How do you find a mentor who can support your career goals as a woman in STEM?

1 Benefits of mentorship

Mentorship can offer many advantages to women in STEM, such as guidance and feedback, networking and exposure, support and empowerment, as well as inspiration and role modeling. A mentor can provide honest and constructive feedback on your work, help you set achievable goals, and advise you on how to overcome obstacles. They can also introduce you to other professionals and opportunities in your field, build your reputation and credibility, advocate for you in your organization and industry, offer emotional and moral support, encourage you to pursue your interests and passions, empower you to take risks and challenges, inspire you with their stories and achievements, show you how they navigated their career path, demonstrate the skills and behaviors that you want to learn from, and help you balance your work and personal life.

4 Tips for connecting with a mentor

To connect with a mentor who can support your career goals as a woman in STEM, you can try some of these tips. Start by building a positive and respectful relationship with your mentor, by showing interest, gratitude, and curiosity. Share personal information and stories, and listen to their experiences. Be honest and authentic with your mentor, and avoid hiding or exaggerating strengths or weaknesses. Agree on the goals and expectations of the mentorship, such as the frequency, duration, and mode of communication, the topics or areas of focus, the feedback or support methods, as well as the evaluation or measurement of outcomes. You should also review and adjust these goals as needed based on progress or feedback. Seek and welcome feedback from your mentor. Ask specific questions, listen actively and attentively, and acknowledge their input. Apply their feedback to your work or behavior and show them the results or changes you have made. Lastly, give feedback to your mentor by sharing opinions, feelings, or suggestions while recognizing and thanking their efforts.

5 Tips for sustaining a mentorship

In order to sustain a mentorship that can support your career goals as a woman in STEM, it's essential to communicate and update your mentor regularly, celebrate and reflect on achievements, and adapt and evolve as needed. This can be done by scheduling and keeping appointments, sending messages or emails, sharing news or resources, acknowledging and appreciating their role and impact, sharing successes and learnings, giving them a gift or a testimonial, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the relationship, recognizing changes or transitions that may occur in your career or life, exploring new ways to grow or deepen your relationship with your mentor, taking on new projects or roles, joining new groups or events, or mentoring others together.