So You Want to be a Protégé?

Since the beginning of my budding career, I have had the opportunity to work with women who have inspired me and have helped shape me into the young professional that I am today. I consider these ladies mentors. These relationships are my first step toward a long and successful career.Why you ask? It's because they have already been successful in what I am working to achieve. They act as trusted advisers who willingly give me guidance, share their experiences, provide me with opportunities and offer me their support in order to enhance my professional development.

How to go about finding a mentor:

     1. Look to the people you currently work with.
My mentors were not assigned to me through a program. Instead, I came upon them through organic relationships that were formed with managers and senior colleagues. Don’t be shy to send a potential mentor an email or ask them out for coffee, he or she will most likely be happy to help!

     2. Mentorship programs in your organization.

Some organizations offer mentorship programs where less experience employees are assigned to an    individual who is higher up in the organization. This gives the individual being mentored an excellent   opportunity to learn about the organization and to become more easily ingrained in its culture.

     3. Professional Associations are also a good place to look.

If you just don’t click with the people you work with or if your organization doesn't offer a mentorship program, you may have better luck finding a mentor through a professional association. For example, The International Association of Business Communicators offers a mentorship program that helps less experienced individuals increase their knowledge of the communications profession, helps them pinpoint potential job possibilities, enables them to gain professional experience and helps them establish a network in their field.

Now off to your first step of success!