What My Mentors Have Taught Me; New York Times, 1/24/10

Keecia Scott, New York Times; What My Mentors Have Taught Me:

"A FEW years ago, I changed jobs, moving from the beverage industry to the biopharmaceutical industry. I didn’t know how to get ahead in the new environment, however, so I turned to a mentoring program. I’d recommend finding a mentor for help with your career. If you’re open to what you hear and have realistic expectations, I can’t think of a downside...

Some people may think mentoring is too time-consuming. That was my concern as well. I have two kids, and signing up would mean giving up more free time. But I decided I had nothing to lose.

At my first meeting, last year, I met the two mentors assigned to my group. Then Sue Curro, vice president for a UCB business unit who is on the H.B.A. board, sat down with us. It was a stroke of luck. I started talking to her about some of my frustrations, and she said she’d try to help.

In two days, she scheduled something I’d been trying to do ever since I was promoted — going on a rep ride, or joining a sales representative on customer visits for a day. It was a lesson that mentors can open doors, not just give advice.

I went on the ride last spring and decided I’m interested in that job. I think my consumer sales experience would be a good fit. Recently, I found a sales-rep opening in a pediatric respiratory unit. I have three years’ experience in a different area, so I’m not sure it’s the best match. I’ll consult my mentors about this opportunity, but a part of me feels as if I need to wait for another job.

I’ve learned in the mentoring program that you need to be patient. Then again, another part of me feels that these opportunities are rare and maybe I should go for it. I’ve contacted several people in my company, including the hiring manager, to find out more.

This is a good example of a situation where a mentor can help. If you don’t have a lot of experience in an industry, you may overlook important points about career decisions. I now have people who know my goals, and I can bounce ideas off of them.

If someone asked me to name 10 things I got from my mentoring program, I don’t know that I could. But it has helped me decide what I want my future to look like and has given me a leg up in getting there.

I IMAGINE that some people become friends with their mentors. That has been my experience. Today I can pick up the phone with a question I think should take 10 minutes to answer, and one of my mentors from the H.B.A. will take an hour with me. Or sometimes they’ll brainstorm about me.

Last fall, an H.B.A. staff member asked me to join the board and to become a mentor myself. It may sound selfish, but I know I still have more to gain from the program. I asked to be a mentee again in this year’s program instead. I told her that I’ll probably be mentoring someone in my group anyway. That’s what happened last year — I bounced ideas off of a woman in my group from a different industry, and she did the same with me."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/jobs/24pre.html?scp=1&sq=mentors&st=cse