help in so many ways! Mine help me with any number of work-related problems I’m trying to solve, including courses I might want to take ( keeping up with the latest trends, etc., in social media).

Mentors have helped me find vendors (videographers, designers, etc.) and helped me recruit staff.
– Margaret Barry

Re-think
You may not want to change jobs, but you also don’t want to let your skills or your attitude get stale on the job. You want to stay current, feel like the fresh and confident presence in the office, keep abreast of trends, be aware of what’s happening in other firms and become valued as the go-to resource.

Mentoring gives you an opportunity to reflect on what you can be doing better. Meeting with a mentor can help you think in new ways, learn new things, strategize next steps, resolve current challenges, and bring your A-game every day.
– Karen Aroian

Win-Win!
Either being a mentor or having a mentor for a short time can provide you with some wonderful benefits, regardless of whether or not you are looking for a new job. The mentoring relationships I have had through WCA, whether formal (through the mentoring program) or informal through networking, have enabled me to connect professionally with brilliant women of various occupations and at various points in their careers.

Often I learn from someone who is much younger than I am and possesses invaluable career savvy. The people who choose to mentor have a giving attitude and are often the busiest, most successful women.

It’s a real gift to be able to share my time as a mentor and also to be mentored by those who are willing to share theirs. This is absolutely a WIN-WIN situation and is one of the great benefits of WCA membership.

What are you waiting for?
– Jan Gunter

You can learn more about WCA’s mentorship program and meet some of our mentors at the June 17 WCA luncheon. See you there!