Career advice: How to pick the right mentor

Having the right mentor can make all the difference to your career. Here’s how to pick the best and make the most of it.

Mentors are very powerful and we should all have a handful of them and be constantly looking for more.

Internal mentors do not have to be your direct boss or even in your department. They just need to be someone you admire and you have to like how they handle things.

External mentors are helpful to help guide you into a new role in the future. They might be a board member or just someone who has more experience and wisdom than you.

You might only speak to them once or twice a year but they can guide you with key career decisions or for advice on strategies.

Workplace expert Amanda Rose recommends having multiple mentors. Picture: Supplied

It’s good to have both male and female mentors as they have different perspectives on things and it is good to have a well-rounded mentor circle.

Mentors can be older or younger – anyone that has expertise in an area where you have a gap. I know a lot of people who have mentors that are younger because they are in an area they are not an expert in. It could be digital mentoring.

Be smart about it. Ask yourself: “Where is my gap and who can help me with this?”

Once you identify a good mentor, approach them and ask. They are usually more than willing.

Make it as easy as possible for someone to mentor you. It could just be over text message or phone call or coffee but aim to have at least one face-to-face a year. With Zoom, you can have mentors all around the world and Australia, so that helps.

Mentors can be older or younger, more senior or more junior. Picture: iStock

Always come with specific questions – don’t waste their time, they are busy. They do not do things for you but they help you do things for yourself.

I have two or three mentors but I only contact them when I am in need of some advice and it’s literally a five-minute conversation.

All my mentors are experts in areas I am not.

They come and go.

Men mentor each other naturally, but it’s important that women do it more. Women often feel that they can’t ask for help but they should.

Amanda Rose is a business consultant, workplace trainer, LinkedIn influencer and founder of six organisations – and now she is tackling your career questions for SMART Daily every Monday.

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