Steps to Approaching Mentorship
I first stepped foot on UMich’s campus as a college student in late August of this year. As I was moving into the college dorm, I was greeted by my peer mentor from my MLC. Since then, I’ve talked to many people for advice on how to navigate college and I often hear “finding a good mentor” is important, but how?
In this blog, I will take you through some things I learned about mentorship using the 5W and 1H frameworks.
What is mentorship?
Mentorship is usually focused on professional development that also fosters personal development by learning from someone who has expertise in a particular field.
Why should I engage in mentorship?
According to Radical Candor, as a mentee, being in a mentorship can help you have a kickstart in your professional development. Mentors can help you set SMART goals and hold you accountable for achieving them. They can also help you develop soft skills important for career success such as self-awareness, adaptability, teamwork, collaboration, and verbal communication. During the process, you can build confidence, leadership skills, and problem-solving abilities. Being in mentorship groups helps expand your network, and leads to greater opportunities.
Mentorship is an awesome opportunity to reflect upon yourself and find a purpose to work toward.
When is the best time to be in a mentorship?
Anytime! It is never too late to find a mentor. According to Forbes, “mentorship can be beneficial at any point in your journey”.
Where should I start? And who should I ask to be my mentor?
There are many opportunities in college to find mentors, including the GEECS mentorship program. Here are some other places you could find a mentor:
Alumni
Internships
Clubs
Fraternities and Social Groups
Informal Mentors, people who you can grab a coffee with and chat for 20 minutes
According to NPR authors Anjuli Sastry Krbechek and Andee Tagle, as you transition to the workspace, you can also find mentors using these tips:
Know your goals
Ask yourself who you look up to
Do the research
Be cognizant of your existing network, and
Recognize the difference between a mentor and a sponsor
How do I engage in successful mentorship?
It is important to note that as a mentee, you are the one who needs to take the initiative. Make sure you schedule the meetings with your mentor and respect their time by being prepared and showing up on time. Asking questions, for example, is a great way to be engaged. Here are 33 questions Chronus suggests you can ask your mentor. According to Yale, at the minimum, it is best for mentors and mentees to meet for at least 1 hour per month, and meet for at least a year.
Conclusion
I am still exploring this new type of relationship myself, however, I hope some of the links I have linked in this blog can help you get started with your exploration of mentorship. Here are two more articles I think are interesting:
“The 5 types of mentors you need in your life” by Julia Fawal goes into detail about 5 mentors everyone should have.
“What’s the Right Way to Find a Mentor?” by Janet T. Phan gives email templates of how to reach out to mentors and maintain the mentor relationship.
Good luck!
Han Zhang