Video Transcription
How To Adult – Finding a mentor and networking
Oh, hello, business associate! You know, the best way to turn a job into a successful career is to find yourself a mentor and get to know other people in the industry. After all, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. At least, that’s what my friend Mark Zuckerberg told me. Different Mark Zuckerberg, though. P.M. runs a landscaping business—Zuck’s Gardens. It’s very good.
Did you want to figure out who you want to connect with? Social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter can help you find others in your line of work who you might want to connect with. There are also events specifically for networking, which you can find on sites like Meetup.com. You might be more comfortable meeting people there because everyone’s in the same boat—particularly at the Young Sailing Enthusiasts’ annual get-together.
The networks we connect with might be based on your industry, location, or just an area of work you want to know more about. I tapped into this super awesome presenter and/or TV hosts’ network, and it worked really well for me—it’s mutually beneficial. One was that I had heaps to contribute to!
List your career crushes—similar to your teen crushes. (Hey Bae and Billy Ray were mine.) But instead of banging bongs, your career crushes are home banging jobs! Think about where you see your career taking you in five or ten years and work out what steps you need to take to get there. Talk to people who are a few steps ahead of you and find out how they got to where they are.
You might find them a bit more approachable and with fresher insights than those at the “golden god” level of your field. In my case, we’re talking Ellen DeGeneres. So, I might start with the more achievable Kyle Stepanovic.
Tip 3: Be clear about what you want.
Once you know who you want to talk to, get in touch and offer to buy them a coffee. But it’s important to be clear about what it is that you want. Are you after a formal mentorship with regular check-ins? Or maybe just some one-off advice? The clearer you are, the better help they can be—and the less chance you’ll end up wasting each other’s time.
“Hey, Kyle, yeah, I was just hoping you’d be my mentor if that’s fine. But also, I’m your idol. Also, adoptive father, if that works better? Very sly solicitor. Hello, Kyle—is it forever?”
Always say thanks. You’ll probably find that most people are happy to share their expertise, but it’s still nice to say thank you. Follow up with an email or a card to show your gratitude. Be genuine and let them know what you got from the experience.
“Dear Kyle, thank you so much.”
