Over the years, mentoring has been a valuable development opportunity for those in the early stages of their career. By having the guidance and support of an experienced mentor, mentees are provided with a wide range of personal and professional benefits. This will ultimately lead to improved performance in the workplace.
The benefits of mentoring, however, often extend far beyond the relationship’s initial purpose. As the Harvard Business Review explains: “Mentoring works best when it focuses on the entire person versus focusing on skill development alone.”
Here are three reasons why having a mentor in the skilled trades will further your career:
You’ll get an insider’s perspective on navigating your skilled trade.
By now, everyone has heard or used the worn-out phrase: “been there, done that.” Trite or not, those words best describe the primary task of a mentor—passing on all that insider knowledge that may have taken years to collect at various places and through a variety of roles.
For example, machinists are famous for using certain “tricks of the trade” to help them set up efficiently, sharpen their tools properly, and use the optimum feeds and speeds for machining different materials. They spend years on the shop floor perfecting their methods. The same goes for electricians, plumbers, and every other trade.
You could gain access to your mentor’s insider knowledge and wealth of experience, which could give you a leg up in getting hired by one of the top employers and promoted within that organization.
Your mentor will provide you with critical lifelong networking contacts.
Through your mentor, you will establish long-term, mutually beneficial relationships that will benefit you as you’re learning your trade and throughout your entire career. What an advantage it is to become part of a network that your mentor built up over years or even decades. And those same contacts will serve you well if you decide to start your own business somewhere down the road.
Your self-confidence will soar.
It’s not unusual for someone to feel overwhelmed in the formative stages of learning a trade. There is so much to take in, and on those days when you feel like you’re never going to learn it all, your mentor will be there to offer support and put your doubts in perspective. The support system that a mentor can provide at the critical stages of your development will help to boost your self-confidence.
Are you ready to find that perfect skilled trade job?
We are here to help you. Contact Pro Resources for the light industrial or technical/professional position you’re hoping to find. We’ve been in business for over 30 years, so let us use our expertise to help you find your next job.