Mentorship plays an integral role in developing the next generation of talent through functional expertise, knowledge sharing and technical industry insights. According to a research study by Olivet Nazarene University, 76% of professionals strongly agree that mentorship is extremely important but only 37% currently have a mentor. From teachers or professors within the academic space, an experienced colleague, a supervisor or senior professional from the workplace or industry leaders, mentor relationships can come in many forms. While the importance of mentorship is clearly recognized, many senior professionals shy away from being a mentor because of:
- Lack of time to invest in mentor-mentee relationships
- Lack of technical experience or know-how
- Lack of communication or personality skills to work with mentees
- Lack of confidence in own abilities
What does it mean to be a ‘Mentor’?
A mentor is an industry professional with a few years of experience under their belt who is willing to share their knowledge, and guide young professionals who may be current students or recent graduates. An effective mentor is passionate about giving back to the student community and understands that their role is to be dependable, nurturing, authentic and engaging. The first priority should be the needs of the younger early in career professionals through active listening and consistent communication to help them transition into the workplace.
According to a research study by Olivet Nazarene University, 76% of professionals strongly agree that mentorship is extremely important but only 37% currently have a mentor.
The goal of a mentor should be to recognize the challenges faced by the mentee and help create a roadmap for them to achieve their goals. This is often achieved through sharing personal experiences, technical knowledge and spending time helping the mentee unlearn and think differently through many holistic techniques.
Why is Mentorship important?
According to the CNBC/SurveyMonkey Workplace Happiness Survey, 91% of professionals with a mentor are ‘satisfied’ and ‘happy’ with their career and work. Having a mentor helps young professionals navigate in the real world as they launch their career. Mentors provide a world of knowledge and experience from real scenarios. Interestingly, a research study has shown that mentees are promoted 5 times more than those without mentors and those who choose to mentor are 6 times more likely to be promoted.
In order to nurture a relationship with a mentee, mentors have to place importance on consistent communication on a weekly basis and find time to listen and engage in active conversation. Mentors should also provide feedback, honest opinion and nudge mentees to think and find creative solutions to problems without handing out answers. A study by Moving Ahead has found that 87% of mentors and mentees feel empowered by their relationships and it has helped them develop greater confidence. It helps both parties to stay sharp, keep learning and improving their skillset.
A study by Moving Ahead has found that 87% of mentors and mentees feel empowered by their relationships and it has helped them develop greater confidence.
Here are the top 5 reasons why you should consider being a mentor:
- #1 – Invest in the next generation of professionals – Students and recent graduates who are transitioning from academia to the workplace are often confused, lost and seeking guidance. The benefits of receiving mentorship far outweighs the learnings from traditional higher education, natural abilities or even just luck. While venturing out for the first time, young professionals may have questions about how to apply their theoretical knowledge to real life situations or employ creative ideas effectively. From workplace etiquette, communication, soft skills and multi tasking, there are many new aspects to be picked up to kickstart a career.
- #2 – Gain fresh ideas and new perspectives – Young professionals have a lot to bring to the table, they are financially focused, entrepreneurial, tech savvy, diverse, flexible and independent with new perspectives to problem solving. A study by Adobe has shown that Gen Z are 63% more creative than any other generation before them. Working and mentoring young people will also open up opportunities for you to learn from them about new trends and changes in the environment. From social media platforms, cryptocurrency, online tools, content curation, etc, there are many aspects where digital natives like Gen Z can add value to your life. Building this mentor-mentee relationship will help you pick up brand new skills, keep up with the younger generation and apply them in scenarios at work.
- #3 – Build your personal brand – Mentoring will provide you with opportunities to build your personal brand through one on one sessions, webinars, courses, speaking engagement, etc. It’s imperative that you focus on a niche like ‘SEO specialist’, ‘Social media whiz’ or ‘Startup accelerators’, and build your brand around the same. This will elevate your status to a SME (subject matter expert) within your chosen niche. It is important to be authentic and genuine with your personal interactions while creating visibility for your brand through professional networks like LinkedIn or smaller communities.
Mentoring young people will open up opportunities for you to learn from them about new trends and changes in the environment while building your personal brand.
- #4 – Give back to the student community – If you have had a previous teacher, guide or mentor who helped you find your way as a young professional, This could be your chance to give back and do the same for someone else. Offering knowledge and expertise to someone with the goal to help them launch their career can be extremely rewarding. Mentors have the ability to massively impact apprentices and early in career professionals by helping them develop new skills, bounce off ideas and grow. Giving back through mentorship will also help you solidify your learnings, grow leadership skills, and become a more confident professional, guide and speaker.
- #5 – Monetize your knowledge – As a subject matter expert, you could also monetize your knowledge through the Qureos platform. A recent study by Zapier showed that 34% of Americans have a side hustle with 46% who use it as a passive income and 38% who follow passion projects.If you would like to host paid webinars, support on corporate projects or launch your own courses/academy, we would definitely love to hear from you. We will also provide you with all the tools and support required to set you up for success as a mentor and provide opportunities to monetize your knowledge and create new streams of revenue.
Should you become a Mentor?
We currently have mentors from many industries with various focused skill sets – digital marketing, lead generation, market research, content marketing, data science, machine learning, to name a few. With mentors from major multinational companies and startups in the region, we are creating a culture of mentorship where industry professionals make the time to connect and guide younger graduates through remote programs.
Giving back through mentorship will help you solidify your learnings, grow leadership skills, and become a more confident professional, guide and speaker.
In order to become a mentor, it is important to:
- Set aside some time to connect with your mentees and build a relationship with them
- Be willing to share your knowledge and expertise with younger professionals
- Be driven to listen and help them navigate the real world with sound advice
If you are a focused subject matter expert within a specific field and are open to exploring mentorship opportunities, we would love to hear from you.
How can Qureos help?
Qureos is trying to help students and recent graduates upskill and transition from university life to the real workplace through apprenticeships under the guidance of industry mentors. We are building a global community of apprentices who are seeking to learn and grow through the platform. If you would like to learn more about Qureos or connect with a member of our team, please feel free to contact us at hello@qureos.com.