I hope you find it as interesting as I did.
Mentors Pay It Forward
By Anne Cheevers
General Manager, 6FigureJobs
Last week I talked about why it’s important to have one (or three!), the wonderful people who agreed to be mine, and what we all got out of it. Today, I want to focus on why you should become one.
When you become a mentor, you agree to offer that person advice, access and advocacy.
Whether you are mentoring a college student or a professional whose career path is shorter than yours, your experience gives you invaluable perspective that your mentee can use to help them avoid pitfalls and missteps and to supercharge their careers.
I have several people that I mentor. Here are a couple of examples:
The first is someone I worked with 20 years ago that was an AP clerk in the accounting department. He was a very bright, very analytical guy who wanted to “make a lot of money” but didn’t want to put in the time to get his CPA.
My advice? Given his analytical bent, marketing was the career path he should consider.
Access? I helped him transition into the marketing department at my company.
Advocacy? Throughout his career I have helped prospective hiring managers understand his strengths. Today he is a lead marketer for a major advertising agency…making a lot of money.
Another mentee is a former vendor. She worked at a major printing house I used, she was an incredibly smart estimator (meaning she got me great pricing) and we had a great working relationship. At one of our meetings she shared her frustration with me that she felt like she had been dead-ended and that her opportunities at her current company were limited.
My advice? Move to the client side where “purchasing” is less narrowly defined.
Access? I worked with her to identify target companies, and segments, where opportunities might exist.
Advocacy? I’ve helped her get recognition and face time with those companies. We’ve worked together as she has transitioned from “ink on paper”, to online media and today, she is one of the top buyers for a major telecom company.
So what did I get out of all this? I feel a sense of accomplishment, and pride, in seeing the success that my mentees have achieved. Could they have done it without my mentoring? You bet. Could they have achieved their high level of success without having a mentor? I doubt it – at least not as quickly.
As my mentors have done for me, I feel a responsibility to do the same for others. That’s what my mentors have taught me – ask, learn, give back.
Please share your experiences on being a mentor at the 6FigureJobs Blog and pay it forward!
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