Find a Good Mentor

Executive jobs and rank and file positions are filled with people who need somebody who can help them reach their goals.  Easy to say, but most of the time difficult to have and do. For one, mentors may be hard to find. Moreover, professionals in the executive level may think that they don’t need a mentor anymore, and that they themselves should be mentoring somebody.
While it is a good idea for any executive to mentor a young professional or somebody who’s on his way to where the executive is currently in, it remains a fact in life that learning can never stop. As long as you are willing to improve yourself, as long as you are eager to learn more, then you should still be under mentorship.
Still unconvinced? Here are the perks that you will get if you have a mentor, perks that you will not get from anywhere else:

• You will have access to key contacts in your network. Your mentor would have more connections in the higher-ups and the bigwigs of your industry. Having a professional relationship with him is like having a gate pass to your industry’s top professionals and opportunities.
• You can be guided on how to build relationships in the industry. Your mentor may have had years of building a network of contacts. He may know how to navigate the culture and the landscape of your corporate zone, and he can pass on to you tips that will help you get to where you want to be.
• You may be directly referred by your mentor to top players in the industry. For one, your mentor may also be a highly respected personality in your industry. That’s a bonus point, aside from the fact that you will be referred to positions that are inaccessible to most executives. If you are an accounting executive, you will have inside information on the accounting jobs that may not be advertised or announced, and are only referral-based.
• Your mentor may recommend you for huge projects. You’re his prodigy. In a sense, you are his huge project, and so he will be proud about you. Your mentor vouching for you is also great for him. His authority in the field will be established, and his expertise will be highlighted all the more.
• If you want honest feedback, your mentor will give you honest feedback. After all, why would you want somebody to teach you things without accepting the fact that you will be criticized and scrutinized until you reach almost perfection? From your personal communication skills to the way you dress and your business strategy, expect your mentor to treat you like his own child. After all, you will be associated to him as his mentee.

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