Why You Should Look for Mentorship Programs in Your Next Job

The mentoring experience is a career development program that is becoming one of the more sought-after perks in the workplace. Mentoring programs have a track record that, if done right, can lead to a better-quality work environment and improve growth opportunities for the mentor and mentee. 

Looking for such a program in your next job can allow you to develop more passion for the role and the task at hand. Utilizing such programs allows you to constantly grow under the guidance of quality leaders to build yourself up for your next job, and whatever may be beyond that. You can build your basic communication skills and problem-solving methods along with building strong relationships co-workers. 

Here is what you need to know about mentoring:

How Mentoring Programs Work

Your mentoring program should pair you with experienced professionals that offer support and help with career goals. The programs will sometimes match people with participants — those experienced employees or role models in the organization who will offer guidance. 
In some instances, the mentees may end up choosing their own mentor naturally, by finding that one person or people throughout the company that can be learned from. Unlike common training programs, mentoring doesn’t have an end date. It is a commitment that mentors make to always develop and build the professional success of the mentee. 

The Perks of Being in A Mentoring Program

There are many perks to working with a mentor, including:

• Leadership skills development
• Sense of community
• Better job training
• Soft and hard skill development
• Learning new technical skills
• Increased employee satisfaction
• Opportunity to lead to higher compensation and promotion rates

Types of Mentorship Programs

These are four types of mentorship programs you can utilize in your next job to build your professional development. 

• One-on- One Mentorship: This is a strong one-to-one relationship that is typically paired with a mentor in the area of development and a singular mentee. Mentoring sessions would be a daily occurrence and hold a lot of focus on particular aspects of the mentee’s career needs. 
• Peer Mentorship: There doesn’t have to be a singular mentor in this program. Since everyone on the team comes from diverse backgrounds, everyone can support one another and offer their knowledge for development. 
• New Hire Mentorship: As the new person in the company, you also bring to the table new skills. Often, new hires can become the mentor to the other employees by training on a new or updated way of accomplishing a task.
• “Reverse” Mentorship: This is when leadership in a business learns from a mentor who is less senior than them. This is often used in DEI programs and other workplace safety initiatives.

If you are unsure if your new organization offers a mentor program, just ask! Maybe it is a benefit that hasn’t been given a title yet, or the company may not be aware that staff would want to participate in a mentoring program. You can find more benefits for both the mentors and mentees here.