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Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a mentor. Feel free to use our mentor job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a mentor.

 

Who is a Mentor?

The process of mentorship involves guiding, directing, and managing individuals. Mentors teach, advise, and help less experienced individuals to achieve their career goals. Mentorship aims to stimulate growth in individuals both personally and professionally. The beneficiaries of mentorship are called mentees. In some organizations, senior or experienced members of staff are asked to act as mentors to junior staff. The process of mentoring mentees also aims to inculcate relevant skills, expertise, and knowledge essential for growth in the industry or career. In this article, the meaning of a mentor and the responsibilities of a mentor will be analyzed. Also, the skills, qualifications, salary, and employers of mentors will be discussed.

A mentor can be defined as an individual or professional that helps others gain knowledge, skills, experience, and expertise needed for growth and development in their personal and professional endeavor. A mentor has the experience that others can benefit from; they also help mentees to build networks and connections within and outside the industry. They use their leadership and mentorship skills to guide individuals to attain the pinnacle or height of their careers. A mentor can effectively transform a naïve mentee into a hardworking, creative, innovative, and productive individual. Depending on the mentor-mentee agreement, some mentors provide tasks and assignments to mentees. Mentors that work in the same organization as their mentees provide feedback to management on progress made.

Furthermore, mentors ensure that knowledge is transmitted informally to mentees; they provide relevant social capital and psychosocial support to mentees. These are necessary for career development and professional growth. A mentor may communicate with mentees via several options such as face-to-face or online. They may also exchange emails, phone calls, and text messages. Significantly, mentors work in the best interest of the people they are coaching; they respond to questions, answer inquiries, proffer solutions to problems, and assuage fears.

Also, a mentor benefits from the mentor-mentee relationship as well. The process helps them grow their professional network, improve their mentorship portfolio, and refresh their expertise and knowledge. Sometimes, a mentor can serve as a referee to his or her mentees as well as a professional contact to others. They might also send their prodigy’s resumes to companies or recommend them for specific roles or internships. In some cases, mentors provide tips on how to prepare for an interview; they offer guides on how to approach and answer interview questions as well. A mentor also introduces mentees to industry trends and updates as they come; they help mentees develop or draft their short and long-term professional growth plans.

 

Types of Mentors

There are different types of mentors depending on the model of mentorship. These include;

Career mentor: A career mentor is a type of mentor that helps mentees to determine their career plans and growth. Usually, they are senior professionals in the industry; they advocate and guide mentees to choose the right path for career growth.

Peer mentor: A peer mentor can be a colleague or coworker in the industry. Peer mentorship can be done formally or in social settings. They help enlighten mentees on what the job entails and suggest ways for improvement. A peer mentor is also responsible for informing mentees about job postings and orienting them on the organization’s work culture.

Life mentors: A life mentor can be a senior employee at the company or a seasoned professional in another organization. They are at the apex of their careers and can offer mentorship to everyone. A life mentor often guides a mentee to make tough and difficult choices such as a job change, career switch, or change positions. They provide unbiased and confidential guidance.

                                

Mentor Job Description

A mentor is a valuable asset for career growth and development. They use their experience and expertise to provide meaningful guidance, direction, and support to mentees. Mentorship provides a platform for connecting with future leaders, innovators, and world-beaters. While assisting in shaping the career of a mentee, these professionals improve their knowledge and skills. Mentors are expected to perform different functions regardless of the sector, industry, or organization they work; these are;

• Initiate the mentor-mentee relationship and let the mentees take charge of their career planning and growth.
• Establish the goals and targets of the mentor-mentee relationship and listen to the mentees.
• Foster the mentor-mentee relationship and meet them regularly as agreed.
• Maintain and provide confidentiality, honesty, and feedback.
• Suggest and encourage participation in professional development.
• State the limits of the agreement and respect the mentees.
• Resolve conflicts, differences, and misunderstandings and seek external support where necessary.
• Organize training, introduction, orientation, and onboarding events to meet and greet mentees.
• Act in a professional manner always and avoid invading the mentee’s privacy.
• Discuss the norms, procedures, principles, guidelines, and terms of the mentorship with mentees.
• Alert the mentees to potential adjustment-related obstacles and issue them with suitable resources to help negate these.
• Follow up on mentees to ascertain progress or not.
• Organize bonding activities to enhance the mentee’s participation and social orientation.
• Support mentees during stretches of psychosocial and medical hardship.
• Participate in workshops, meetings, and other events to get address the mentee’s worries and concerns.
• Perform reviews and refer severe cases of complications to management.
• Implement strategies and support learners in self-esteem and confidence-building activities.
• Liaise with staff to identify learners who would benefit from mentoring.
• Discuss and help decide how identified needs will be addressed.
• Listen to learners and help them resolve a range of issues that are creating barriers to their learning.
• Monitor attendance and punctuality of learners.
• Visit parents at home to discuss issues and run group sessions and workshops for parents at school.

 

Qualifications

A mentor is a professional that guides, advice, and supports other individuals to make good career choices and decisions. They have usually experienced professionals in the same sector or industry as the mentee. Also, mentors provide feedback and work based on the agreement, targets, goals, and visions of the mentee. A mentor can act as a sponsor, ally, counselor, teacher, role model, or advocate for those he or she is mentoring. Mentors help mentees to easily transit into the particular sector they choose and exposed them to available opportunities in the sector. Although everyone might provide one form of mentoring services or another, not everyone can be a mentor. There are certain requirements an individual must ace or possess to become a mentor. From social integration to business acumen, and academic prowess, an individual must possess the following qualifications to be employable as a mentor;

1. Mentor experience: To be employed as a mentor, an individual must demonstrate some level of experience in mentorship. He or she must show evidence of mentorship experience to the hiring manager. This can be through presenting a verifiable list of previous and current mentees. Also, experience and knowledge of best practices in mentorship are a bonus.
2. Knowledge of the institute: An individual must demonstrate and show knowledge of the institute or industry to be employable as a mentor. You must know the basic tenets of the sector you intend to mentor in. For example, an aspiring mentor in academics must be an entity in academics.
3. Ability to complete all tasks: The mentor-mentee relationship involves commitment from both parties. Hence, an aspiring mentor must have the ability to fulfill their part of the agreement always. You must show proof of actualized or fulfilled the previous commitment. Relatively, a prospective mentor should have the capacity to decipher medical, psychosocial, and emotional unrest or instability.
4. Education: Unlike most occupations or careers where a minimum level of education is required, the position of a mentor is open to all experienced professionals. However, most employers prefer university graduates and HND holders. Such individuals should preferably pursue certification in mentorship to be at an advantage. Training and specialty in guidance, education, social work, and health can suffice. Others are community engagement, psychology, and youth development.
5. Success in the chosen field: Employers prefer candidates with mastery and success in a particular field. Having the expertise and technical know-how of the particular career is paramount; however, applying the knowledge to succeed and make an impact is more important to becoming a mentor.

 

Essential skills

The main duty of a mentor is to stimulate career growth and advancement in mentees and other individuals. They strive to enhance professional development in a company, business, or enterprise. There are common skills that are necessary for mentors; these skills help the mentor create a safe and ambient work environment, build lasting relationships with mentees, promote learning, and enhance professional and personal growth. It is the responsibility of a mentor to supply mental, psychological, and psychosocial tools to mentees to help them grow in their career. Thus, the essential skills of a mentor include all but are not restricted to the following;

Leadership skills: Although the mentor-mentee relationship involves building close bonds, a mentor needs to demonstrate leadership most times. Research and experts have advocated for thorough leadership during the mentoring process. A mentor has to make decisions on techniques to use to help mentees grow in their career.

Active listening: Active listening is an essential skill in mentorship. Mentees or students often have questions, inquiries, and problems they want to solve. Thus, a mentor should listen actively to provide answers and solutions to such queries. Another angle to active listening is being focused and devoid of distraction. When holding a mentoring session, minimize distractions from external sources like phones, music, or noise.

Empathy: A mentor must show understanding, care, and concern for the plight of the individual. They must show social awareness and support to build great interpersonal relationships with mentees. Empathy also involves being aware of the feelings of the mentees, putting yourself in their shoes, and making them feel valued and understood.

Technical skills: Technical skills and expertise are vital in mentorship. You can’t succeed in mentoring without adequate knowledge of the sector or industry you specialize in. Simply, you can’t give what you don’t have.

Patience and support: Some students and mentees can be complicated and difficult to work with; moreover, it might take time to see real progress in a mentored individual. Therefore, a mentor must be patient to avoid rushing and jeopardizing the entire process. On the other hand, respect is vital in the mentor-mentee relationship. When a mentee feels respected, they often put in more effort.             

 

 How to Become a Mentor

Growth, development, progression, and advancement are the ultimate goal of mentorship. A mentor strives to instigate growth among students, learners, and mentees. Similarly, mentors are constantly looking for opportunities to grow as well. To become a mentor, an individual must be an expert in the field or industry, have experienced, and develop mentor skills. Therefore, the following steps can enable an individual to become a mentor;

• Complete an education: Completing some level of education in your chosen field is the first port of call for mentorship. To become a mentor in engineering, for example, an individual should obtain a degree or HND in any engineering-related course. This will provide the relevant theoretical knowledge of the industry.
• Build your skills: Building and developing relevant mentor skills is the next step in becoming a mentor. Skills like technical skills, active listening, communication, leadership, and empathy can be learned, nurtured, and developed. Remember, mentorship also involves passing skills and knowledge to others.
• Gain work experience: Experience in mentorship is paramount; you can enroll in online mentorship classes or courses to build relevant experience. Also, you can apply for roles and positions in your chosen field to accumulate years of experience in the career. Mentors are usually experienced and seasoned professionals.
• Expand your network: Building a professional network is important for mentors. When applying for roles, employers prefer candidates with professional networks. Hence, expand your network while working; this will enable you to build a mentorship portfolio that can be used later.

 

Where to Work

Mentors are employed in all industries, sectors, and careers. They can find work in agriculture, health, education, commerce, IT, construction, real estate, engineering, law enforcement, and transportation among others. Some mentors in academics can find work on campus or in a secondary school. Some firms employ mentors to serve as consultants. Importantly, a mentor might even work in the same company as the people he or she is coaching.

 

Mentor Salary Scale

Mentors earn an average salary of $27,402 per year in countries like the US. The highest 10^th percentile earns an average of $51,000 per annum while the lowest 10^th percentiles earn an average of $18,000. A breakdown of the salary showed that mentors approximately earn $13.17, $527, and $2,284 per hour, week, and month respectively.

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