Through my engineering career coaching work with many engineers, I have seen first hand how a good mentor can greatly facilitate an engineer’s career development. In this post I would like to share what I believe to be the 3 steps to finding the right mentor to help guide you in your career.
1-Set your career goals. Finding the right mentor is not an easy task. There are plenty of willing professionals out there, but I recommend trying to find the one that is in alignment with you and your career plan. An important first step in finding a mentor is setting clear career goals so that you are clear on where you want to go in your career. Once you are comfortable with your goals, then you can start the process of trying to find a mentor that matches up well with your vision. I recommend that you find a mentor that has achieved similar goals to those that you have set because they will be able to give you specific advice on the steps you should take based on their experience.
2-Contact Your HR Department. Once you have set clear goal and are ready to begin your search, check with your Human Resources department because many engineering companies have formal mentoring programs. If your company does not have a formal program, ask some of your colleagues if they have worked with a mentor or know of any engineers that may be interested in mentoring. If your colleagues can’t offer assistance, ask your supervisor if he or she can recommend someone either within or outside of your company. I recommend that you do not ask your supervisor to be your mentor. You most likely interact a lot with your supervisor on a daily basis, and sometimes adding a mentoring aspect to the relationship could make your working relations somewhat overbearing. I recommend considering someone else (preferably outside of your team) so you get a different perspective.
If you can’t find a mentor within your company, check with your local professional societies. Many societies have mentoring programs where they will pair you up with a more another member who is more experienced in your field. For example, I know that the American Society of Civil Engineers has a strong career-mentoring program included as one of the benefits for their members.
If you still can't find a mentor through any of these sources, you can always turn to the Internet. Sites like Engineering.com have forums where you can ask for career guidance or actually find a mentor through the discussions.
3-Have a meeting with your mentor prior to making your final selection. Even after you set your goals and find a mentor that you believe is a good match, please have an introductory meeting with this prospective mentor prior to finalizing your decision. This meeting can be held in person, by phone, or even over Skype. Even if this person’s experience sounds like a good fit, you must ensure that you feel comfortable talking to this person about your career goals and challenges. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! Many engineers skip this step and end up in a mentoring relationship that is not helpful, but stay in the relationship for fear of hurting the other persons feelings.
While it may take some effort to find a great mentor, the right mentor can have a profoundly positive impact on your career. I hope that these 3 steps help you to achieve all of your career goals and dreams!
This is a guest post by Anthony Fasano, PE, author of Engineer Your Own Success. Anthony found success as an engineer at a very early age and now writes and podcasts to help other engineers do the same. Visit Anthony’s website at EngineeringCareerCoach.com and subscribe to the top 3 resources Anthony has used to become a partner in a firm at the age of 27.