You’ve done the hard part. But once you have a mentor who’s willing to spend an hour with you, how do you make the most of your limited time together?
You finally landed a mentor, and now it’s time to meet for coffee for the first time. What do you say? How is this supposed to go? Here are five tips for navigating your meeting:
Identify Three Recent Accomplishments
The reason why your mentor wants to mentor you is because, well, they’re impressed. A mentee’s performance is a reflection of the mentor, so you should let your mentor know how well you’re doing when you meet with them. Instead of diving right into the challenges at work that you need help with, make sure to highlight some of your recent achievements since you spoke to each other last. Of course, these can be little victories like completing a project, having an important conversation with your boss, or even fitting in a pilates class during the workweek. The reason why we need our mentors is to help us get through the hard stuff, but it’s important to also share what’s working well to keep your mentor excited about working with you.
Pinpoint Your Biggest Challenge
Before meeting with your mentor, ask yourself what your biggest challenge is at the moment. When your mentor asks you, “How can I help?” it’s easy to have a brain freeze if you haven’t thought it through beforehand. There are probably a handful of challenges you can use your mentor’s help on, but sitting down ahead of time to identify the most important challenge will make it easier for you to focus the meeting.
Clarify Your Ask
Now that you’ve identified your biggest challenge, how exactly can your mentor help with it? Let’s say you’ve been feeling really disconnected from your job. Are you going to ask your mentor how to find a new job or how to reignite your passion in your current role? Those are two very different ways to handle the challenge you’re experiencing, so try to think through not only what your mentor can help you with, but how your mentor can help you.
Brainstorm a Few Ways Your Mentor Can Help
Your mentor may suggest ways they can help you in your meeting that hadn’t occurred to you, but it’s still helpful to do a little research ahead of time. Let’s say you’re hoping to land a job at your dream company, and you’d love your mentor to help you get in the door. Take a moment to scroll through your mentor’s LinkedIn connections to see if he or she is connected to anyone at the company. Your mentor may not realize that her college friend now works at your dream company, but now that you did your homework you won’t miss out on the opportunity.
End By Asking Your Mentor How You Can Help Her
Mentorship is absolutely a two-way street, so it’s important to remember to ask your mentor how you can help her as well. Ask open-ended questions such as: What projects are you currently working on? Are there any challenges you’re experiencing? Is there anything I can do to help you? Your mentor will really appreciate the effort you put into making this relationship mutually beneficial.
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At the end of the day, mentors are busy professionals, and it can be difficult to maximize the opportunity to meet with them. By preparing ahead of time, you can ensure the conversation goes in the direction you want it to and receive as much guidance as you need.
How do you maximize your time with your mentor?
How do you maximize your time with your mentor?
