This post make some good points relevant for careers today. Check it out.

http://www.parachute4teens.com/blog/81-grains-of-salt.html

You’ve noticed a potential mentor but suspect they are too busy to be a mentor? Or maybe you just don’t know how to break the ice with them. Try informational interviewing. Its not just for students or those choosing a career for the first time! Informational interviewing can help you transition to a new career field, further your network, or find a mentor.

Approach people who you suspect are too busy to be mentors and ask them for an informational interview. This is only one meeting of 30 minutes or so in duration but it has great potential for you to get excellent advice and information about the transition you are considering. It is also a way you can receive a little mentoring from several different people. Of course, be on the lookout for ways you can contribute to your interviewee’s efforts too, now or at a time in the future.

Here are the steps to make an info interview happen. Call your contact. Let them know you want to learn more about their career field and you were hoping they could help. Ask if you can schedule a time to speak with them for 30 minutes because you would like to ask them how they got into the field and about their recommendations for people considering entering the profession.

Following are some questions typically asked in an informational interview. Remember you most likely will not be able to ask them all since you want to keep the interview to only 30 minutes unless they encourage you to continue.

• How did you get to this point in your career?

• How did you find this job?

• What would you do differently if you were starting over in this field?

• Are there any professional associations you can recommend?

• What do you read to stay up-to-date in the field?

• What is happening in this industry?

• What recommendations do you have for a person interested in this field?

• Do you know others I should speak to about this career field?

Be sure to take a pen and paper for quick notes and recommendations and ask for their business card before you leave. Don’t forget to write and send a thank you note the following day.

Find a mentor by being found in the environment where the kind of people who you would like to have as a mentor hang out. The way to find the environment where they hang out is to first follow your own interests. Continue to make better distinctions about yourself and where you want to go then follow your nose to the gathering places for people whose interests match yours. Locate and engage the experts in those places. Share your enthusiasm and demonstrate that you are there to learn and that you are very interested in contributing to the conversation.

I found my most recent mentors by first defining my career goals then participating in my career field. I went to conferences and meetings, volunteered on committees, and entered the dialog appropriately. I looked for ways to contribute (usually by volunteering to do or organize something for the group) and I formed relationships through those activities.

Remember too that mentoring doesn’t have to be a formal arrangement. Most of my mentors weren’t even aware that I considered them mentors at all. This is because very important mentoring often occurs in small doses. Not to knock a formal mentoring arrangement because if both parties are willing to commit to meeting and talking for a regularly for a month or six there are benefits to both the mentee AND the mentor.

Chris Brogan’s post on using social media in the classroom prompted my thoughts on this one. Thanks Chris!

There is an opportunity for “reverse mentoring” with technology. Reverse mentoring means a younger person can guide and teach someone older than they are.

Of course, we all know there are many skills and ideas the older generation can teach the younger generation, but think of how the younger generation can give back through technology which they tend to be so comfortable with. This could be crucial because one of the integral ideas for career success that young people need to learn is reciprocity in networking. This type of mentoring can open the door to dialogue and both sides benefit as in the traditional mentoring relationship. Not to mention the increases in self-confidence and time saved that will be gained as both parties get up to speed, one with technology and the other with networking.

I have been thinking about the money flow difference between coaching and mentoring and it has been good food for thought. Surely mentors get some other sort of compensation for their contributions (rather than the green stuff), maybe not from the person who sought out their expertise but from somewhere else. Or, maybe they do get something besides money from their mentees. They might receive stimulation for their own development and/or creativity; or they might simply get another set of ears to hear them speak about their passion which may feed their energy and motivation. That could be worth more than money because of the richness of the experience.

The role of mentor doesn’t actually have to be formalized and stuffy. I imagine many successful people give mentoring on a regular basis to several different people but likely in small doses due to busy schedules. Often when someone is successful in their field they are passionate about what they do and love to share their expertise. The key then is to find the people who are where you want to be and get some time with them. Here is one way to do that.

First, outline or journal what your career will look like when you arrive at the “next level.” What will you be doing in your work? What experience & education will you have achieved? How are you impacting your industry?

Second, find people who are already doing what you outlined for your “next level” self. Look for them in writing and speaking that is going on in your industry and in professional associations associated with your industry, or attend a conference or training, and search for them on LinkedIn.

Third, start a dialog with those you identify. Ask the question, “what advice do you have for someone who is interested in doing what you are doing?” Ask also how they stay up-to-date in the field. Be sure to thank them for their time by writing them a thank you note or email or a quick follow up phone call or message later. Consider them a part of your professional network and send info their way when you see or hear about something they might like to know.

Finally, be open to reciprocate when someone approaches you with the same questions about how you got where you are.