It’s the Homestretch!
Tips for Building a
Development Network
In years past, it was much easier for employees
to find a mentor – it was an older, tenured
person at their organization who
seemed to ooze experience and wisdom.
These days, it’s tough to retain an employee
for more than 3-5 years, so finding a mentor
takes more work! A recent Wall Street Journal
article suggested that those seeking guidance
in their careers should build a team of
mentors in their field, otherwise known as a
development network. The concept of development
networks is easy to grasp; many
find the actual relationship building part to
be difficult.
Tips for building a team of mentors
1. Develop a list. Although some of your
mentors will naturally want to help you, it is
your job to come up with a list of individuals
who would be a good addition to your mentoring
team. Select a variety of people to add
to your network—both in and outside your
department/organization— so you have
different viewpoints to learn from.
2. Be the one to reach out, and do so
often. Top-notch protégés are not shy to
ask for guidance. You must be able to do the
initial ask and keep in regular contact with
your development network.
When a mentor offers a suggestion, keep
him/her posted on how the advice worked.
3. Come to meetings prepared. Now that
you’ve gotten a mentor’s attention, it’s time
to do some homework. Know some basics
about his/her background and have applicable
questions to ask when you get together.
4. Make it mutual. No one likes a person
who only talks about his/herself. The same
goes for mentoring relationships! Don’t
make every interaction with your mentors
about you. Be sure to offer help on a special
project or share some knowledge that you
might be able to impart to him/her.
5. Be personable and have a positive attitude.
We have yet to hear someone say,
“Gosh, I would love to mentor someone
who’s incredibly negative and not fun to be
around.” Not everyone is the most charismatic
person at their office, but it helps to
be a positive, upbeat version of yourself
when working with your development network.
Mentors are supposed to talk you
down from a workplace ledge every now and
then, but don’t make it a regular pastime.
From: Staffing Solutions Inc.
www.staffingsolutionsinc.com
Something New Called Focus 2!
Focus 2 is a new program here with Career Services! We are very excited about it.
It helps you decide what your major should be!
OR if you have a job you want it tells you what major would be best!
FOCUS-2 is a self-guided, online career and education planning tool for use by college students. It will enable you to assess your interests, values, skills, personality, and aspirations as they relate to careers and college majors. FOCUS-2 is designed to help you choose the best major for you and explore occupations that match your profile. Students who use FOCUS-2 make better decisions about their goals and plans and learn how to manage their careers.
Be sure to check it out today!
Events for the Week:
12/7-8 | Vector Marketing (Sales) |
10-2 Mon 11-2 Tues Union | |
12/10 | Marines Pull Up Challenge |
10-2 Union |
Etiquette Tip of the Week:
The best conversationalists are good listeners. When you meet new people, ask them questions about themselves to keep the conversation going. Are you a native of this place? Where are you from originally? What do you do for a living? How did you get into that line of work? What do you like best about your job? Listen to their answers and ask them questions based on their answers.
It is easier to get into trouble by talking too much. Very few get into trouble from listening too much.
As you know, it’s polite to give credit where credit is due. Thus these tips are from www.cultureandmanners.com
Quote from the Office:
“What are you doing?” – The Whole Office
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