Through networking and mentorship, students can find internships, learn about job opportunities, and gain additional knowledge and skills.Getty Images
Your professional breakthrough could be waiting in the hallway as you and other conference attendees enjoy a coffee break before the next session. It might be what follows a cocktail reception at an industry association meeting or the result of bumping into a senior coworker in an elevator.
Career moves are fuelled by conversation – not just what you say during a formal job interview, but discussions that happen in all kinds of professional and personal settings. Getting to know the right people and cultivating a relationship with a mentor can pave the way for your first job, a better job or simply a more fulfilling work experience.
If you’re not sure how to build a professional network or find the mentor you need, career experts say there’s plenty you can do.
Review your existing contacts
While there may be plenty of networking events that crop up once you’ve landed your first career role, don’t wait that long to get started.
“Your network starts now,” says Mary Olson-Menzel, founder and CEO of New York-based MVP Executive Development and the author of What Lights You Up? Illuminate Your Path and Take the Next Big Step in Your Career. “Your professors, the people you’re starting to meet through your classes or any director of a student club – that’s the beginning of your professional network, and it’s time to start building it.”
Ms. Olson-Menzel says the most common refrain from would-be networkers and mentees, especially when they’re young, is that they don’t know a lot of people. She often counters with the fact that their parents or friends probably do. You need to think holistically about the degrees of separation between you and people who could help your career and expand from there, she says.
Liz Lemon-Mitchell, director of faculty advancement and operations at the University of New Brunswick faculty of management, recommends taking a similar approach with social media platforms like LinkedIn. “Every university is on LinkedIn,” she says. “Find your alumni, then see who they know with similar interests. Your network will grow from there.”
Find different ways to connect
Students, new grads and those between jobs are often encouraged to set up “informational interviews” – informal conversations with industry professionals – as a way to kickstart networking. If that sounds intimidating, consider taking part in an activity where professional organizations come up more organically.
Vida Thomson, a career coach and principal of Vancouver-based Flourish Career Consulting, suggests volunteering at industry events as an example.
“Volunteering can be a way of overcoming those stumbling blocks of feeling awkward or having ‘imposter syndrome,’ because you have a purpose for being there,” she says. “It gives you another focus, but you’re still also there and building those relationships.”
Even taking professional courses can work, Ms. Thomson says, as your classmates might include people with much deeper experience in your industry. Follow up with people who offer great insights during class discussions and send a thank-you note with questions to guest speakers who give a talk.
Approach mentors with a give-and-take mindset
Ms. Lemon-Mitchell recommends Adam Grant’s book, Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, as a good guide to the fine art of approaching and developing mentor-mentee relationships. The main point is to treat potential mentors as people you can help, not just a bottomless resource for career wisdom.
“I’ve had students say, ‘This feels fake,’” when talking about networking and approaching mentors, she says. “I point out that they might be able to connect a mentor with someone else or provide their own insights on something happening in the industry. Once they start thinking of it like that, they start to feel better.”
Mentors don’t have to be senior executives or industry leaders, Ms. Olson-Menzel adds. They could be just a few years ahead of you in their career. And it’s okay to ask your boss to be your mentor.
“It doesn’t have to be the person who’s at the top of their game. It just has to be a person that you can connect with,” she says. Just go in with a plan about what you hope to learn, what you might be able to contribute to your mentor’s ongoing success and let them know when you’ve followed their advice.
Finally, remember that mentorship and networking are a skill you’ll constantly practice, and as you get better, there will be others looking to you for the same support you need now.
“It can often feel like you’re bothering people, but that’s not usually how people feel,” says Ms. Thomson.