ART OF NETWORKING!

The truth about networking with your mentor and the values imparted

Networking is a crucial part of any successful career and networking with a mentor can be the difference between success and failure.

It's easy to feel apathetic towards your career because it's hard to see how you're going to improve in your current company. You may even be starting to feel like you'll never make it out of the cubicle farm alive. But if you want something better, you've got to do something better for yourself, and that necessarily entails meeting people who have been in your shoes before and learned from their struggles.

Why is networking is important with your mentor all the time?

Networking effectively with mentors will get you the guidance and feedback that will help you get better at what you're doing. A mentor can also show where there are problems in your approach that aren't obvious to you from the inside. They'll be able to show how they dealt with similar problems and maybe even offer a little more direction on how to go about tackling them.

When looking for a mentor, it's important to find someone who has a track record of success in your industry or one similar to it. A big name in your company is going to have a lot of great ideas, but if they haven't been able to make them work themselves, they may not be able to tell you exactly how they did it.

The best mentor is someone who has been in your shoes and learned from their mistakes, and the best way to find them is of course through networking.

Look out for examples and instances for inspiration

Look for people who lead by example, and learn from their mistakes. Find out what they did to get where they are; you can always ask them if you're unsure on how they accomplished something that seems like it should be simple. You can also meet mentors through industry- or company-specific networking groups like Women 2.0 or Junior Achievement.

Networking is a crucial part of any successful career and networking with a mentor can be the difference between success and failure.

While an ideal mentor is someone who's been where you want to go and learned from their mistakes, works well with others and has a track record of success, it's not always easy to find people who fit that mold. Perhaps you don't have any previous experience in the industry you're interested in, and the people in your company who do seem very locked into their own careers. Maybe they're just not interested in helping out junior employees instead of just focusing on their own promotions. Well, that's when you need to step back and start using networking to go deeper into your industry or company.

Conclusion

Go ahead and attend industry events. These days, there are more than plenty of conferences, workshops and seminars for almost every field of business. Unfortunately, there often aren't enough women in these industries to make them feel entirely comfortable for female attendees. But if you can find a woman in the group who's willing to help you out — even if she is a few steps ahead of you — and put in some requests for information about these events via social media like LinkedIn and Facebook, it'll make it much easier for you to get involved with networking groups that will help your career.