Who is a mentor, why is he needed and where to look for him

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Do you think that you have enough experience and a mentor will not tell you anything new? Don't rush to conclusions. Even managers have mentors, our "Leaders of Russia" competition is proof of this. The winners of the project get a mentor, one of the country's outstanding managers, who shares his experience and prepares the participants for future tasks and challenges. In this article, we will tell you in detail why a specialist needs a teacher, where to look for one and how to get the most out of cooperation.

A mentor is an expert in a certain field who shares professional advice with a less experienced specialist: how to advance in their career, what skills to develop, and what mistakes are most often made. In essence, this is a person who has achieved success and is ready to reveal their secrets to others.

Why does a specialist need a mentor?
Advice from a mentor will help you shorten your career path and achieve a promotion much earlier, anticipate some difficulties and prepare for them in advance. How else can a mentor be useful:

the mentor has had to deal with different cases, he already has experience in solving problems and he can teach you based on his mistakes;
it is easier for an outside expert to objectively social media marketing service assess your situation, after which you can work out a career development track together;
the mentor has many acquaintances from the business community, he can share contacts if necessary;
Most often, an expert helps with specific actions, for example, he can provide contacts of trusted contractors or provide legal support.
Where to find a mentor
On our platform " Russia — the Land of Opportunities ", which unites 26 projects, competitions and olympiads in various fields — from creativity to technology — "Leaders of Russia", "Big Change", "Your Move", "Masters of Hospitality", "Flagships of Education", "I am a Professional", "CASE-IN" and many other events. In these competitions, you can not only win a grant or an internship in a large organization, but also make useful contacts and find a mentor. Taking part is easy: choose the project you like, go to the website and leave an application.

The most important thing is to establish contact with the mentor, otherwise productive interaction will not work. The rules for building joint work are usually agreed upon individually, but there are several basic principles.

Discuss the details of cooperation - how much time the expert is willing to devote to you and what conditions are important to comply with.
Set a meeting schedule, such as calling each other once a week or meeting once a month.
Formulate a clear goal to jointly develop an action plan and achieve the desired result faster.
Don't just listen, but also ask questions - join in the conversation, prepare questions in advance and clarify unclear points.
Complete all tasks from your mentor to get the most out of your work.
Regularly ask for feedback from your mentor to work on your mistakes and reach your goal faster.
Why should a mentor waste his time on a newcomer? This work also benefits the mentor: he trains leadership skills, develops analytical abilities, the ability to make decisions, build relationships and communicate with people.