How often should you meet with a mentor for career development?

1 Assess your goals and needs

Before you start meeting with a mentor, you should have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and what kind of help you need. Do you want to learn new skills, explore new opportunities, or overcome challenges? How specific and urgent are your goals and needs? Depending on your answers, you may need more or less frequent meetings with your mentor. For example, if you have a short-term goal, such as preparing for an interview, you may want to meet more often than if you have a long-term goal, such as advancing to a higher position.

2 Communicate your expectations

Once you have identified your goals and needs, you should communicate them to your mentor and ask them about their availability and preferences. How often can they meet with you? How long can each meeting last? How do they prefer to communicate, via phone, email, or video call? How much feedback and follow-up do they expect from you? By discussing these questions with your mentor, you can align your expectations and avoid misunderstandings or disappointments. You can also agree on a schedule and a format for your meetings that works for both of you.

3 Adjust as you go

As your relationship with your mentor evolves, you may need to adjust the frequency and duration of your meetings. For example, you may want to meet more often at the beginning of the mentoring process, when you are getting to know each other and establishing trust and rapport. Then, you may want to reduce the frequency as you become more confident and independent. Alternatively, you may want to increase the frequency if you face a new challenge or opportunity that requires more guidance and support. You should also check in with your mentor regularly and ask for feedback on how the meetings are going and if they need any changes.