the blog about what to do once you you’ve found a mentor-step 2
Before I get on to Step #2, I’d like to address 2 things:
a) the obvious gap in time between step 1 and 2
b) my blog content
The latter is easier to address so we’ll start with that. In my past two blogs I’ve been covering the topic of mentorship, which is not my sole interest, not the only content that this blog will cover. This blog is meant to truly be all about the little actions in life that lead to real change. Mentorship was near and dear to my heart when I started this blog back in 2020, hence the multiple posts about it. (There is still one more to come after this one).
The gap in time is a little harder to explain. I last posted in July 2020 after exactly 2 blog posts. Since then, A LOT has happened: for you the reader, for me and for the entire world. I can’t tell you why I stopped posting exactly. I even had the below post written and ready to go. I just stopped. And stayed stopped. No reason for it- in fact, I renewed my website subscription TWICE, hoping that the cost of the site would encourage me to write again (it didn’t.) Then, I let the subscription lapse this summer. I thought, well, if I’ve paid $X the last 2 years and haven’t used it then I probably won’t use it this year. And yet, I was wrong again.
Here I am at 11:30 p.m. on a random Sunday in September re-subscribing to my website and drafting this intro. I have so many topics I want to cover and just for today I’m feeling inspired. So, please enjoy step 2 below, preserved from 2020 (thank you Google Docs!). I promise step 3 won’t take 3 years for me to post.
step 2: PREPARE FOR THE FIRST MEETING!
You’ve gotten positive responses and your first meeting is set up for a time, place and style that is convenient for the mentor. (This might mean asking- are they comfortable with a video call or would they prefer audio first? Especially with “zoom fatigue” you’ll want to meet your mentor however she feels most comfortable.)
You know you want to meet with them to discuss a particular topic, job opportunity, skill you’d like to build etc. whatever it might be, which is a great start.
First things first, do your homework. Go over their LinkedIn profile, see what you have in common, from interests, to schools or charities or social groups you might have in common. Google them! See if they show up in the news, you might learn some really interesting things about them that LinkedIn wouldn’t tell you that could spark an even richer conversation.
Then, show them you’ve done your homework on them. Reference some of the things you’ve learned about them when you meet. This will also help you prepared your questions. This is very much like sales- you don’t ever want the prospect to tell you information that you could’ve looked up yourself with a simple google search. Instead, use your 30 mins together to ask questions you CAN’T find the answers to online.
Next, map out those questions...and prioritize. As you might not know this person or what’s been happening in their day, you might not get to ALL of the questions you want to ask in your first 30 min meeting. Consider: what are the TOP 3 things I want to know? Or, get even more narrow...if there was ONE thing you want to discuss what is it? Ask that first!
A mentee of mine always comes prepared to discuss ONE topic, usually one that is relevant in her life currently. She asked me earlier this week “Could you tell me about a time you went through a challenging transition in your career? What did you do? What tips do you have as I navigate this challenging transition in my life….” This conversation took the majority of our 30 mins together.
Finally, be ready to take notes! Your potential mentor will likely say some note-worthy gems, or suggest an action item and it may be hard to remember everything. I always have a small notebook and pen with me as it’s easier for me to focus on just looking at the person over video (or in person) without typing. Also, when meeting in person, it feels very impersonal and distracting to me to have my laptop up while trying to have a conversation. Confirm first that your mentor is comfortable with you taking notes, and if she is, write away!
Reacap:
do your research
prioritize your questions
capture thoughtful notes
This will all help significantly with step 3….coming soon!
