A Mentor to Help Build You

By: Anastassia at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, as part of Heather Nelson’s Service Learning Class.

The people we surround ourselves with impact us in so many ways that we usually don’t even realize. There is a saying that typically applies to raising a child, “It takes a village,” but it also applies to adults. Having a mentor is part of your village that will influence you for the greater good.

But What Is A Mentor?

Upskilled provided the definition, “A mentor is a professional whose career guidance you seek because you admire their career achievements, work ethic and wisdom, and experience and expertise.” A mentor is kind of like your go-to person. And there are many reasons and benefits why you should have a mentor, especially in your professional life.

First, let’s talk about the Why. Why Should You Have A Mentor?

A mentor will provide you with valuable knowledge and information on the ins and outs of your career path. With their experience and expertise, they can give your professional advice and constructive criticism. With that being said, they can guide you in interviews, verbal and nonverbal communication, work ethics, time management, and being a part of a team. Along with a mentor’s career experience, they have built themselves a professional network and can help you create yours.

Now the important aspect of having a mentor is the personal benefits. This list can go on, but we will discuss a few key benefits, which are:

• Support Growth- A mentor will work with you on your strengths and weaknesses. They will work on your professional development, increasing aspects like your leadership and problem-solving abilities and even soft skills like communication and self-awareness. You can also count on a mentor you be someone to keep you motivated.
• Setting Goals- Radical Candor completed a survey that found that 93 percent of workers believed that goal setting was key to their work performance. A mentor will help you identify the long-term and short-term goals you need to set by using SMART. Which is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Sensitive goals.
• Accountability- The relationship between you and a mentor is professional, and they are here to help you. They will ensure that you stay on track with your goals and evaluate your progress on your skills. They will let you know when you should change your focus on a specific goal or task or when to apply more focus. A mentor will also give you constructive feedback to help you continue to grow and build your best professional self.
• Connections- Building your network is critical in a career. With a more extensive network, you have access to more opportunities. Since your mentor has experience and expertise in this area, they will start building connections or help you to create these connections with other people and businesses.
• Strengthens Confidence- The first four benefits of having a mentor all tie in with strengthening your confidence. You’ve worked on your strengths and weaknesses, set goals in place, and are actively working on them, taken in constructive feedback and reevaluated if needed, and you have built or are building your network. It’s time to look at all you have accomplished and reflect. That sense of feeling that you are feeling is the aspirations you amplified.

The reason why having a mentor is imperative is that the benefits are endless. It’s time to build your village. Take the time to reach out so you can start constructing yourself.

References- UpSkilled.edu, Inc.com, Radicalcandor.com

#OmahaSkillsConnection #OSCMentor # SuccessStory #LetsBuildYou