Ajuda Especial no Canadá : Mentor

The Value of a Mentor

What is a Mentor?

A Mentor is a person who can guide you, help you and nurture your career quest. He or she is the one that you want to model after.

Why do you need a mentor?

If you are working, a mentor can coach you to pursue your career goal; if you are a new immigrant who is looking for work, a mentor can help you understand Canadian workplace culture, identify skills needed and explore opportunities in your professional field.

How to find a Mentor?

You can find a mentor on your own. Identify someone in your field that you admire and respect. Test water by asking advice. If you feel the rapport is right for mentoring relationship after a few meetings, you can either ask the person to be your mentor directly or tell him or her how much you have benefited from his or her advice and hope he or she will continue to offer guidance.

How to nurture the relationship?

Talk with your mentor about your mutual expectation for the mentoring relationship. Always think about what you can do for a mentor besides what your mentor can do for you. A reciprocal relationship will be a lasting one.
Be sure not to burden your mentor by demanding too much of their time and attention. A lot of mentors are volunteers and the time they spend for you should be respected.
Although the feeling of being needed and making a difference in somebody’s life is rewarding, a token of gratitude for your mentor will be appreciated.

What is required from a Mentee?

You, a mentee, need to be open and honest with your mentor. You also need to have realistic expectations. If you are looking for a job, it is not always realistic to expect your mentor find you a job. However, a mentor can help assess your strength and weaknesses, show you where and how to gain the skills needed in your professional field and most important of all, help you get networking contacts, which will be crucial in your job search.

From : YMCA - Canada
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