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Networking as a job search tool (part 5): Find a mentor
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The following is part of a series about networking as a job search tool. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70 percent of all jobs are found through networking. This series addresses numerous ways to build relationships with potential employers, not necessarily in order of importance or effectiveness.
Everyone at any stage in their career should have a mentor, preferably more than one, but mentors can be particularly helpful when searching for an internship or a first job out of college.
“Research has shown that having a mentor is critical in successfully understanding job search timelines, interview techniques and salary negotiations when students are launching their first job search,” said Sharon Strange-Lewis, managing director the Office of Career Management at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.
Dr. Regina M. O’Neill, associate professor of management and academic director of MBA Programs at Suffolk University, agrees. “Good mentors help protégés identify opportunities, sponsor them, provide visibility for them, protect them when needed, and can help them in psychological ways by providing role modeling, counseling, and friendship.”
How do you find a mentor? You won’t have to look far. “Mentors are born out of existing relationships that you already have,” said Art Taguding, executive director of Career Services at Stevenson University. “Mentors are college professors, high school teachers, neighbors that work within an industry, community leaders, coaches, church leaders and other people in our lives.”
According to Steven Rothberg, president and founder of CollegeRecruiter.com, having more than one mentor can prove valuable. “Having multiple mentors is typically a better course of action, especially if the student is fortunate enough to find mentors who can help them in different ways. For example, one mentor may be able to provide advice about where the student should look to live after graduation and another mentor may provide career path guidance.”
Like other methods of networking discussed in this series, experts recommend students find mentors before the job search process begins. “I advise avoiding a lot of demanding requests up front. Understand that this is a relationship in development, not a one-time transaction,” said Asher Epstein, managing director of the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.
| <-- Part 4: Tap your alumni association |
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