A personal brand combines your values, personality, and style. It needs to be built over time so that it’s not only cohesive but also distinct from all other brands in your industry or niche. This article introduces building out your branding strategy without any help from others. Building a personal brand is not an easy task. It takes time and effort to develop your brand. One way to make your brand is by connecting with mentors who can help you grow in the workplace.
One research found that: Only 40% of job searchers have access to a mentor, counselor, or career coach, according to 74 percent of hiring managers. Indeed, the percentage of job seekers who would prefer depending on their expertise than seek guidance from others, such as career counselors or instructors, to select what material to put on applications, resumes, and cover letters has increased from 58 percent in 2012 to 67 percent in 2013. Madeleine Slutsky, head of the Career Advisory Board and vice president of career services at DeVry University, stated, “Job seekers are doing themselves a big disservice by rejecting the abundance of counsel and insight a mentor may bring.” “Cultivating ties with people familiar with the current job market may be quite beneficial in the job hunt.” Mentors have aided some of the world’s most successful individuals. Dr. Ed Roberts was a friend of Bill Gates’. Robert Friedland is a friend of Steve Jobs’. His father accompanied tiger Woods. Aubrey Hepburn had Elizabeth Taylor.
A mentor is a person who can provide you with advice and companionship throughout your life. They may have prior expertise in the field you choose to follow, but this is not a prerequisite. Good listeners, instructors, and friends are often the finest mentors. Finding a mentor for your brand is a good idea. In this tutorial, we’ll go over why you need a mentor for your professional and personal development and how to select the right mentor for you and your circumstance. Finally, we’ll go through how to contact possible mentors, gain their attention and trust, and enlist their assistance in your endeavors.
Why Do You Need a Mentor for Professional Success?
The Wall Street Journal’s Rachel Louise Ensign (@RachelEnsignWSJ) said:
A mentor may assist a young worker in answering difficult questions regarding their professional path and gaining insight into the sector. The bond might even help you get a new career in the future. You’ll have to make a lot of choices during your life. Some are simple to choose from, while others are more complex. The facts may advise you to do one thing while your emotions urge you to do something other. It’s never easy to decide what to do, mainly when there’s a lot on the line.
For example, we’ve gone through the steps to establishing a powerful brand in the sector of your choice throughout this article. As you go through the phases in the program, you will face decisions about your professional life. Is it a good idea for you to accept that job? Should you hold out till something better comes along? Is it time for you to quit your job and start your own business? Is it a good idea to start the company on the side? You’ll have a lot of questions during your life. Here are a few reasons why having a mentor will be one of your most valuable career and personal success assets.
1. One reason is that there is someone who will listen to you.
Life may be a lonely place when it comes to your work life. You already have someone who will listen if you have a friendly spouse or partner, but a mentor may be a terrific addition to your professional career. Mentors who are good listeners make excellent mentors. They’ve spent their whole lives being excellent listeners. They’ve realized that listening is more important than speaking. They’ve heard a variety of folks tell tales and share their experiences. You’ll need someone to listen to your challenges, achievements, and everything throughout your life. When you need someone to listen, a mentor might be the person you turn to.
2. You’ll Meet Someone Who Will Tell You Stories.
There’s a difference between someone who tells you what you should do and someone who tells you about their life experiences. Have you ever had a chat with someone where they just gave you fantastic tales, and you felt like you’d learned a lot? Their narrative doesn’t have to be directly related to you or your life, but exceptional storytellers may make you think that you can extract pearls of wisdom and apply lessons to your own life.
3. You need someone to keep you focused.
Keeping focused on particular objectives is one of life’s problems, especially for driven individuals. If you’re a daydreamer or have many thoughts swimming about in your brain, staying focused on the vital things will be difficult. A mentor may assist you in maintaining your concentration. They may assist you in defining your professional career objectives. They’ll help you in fine-tuning your strategy for achieving your career objectives. It’s natural to have fresh ideas about improving what you’re doing throughout your life. As you may be aware, the most successful individuals are not those that make constant adjustments. Instead, successful individuals follow through on their objectives and achieve steady progress.
A mentor can help you stay on track with your objectives. They’ll assist you in returning your concentration to your goal, maybe making minor adjustments, but without lurching from one technique to the next. It’s difficult for folks to accomplish this on their own. Some people can achieve it independently, but many others need an outside viewpoint to remind them to refocus.
4. Someone To Push You To Do A Little More & A Little More.
Some individuals are compelled to achieve beyond everything else. Whatever is going on in their lives, they always strive for success. Even the most motivated individuals, particularly after achieving some success, need reminders to keep pushing. It’s OK to celebrate achievement and dwell on failure, but you shouldn’t get caught up in those feelings for too long. Successful individuals understand that they must keep pushing to advance in their jobs.
Mentors assist successful individuals in progressing to the next level. When the individual succeeds, the mentor will be there to provide them with a new challenge. When the individual is having difficulty with anything, the mentor will be there to encourage them and remind them that the next goal is not far away.
5. Someone to Offer Insight But Not An Answer.
You don’t want others telling you what to do and giving you solutions. You’ll need to learn to make choices on your own if you’re successful. On the other hand, mentors give perspective when it comes to making judgments. They can talk about their own experiences. They provide comprehension of the scenario, allowing you to choose the best course of action for your circumstance. Mentors are specialists in various fields, but at their core, they are educators. They provide perspective and counsel to those they work with, assisting them in taking the next step and striving for success despite setbacks.
Why Do You Need a Mentor for Professional Success?
One research found that:
Eighty percent of CEOs asked said they had mentors. You’re probably aware that having a mentor is recommended and required for professional success. In this portion of the chapter, we’ll walk you through selecting a mentor who can help you create your brand and reach the objectives you set for yourself throughout your professional life.
1. Friends And Family
Tiger contacted Arnold Palmer for advice early in his career and his father. TigerWoods.com is the source of this image. Tiger Woods’ father taught him about life and golf. Although his father was not a professional golfer, he remained Tiger’s mentor long into adulthood. Tiger turned to his father for advice as he progressed through his career, from his early years to later, when he was winning major golf events. A mentor might be a member of your immediate family or a close group of friends. Parents may be excellent mentors for their children. They usually have your best interests at heart, but they aren’t always your pals. They’ll put you to the test. They aren’t scared to express their true thoughts, and they will often listen to you when you need someone to speak to. If your mentor comes from your family or a close circle of acquaintances, you probably already know who they are. It will be someone you can rely on to listen, share their experiences with you, and challenge and push you to achieve your goals.
2. Two coworkers, their bosses, and their extended network
If you have a job, you may have a boss who may be a fantastic mentor. Bosses are individuals we work with who, on average, have more experience than we do. Because they work in the same field, they can share tales and experiences that are thorough and relevant. You might also reach out to a previous supervisor you admired and looked up to. It doesn’t have to be your present employer, and it could work better if you’re no longer in direct contact with them at work.
Colleagues may be excellent mentors as well. These would be individuals you work with, have worked with, or are familiar with within your field. It may be someone who has taken the same professional route that you want to take. Look at your extended network as well. Ask your friends, relatives, and coworkers if they know somebody who might serve as a mentor. Getting a referral might help you locate someone who has previously served as a mentor and would be interested in doing so again.
3. Professional Organizations in the Area as a Source
A possible mentor might be found via your local chamber of commerce or business association. In addition, other professionals who desire to get active in the community may be found in these organizations. They can assist you in achieving your goals in both your professional and community lives. Finding someone who lives in the same region and has been active in the community and the local professional sector might be beneficial. Local organizations have connections, and those relationships might lead to chances for you if you find a wonderful mentor and win their confidence by demonstrating your ability.
4. Industry Organizations And Trade Associations as a Source
Industry groups and trade associations often offer mentor programs, and they may listen to what you need in a mentor and recommend someone who might be a good fit. We’ve already explored the advantages that industry groups provide in earlier chapters. You may enhance your reputation as a member, and you now have the chance to meet a mentor who can assist you throughout your career.
5. Social Media Connections as a Source
Finally, your social media contacts may serve as mentors. LinkedIn is maybe the most refined social media platform for finding a mentor. You may check through your contacts or the organizations you’re a part of to locate someone who has shown a desire to participate and would be a good match for your professional endeavors. Because the globe has shrunk in size, search through your social networks to see if you can find someone to mentor you. Thanks to technologies like video chat, email, and more, you may conduct effective mentorships remotely, even with someone on the other side of the planet.
How To Approach Mentors And Win Their Trust?
We can move on to contacting a mentor now that you understand why a mentor is necessary and where you could locate one. Identifying a possible mentor or mentor is a huge step, and once you’ve found someone you want to contact, it’s critical to do it properly. You want the individual to be excited about the prospect of collaborating with you to advance your career. It’s a tricky situation since you’re asking someone to assist you and utilize their time for something that may not provide them with anything in return. As a result, you must phrase it intriguing and gratifyingly to them. When reaching out to and contacting your target mentor, these are the actions you may take to accomplish precisely that.
1. Do research.
It would be best to do the study before approaching a possible mentor. You must know about the person’s past, present, and future activities and a bit about their family and other personal facts. You can discover that the individual enjoys a particular sport or has a specific pastime. When you first begin your outreach efforts, they may all be topics of conversation. Above all, you must demonstrate an interest in the individual. You’re showing them that you’re ready to strive for what you want in life if you take the time to get to know them before reaching out. As a result of such work, a mentor may recognize promise or see straight through unfounded enthusiasm.
2. Explain Why You’re Contacting Me.
After completing your research, you’ll be almost ready to contact someone. The most crucial aspect of your first letter is having a cause for getting you. People dislike being bothered, but the study suggests that they are more likely to respond positively if you give them a reason to do something. When approaching a possible mentor, there are a variety of appropriate justifications to utilize. An excellent basis is getting a reference from someone you know. You might contact the mentor and inform them that you were suggested to them by a familiar friend or acquaintance.
Even anything as essential as stating you spotted the individual at a neighborhood event and didn’t have time to introduce yourself might suffice. Perhaps you’re contacting the individual because you follow them on social media and find yourself agreeing with them on many points. Whatever the reason, be sure you have one and utilize it while communicating. You’ll receive a lot better response from the mentor if you contact out and ask them to be your mentor.
3. Express your intentions and want assistance.
You’ll want to express your plans after you’ve established contact with the mentor and they’ve recognized you. There’s something to be said about getting to know someone through email, phone chat, or face-to-face communication, but you should let them know that you’re seeking someone who can assist or simply a listening ear as you progress in your career. We suggest beginning the discussion by explaining why you’ve reached out. Then, pose a few personal questions to the individual. Please introduce yourself and seek a method to transition the conversation to your wish for them to be your mentor.
For instance, inquire about something the individual is currently working on. After giving them time to share their narrative or clarify the problem, express your interest in the subject before moving on to your professional goals. This is an excellent technique to establish common ground and demonstrate that a possible partnership may work.
4. Talk about your objectives and what you want to work on.
You’ll want to start talking about your ambitions as you go through the conversation regarding prospective mentoring and persuade the individual to agree to assist you somehow. First, discuss the goals you’ve set for yourself and where you’d want to be after your professional career. Next, you may discuss what you’re doing to achieve your objectives. This will show your mentor that you’re already working toward your goal and give them an idea of what you want to accomplish. Finally, you’ll need to work in this talk to state that you’ll be able to achieve success with this person’s aid.
5. Establish a Mentorship Schedule and Process.
You’ll need to formalize your relationship now that the mentor has agreed to assist you. You’ll want to schedule meetings frequently. Regular check-ins—monthly is ideal—give the relationship structure. You may check-in with the individual and talk about your long and short-term objectives. The timetable and system provide the mentor with a straightforward approach to engage with you and the motivation you need to keep working toward your goal each month. Relationships like these might get lost if there is no formal framework in place. You could converse now and then, but you’ll lose sight of your objectives, particularly your short-term objectives.
What Motivates a Mentor to Assist You?
Finally, it’s helpful to understand why someone would want to collaborate with you and assist you in achieving your professional objectives. Someone may have a vested interest in helping you for various reasons. If the individual is a relative, particularly a parent, they will naturally want to see you thrive. In some ways, your success will be their success. That is the key to finding a mentor and convincing them to assist you. You must find a method to provide them with pleasure in watching you succeed. Your supervisor or coworker would most likely want to see you succeed since your success inside the identical firm would almost certainly correlate with the company’s success, which would benefit them.
Someone from outside your family or company could be interested in collaborating with you since you are curious about new technologies and ideas. In certain professions, veterans seek out younger individuals to make connections with so that they may learn from them while also giving advice and mentoring. You might ask you’re possible mentor what they want to receive out of the connection during your first chats. It’s not all about you, and if you can find out why the other person wants to spend time with you, you’ll be able to build a stronger foundation for your continuing connection. This knowledge may help both partners have a more effective and meaningful relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make connections with my mentor?
A: If you are a mentor, identify yourself with the Mentor button on your profile. There is also an option in settings to connect with other mentors who have signed up.
How do I develop my brand?
A: You can build a personal brand by promoting yourself on social media. If you have an online presence, make sure to use your authentic voice and share content that will be relevant to your audience – don’t just promote other people’s work!
How do I find a personal growth mentor?
A: A personal growth mentor is someone who you can talk to about how you are feeling, your life goals, or anything that’s on your mind. You may find them at work, school, or in the community.
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