{"id":4902,"date":"2020-06-15T09:40:24","date_gmt":"2020-06-15T06:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/?p=4902"},"modified":"2020-06-18T09:57:08","modified_gmt":"2020-06-18T06:57:08","slug":"5-tips-to-land-your-dream-mentor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/5-tips-to-land-your-dream-mentor\/","title":{"rendered":"5 TIPS TO LAND YOUR DREAM MENTOR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As we\u2019ve been discussing, mentors<\/a><\/em><\/strong> and mentees<\/em><\/strong><\/a> offer a variety of benefits to your career and general happiness. For mentees, the advantages of having a mentor are too good of an opportunity to pass up. So the next logical step is finding and finding your dream mentor.  While it may seem like a daunting task, we\u2019ve found some great tips on how to land your dream mentor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Identify your prospective mentor<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    First and foremost, you need to choose who you want as a mentor. This must be someone who inspires you and makes you want to be a better person, be it in your field of interest or in life in general (Eliason, 2014). Therefore, the prospective mentor would ideally be someone successful in their field or the endeavours you would like to emulate. Finding such individuals would require you going to events and conferences on things you\u2019re interested in and actively networking with other professionals. You\u2019ll soon identify numerous people you can learn from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Take the initiative<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      After identifying your prospective mentor, find out as much as you can about them and their work. This can be their books, social media posts or even blogs. This way you can understand them and their perspectives better and in the process see if you would like to work with them. Moreover, be proactive about doing the work and putting yourself front and center (Eliason, 2017). This means scheduling meetings with them: propose the time, place and agenda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      You can go further and identify how you can specifically add value to your mentor\u2019s life or business and propose that service to them; sometimes it can seem like a good idea to ask your prospective mentor how you can help because you think you are making it easier for them. Instead, you\u2019re effectively putting more work on their plates in figuring out what you have you do. The service might be anything from  handling their social media platforms, editing videos or even writing posts for their blogs (Eliason, 2017).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. Communication<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Communication is key to getting and having\na successful relationship with your mentor. It can make or break your\nrelationship because it\u2019s not up to the mentor to have you on your toes. Thus,\nyou have to ensure that you initiate and maintain the communication. Effective\ncommunication in this relationship is all about giving first before you ask (Eliason,\n2017). Whenever you can, remember to find ways to be helpful to your prospective\nmentor. This can look like offering insightful comments and replies on their blogs\nand social media. Having something to offer makes your prospective mentor much\nmore receptive to offering something to you (Eliason, 2017).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. Acquire skills<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          In order to have something to offer, you\nfirst need to develop a marketable skill. This does not necessarily mean trying\nto become an expert on whatever it is you are interested in. Instead, you can teach\nyourself a range of marketable skills online or through books and create an\ninexpensive online portfolio to exhibit them (Eliason, 2017). This way you\nbecome really good at a few things that can propel you towards your goal and it\nalso shows your effort to your prospective mentor.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          On the other hand, you can join your\nprospective mentor\u2019s paid programs if they have them. Paying a mentor for one on\none coaching can be expensive, so opting for their paid programs can get you\nthe same access to them and their advice without having to learn any marketable\nskills (TateOlson, 2019). Also, most mentors are open to you reaching out to\nthem because they want you to succeed which gives credibility to their programs\nin return (TateOlson, 2019). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          1. Always show up<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            Going by the old adage, time is money. Most\nmentors do not want to invest their time in people who do not show up or listen\nto them. Showing up means you are taking them and the time they invest in you\nseriously, that you value them and actually want to learn (TateOlson, 2019). Even\nif it takes a long time for your prospective mentor to talk to you, it\u2019s still\nimperative that you show up. This means arriving at planned meet ups and doing\ntasks they\u2019ve given you on time. It might be going to conferences and events they\nare having, or adding value to their social media posts (TateOlson, 2019).\nRemember, out of sight out of mind. They are more likely to take you seriously when\nyou put in the effort, showing persistence and dedication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Also, remember is that the relationship\nbetween a mentor and the mentee does not have to be rigid and formal, although\nit could be depending on the prospective mentor\u2019s personality, but it can also\nbe fluid and adapt to the circumstances; you can be communicating via emails,\nnot necessarily meeting one on one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Finally, a little known tip \u2013 avoid asking your (unpaid) dream mentor to mentor you because you will likely get a \u2018No\u2019. This will have nothing to do with your skills but would put your mentor in a position of more work. The goal is having them guide you and offer support for your goals without being overbearing and inconvenient. Follow the tips listed you\u2019ll manage to gain access to some really important people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Also see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            5 BENEFITS OF MENTORING<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            7 REASONS YOU NEED A MENTOR <\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            HOW TO SET UP AN EFFECTIVE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM FOR YOUR BUSINESS<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Eliason, N. (2014, November 14). How to Get Your Dream Mentor in Seven Easy Steps. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.lifehack.org\/articles\/work\/how-get-your-dream-mentor-seven-easy-steps.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Eliason, N. (2017, June 17). Charlie Hoehn’s 6 Key Tactics for Landing Your Dream Mentor. Retrieved from https:\/\/addicted2success.com\/success-advice\/charlie-hoehns-6-key-tactics-for-landing-your-dream-mentor\/amp\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            TateOlson. (2019, April 1). 4 Tips To Land Your Dream Mentor. Retrieved from https:\/\/futuresharks.com\/4-tips-to-land-your-dream-mentor\/amp\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Brandy Awuor <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            As we\u2019ve been discussing, mentors and mentees offer a variety of benefits to your career and general happiness. For mentees, the advantages of having a mentor are too good of an opportunity to pass up. So the next logical step is finding and finding your dream mentor.  While it may seem like a daunting task, we\u2019ve found some great tips on how to land your dream mentor. Identify your prospective mentor First and foremost, you need to choose who you want as a mentor. This must be someone who inspires you and makes you want to be a better person,\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":5}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4902"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4902"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4915,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4902\/revisions\/4915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}