The Importance of Mentorship in Career Development

In my career, I’ve had a number of different mentors, spanning from college advisors to former bosses. enFocus was the first employer I’ve had that helped me find a mentor in the community outside of my existing circle. The process was easy! I filled out a short survey, met with our human resources team, and a few short weeks later, I had a mentor!  Meeting my mentor for the first time was daunting, but after having a few conversations to get to know each other, we’ve been able to have conversations about my career and my future. Now we’re meeting (almost) monthly and chatting about everything from my current travel goals to what my career could look like 10 years from now. 

When you’re first starting to find a mentor, it’s important to identify why you want a mentor. It’s also important to consider the organic relationships that you already have, and how you can utilize those relationships. For example, my academic advisor was one of my first mentors. I met her before I even submitted my college application, but I knew right away she was the person to know on campus, and she made it very clear that she was going to do whatever she could to help her students. For me, as a new college student, that was what I knew I needed.  Even though it’s been six years since I graduated, I still remember the conversations we had around what my major should be my sophomore year and what I wanted to do after I graduated during my senior year. To this day,  I see her influence on my career. During my undergrad years, I also had a few internships that led to great mentorships, which also helped me figure out what I wanted to do after college with my career and my education. 

“I’ve found that as my career develops, so do my mentorships, and so do the conversations. As time has passed, my conversations with my mentors have shifted from what I wanted to do after graduation to encompass more career planning and professional development.”

Now I feel more confident in what I want in my career and where my career can go; I’m able to ask better questions and facilitate important conversations that can make a big difference in my career.