How to be a Mentor in the IT Field
4 yrs ago
Being a mentor to aspiring and newly minted IT professionals is one of the best ways to profoundly impact their careers and give back to the community, all while boosting your own professional development and career advancement. Interested to become a mentor in the IT field but not sure where or how to begin? Here is how you can do it and make the most of the experience. Why become a mentor? A mentoring relationship is incredibly powerful. It helps mentees learn, grow, and improve their skills, which in turn can positively impact their job prospects. Within the IT field, where developments and advancements happen at a rapid pace, having a mentor is one of the best ways to effectively adapt to those changes. An insight from someone who has successfully overcome the challenges of being in this field can also make a huge difference in one’s career outcomes and trajectory. Although at most times it seems that mentees get the better part of the deal in a mentoring relationship, the person providing the mentoring also benefits from it too. So if you are contemplating on becoming a mentor, here are some of the things you can get out of the relationship based on the experience of those who has taken on the role. Give back. At some point in your career, you may have had colleagues who showed you the ropes of the job and helped sharpen your skills, enabling you to navigate through difficult times. By taking on the role of the mentor, you are keeping the cycle of teaching and learning going, ensuring that today’s mentees will become tomorrow’s mentors. Achieve career gains. It may not be obvious on the surface, but going the extra mile to help others can positively impact your career. Aside from refining your own way of thinking and improving your approaches to different situations, being a mentor reflects your ability to push people forward and work on their skills. Employers value this ability, and this could lead you towards a promotion or a better career opportunity in the future. Sharpen your skills. Mentoring is a two-way street. It is not only you who will do the teaching, but your mentee as well. Working with someone less experienced or from a different background gives you the opportunity to see things from a different perspective. What is more, you are able to develop your own skills because you will find yourself working hard to address your mentee’s needs, while also trying to meet their expectations of you. Personal satisfaction. By helping another person achieve their career goals, you are shaping them to become the leaders of tomorrow. This can give you a sense of satisfaction knowing that you made a difference in someone else’s life. How to become a mentor As you can see, being a mentor can bring a number of benefits to you on a personal and professional level. Knowing all that, you are likely excited with the prospect of becoming one. So, to get you on the right track and make the most of the opportunity and experience, we have put together a simple guide below. Prep yourself up. Before you get yourself out there, it is important to be clear about what you are looking for. You need to know what are your objectives and goals for becoming a mentor and what expectations you have in a mentoring relationship. It is also a good idea to define your time commitment, as mentoring often requires frequent check ins to maintain productivity and engagement. Figure out your mentorship areas. IT is a vast and diverse field, which means there are many different areas you can provide mentorship in. With that in mind, you need to determine what you want to offer to prospective mentees. Is it project assistance? Skills development? Technology and tool familiarisation? Career planning? Interview preparation? Find potential mentees. Too often, the most successful mentoring relationships are those that grow organically between people with shared interests or similar career path or work styles. So when finding potential mentees, do not look out too far. Tap into your network or organisation first, as some of your peers could be looking for a mentor to guide them. If you are unable to find someone, you can always venture outside your circle. Platforms like Speedy Mentors offer an easy way to connect and work with mentees who are interested to develop their careers in the IT sector. The best part about this is that the majority of them provide a flexible way of mentoring, allowing mentors and mentees to engage as and when they are available. Use these platforms to your advantage to find mentees you can support. Set expectations. When you and a mentee agree to engage in a mentoring relationship, it is good practice to set out clear expectations early on. You want to make sure that you and your mentee are on the same page on matters related to goals, time commitment, schedule (for check ins and follow ups), confidentiality, activities/projects, communication methods, resources, and more. Teach, learn and adjust. Once you have the essentials sorted out, you and your mentee can jump right into the mentoring relationship. Start sharing your wisdom and experiences to your mentee and listen to what they have to share as well. Your mentoring relationship does not have to be perfect, but make sure that throughout the process there is mutual respect, a level of flexibility, strong accountability, and productivity.
Recent Articles
How to Land a Project Management Role With Little to No Experience
If you’re looking to lan...
Dec 28, 2022
How Do I Land a Role as a Data Analyst with a Very Little Experience?
Are you an aspiring data analy...
Dec 19, 2022
The Benefits of Gaining Work Experience in the Field of Cyber Security
With the ever-increasing deman...
Dec 16, 2022
How Work Experience Can Help You Land a Software Tester Role
As software testing becomes an...
Dec 15, 2022
Business Analyst Roles: Why Work Experience Matters
Business analyst roles are in ...
Dec 14, 2022
Reasons Why Work Experience is Important When Applying for a Project Manager Role?
It is clear why having work ex...
Dec 13, 2022
The Importance of Work Experience for Data Analyst Role
Data analysts are an important...
Dec 12, 2022
How Can You Build Work Experience as Cyber Security Analyst Through Online Internship Program?
Cyber security analysts are in...
Dec 09, 2022
How Can You Get Work Experience as a Software Tester Through an Online Internship Program?
Software testers are in high d...
Dec 08, 2022
How Can You Acquire Work Experience as a Business Analyst Through Online Internship Program?
Business analysts play an esse...
Dec 06, 2022
How Can You Gain Work Experience as a Project Manager Through Online Internship Program?
As the world increasingly move...
Dec 05, 2022
How Can You Build Work Experience as Data Analyst Through Online Internship Program?
Wondering how you can get star...
Dec 01, 2022
.png)
Be a Mentor Online - Get Paid for Your Experience and Expertise
Mentoring is more important th...
Apr 15, 2022
.png)
What is the Purpose of Mentoring?
Mentoring is receiving a lot o...
Mar 28, 2022
.png)
How to Become a Cyber Security Expert
Cyber criminals are getting mo...
Mar 24, 2022
.png)
How to Become a Game Developer
In 2021, the gaming industry w...
Mar 11, 2022
.png)
Why You Need a UX Design Mentor
Whether you want to develop yo...
Mar 07, 2022
How Do I Become an Expert in Data Science?
Data science is shaping the fu...
Mar 02, 2022
How Do You Build Expertise in Machine Learning?
Machine learning has come a lo...
Feb 17, 2022
Benefits of Mentoring Programs in the Workplace
Meeting employees’ individua...
Feb 15, 2022
How Do You Gain Expertise in Java?
There are a lot of programming...
Feb 11, 2022
Top Digital Marketing Skills to Learn to Make Yourself Employable
Digital marketing is proven ef...
Feb 07, 2022
How to Ask Someone to be a Mentor
The benefits of mentoring are ...
Jul 09, 2021
Getting Interview Coaching to Ace Your Job Search
Interviews are an important pa...
Jun 21, 2021
Share
