How to have a successful mentor-mentee relationship.
I found this gem of an article in my drafts and I think the tips here are valuable. This is one of those articles that future me thanks past me for writing especially because I recently got a new job and I am fortunate to have a mentor. I hope you pick a thing or two from this short blog.😁
There are different reasons people seek to get mentors. Naturally in Software Engineering, I have found that most mentors are the more experienced developers i.e Senior Software Engineers. Most jobs naturally do offer mentorship programs, especially for juniors and interns and people can get involved in that.
What is the best approach to take for mentorship?
1. Understand the person you are approaching is giving his/her time to you
Please don’t waste their time or have them chase after you for updates on tasks delegated to you. It leaves a bad taste. Always make the point to follow up with your mentor with updates on the assigned tasks. Remember your career growth and progression is your initiative and your mentor is taking the time of their day to set you up for success and push you in the right direction. Don’t waste their time.
You go to the river if you are thirsty.
2. Go with a plan and reason for the mentorship. When seeking mentorship outside of work have a plan and goal for the mentorship to bear the desired fruits. Example: get your code reviewed, get career advice, etc.
3. Take the initiative. Don’t let the mentor take most of the initiatives. Again, you are an adult and your career growth is your responsibility.
4. Be diligent in trying out the things your mentor suggests to you. Be receptive to your mentors' feedback since if you aren’t as receptive, your mentor may feel like the guidance they are giving you isn’t valued.
5. The aim of a mentor should be to leverage their experiences. Aim to get someone that is experienced in the particular field they will mentor you in.
6. Be honest with your mentor. Honesty will help you as a mentee to grow and trust is essential in this mentor/mentee relationship.
7. Learn to communicate. The ability to clearly articulate your points, ideas, and just express yourself will boost you along the way and set you up for success sooner than later.
I have found that the easiest way to get guidance especially on Twitter, is to DM your supposed mentor and ask them a question on whatever is bugging you.
Away from the work environment, it’s easier to find a mentor when you’ve put in some effort and are you trying to build stuff yourself. You may approach someone to give you one or two tips about whatever it is you need their guidance on and that’s just usually it unless there’s something more you are doing that will establish the engagement. Otherwise, it's honestly just vibes.
Note: Mentorship is not only about the writing of code there are other factors such as soft skills, career choices, entrepreneurship etc.
As my mentor tells me “my role as your mentor is to help you succeed.” I would love to hear some of your tips and tricks that help you have a successful mentor-to-mentee relationship in the comments.
I found some of these tips in Living by the Code, and I 1000/10 recommend the book. It’s very insightful.
Adios ✌ !
