In many ways, the single most effective way to advance your career comes down to one thing:
Find a great mentor.
There have been many articles written about finding, learning from, and relying on terrific mentors. There are fewer resources available for those who want to BECOME great mentors. This post is a roundup of resources for those mentors-to-be who want to share their knowledge, network, and expertise with others!
Note: There are many valuable resources I did not include because they focus on mentoring youth, rather than adults. Check out http://www.mentoring.org to explore some of those!
Lean In, the organization founded by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, has a wealth of resources for mentors who help women; I could spend hours reading the rich information on this site. Check it out and share your mentoring ideas on social media with the hashtag #MentorHer. https://leanin.org
Million Women Mentors focuses on matching girls interested in STEM with mentors in their field of interest. MWM is an initiative of the STEMConnector consortium, which produced an insightful white paper outlining best practices for mentoring women in the corporate environment. www.millionwomenmentors.com is their site, and check out the white paper too.
The Drucker Institute has a great collection of advice for mentors at www.druckerinstitute.com/monday/mentoring.
River Software has a website with a number of free resources for mentors as well as for organizations interested in establishing a mentoring program for their employees or members. https://www.riversoftware.com/helpful-resources/white-papers
Search Twitter for hashtags like #NationalMentoringMonth and #MentorTips then follow the thought leaders whose posts you find relevant. (Many mentoring resources are geared toward adults who mentor young people, but combining hashtags like #Mentor and #Career can help you filter out results focused on youth.)
If you are looking for someone to mentor, use LinkedIn to find people early in their career who went to the same school you did, who share your interests, or who simply post relevant and interesting articles. Follow them, send them a personalized connection request, and ask if they would be interested in a brief phone call.
For the latest research on mentoring in the workplace, look in the Journal of Workplace Learning, the Journal of Leadership Education, and the International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education.
I hope these resources are helpful as you consider whether becoming a mentor is right for you! Mentors are such a valuable resource for early career professionals. Mentoring is important work, especially in the STEM field. Thank you, mentors!
Contact me if you'd like to discuss coaching, learn to find a mentor or mentee, or explore a career transition.