Seeking a Mentor

For employees and managers alike, finding a helpful resource to act as a sounding board can be as difficult as it is necessary. There are always people out there willing to help, but it’s not a simple task to find them and it can be an intimidating experience to request that level of personal guidance from any individual, let alone one that you hold in high regard.

When asking somebody to be your mentor, it’s important to recognize that it’s a pretty significant request, and there should at least be some indication that this person will be interested in doing so. If the mentor has spoken with you at length about work topics in the past, has spent time with you in a supportive role, and has direct experience in the areas you need the most help, those are all good indicators.

It’s also important to have a very clear ask about what you want their assistance with rather than simply asking, “would you be my mentor?”.

The folks over at UpJourney recently posted 35+ Amazing Tips for How to Ask Someone to be Your Mentor, including insights from executive career strategists, founders, management consultants, investors, authors, and professional coaches. Torchlight Consulting provided a great example email template in the article as well.

Check out some of the other Career focussed posts from UpJourney here.