19
May
Mentor is Essential When Starting Your Career
If you have a mentor at the start of your career, consider yourself fortunate to have someone who will lead and advise you through your professional journey. I’m going to share with you in this post about the mentor- mentee relationship and many other things. In the beginning of my job as secretary, I was grateful to have mentors who helped. I will mention what I experienced in the beginning of my employment later on. So let’s have a look at the following questions:
- WHO IS THE MENTOR?
- THE ROLE OF THE MENTOR.
- HOW SHOULD YOU CONTACT THE MENTOR?
- THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MENTOR AND MENTEE.
- WHAT IN RETURN TO DO TO YOUR MENTOR?
- THE MENTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES.
- THE ADVANTAGES OF HAVING A MENTOR.
1. WHO IS THE MENTOR?
The mentor can be any of the three characters listed below:
1. FORMAL MENTOR:
This person is designated as someone’s mentor, by the department board committee or by a director; however, this requires consent and permission from the senior who is selected to be the mentor. I saw this when I was a coordinator for one of the important programs for residents at the hospital, and I saw how the director and his team cared for their residents and how they dealt with each one of them. By having a mentor to whom you may return when you have issues or need help.
2. INFORMAL MENTOR:
This is the person from whom you are seeking guidance on a specific topic; they are considered experts in that field. As my experience show at this point, I did go back to the experts when I have a query about the hospital’s policy, I seek the advice of the quality coordinators, who are quite helpful in addressing my questions. Also, as a secretary, I have numerous coworkers from various sections who often seek my assistance, and I’m always pleased to help. So I consider myself to be an informal mentor here, kind of an informal mentor. Come on! I‘ve been working in this field for 14 years.
3. VIRTUAL MENTORS:
These may be an author you admire, a YouTuber, someone on social media platforms, a book, or a podcast. They are considered virtual mentors and guide you indirectly along your journey of personal development or improving your work quality. Bear in mind to search carefully, on who you are going to follow. Because not everyone in the media is a mentor, it is your own responsibility to choose the perfect person for you. Therefore, choose wisely.
2. THE ROLE OF THE MENTOR:
Mentors’ responsibilities to mentees include the following:
- Providing guidance, advice, feedback, and encouragement to mentees at difficult times, mentors are observing details that no one else can because of their experiences that come from years of working. To clarify, the mentor is not going to do the entire job for the mentee (we don’t want to give the mentor a hard time).
- Because each mentee is unique, the mentor should get to know each one in order to provide appropriate counsel and direction.
- Follow up.
NEW SECRETARY WITH HANDWRITING AND TAKING MEETING NOTES:
As an example, when I was a new secretary, I worked with several medical departments and physicians who were submitting their handwritten reports and presentations to be typed and presented by them. Only God knows how much suffering I went through because some of the handwriting I didn’t understand and wasn’t clear at all. The physicians were obviously busy in the O.R. and clinics, not to mention the various administrative tasks that they had to deal with. As a result, my role as a secretary is to make doctors’ jobs easier rather than complicate and waste their time.
So in order to write what was submitted to me, I have to read over and over again, trying to allow my eyes to get used to the handwriting, if I understand the words, that is good; if not, I have to go back to the senior secretary and ask for help reading the unclear words (and I have to be precise to not waste her time as well; she has lots of responsibilities).
Handwritten, minutes of the meeting, and me!
Then, write the draft and submit it for the physician’s review. It was a major accomplishment for me when I eventually mastered reading certain physicians’ handwritten notes. Later on, I enjoyed reading their notes as a challenge and to improve my reading skills. Assuring myself that I could read some tough handwriting, I met with one of the directors, who asked me to read what my boss had written him. When I read it to him, it was his instructions for one of the projects. The second major concern for me was taking meeting minutes; it was my worst nightmare! But, with the assistance of my amazing mentor, who also happens to be my boss, he always encourages and supports me and never lets me feel guilt.
Even if I wrote nonsense sentences. But he was a patient man with a charming demeanor. He didn’t give up on me; instead, he trained me till I became butter, I guess. He showed me what I might do, my weakness, and one of the funniest jokes to me was that I wrote a sentence in quick (the project will be lunch) instead of writing launched. So embarrassing!! I will never forget this mistake. I’m thankful to God. To the mentors who stood in my way, that is something I will always remember, and I will do my best to teach my coworkers who are seeking help, about what I dealt with in my job.
3. HOW SHOULD YOU CONTACT THE MENTOR?
Respect the mentor’s time; you do not want to annoy him every now and then with your numerous queries. As a result, be precise and specific about what exactly you would like to inquire about. First, schedule a suitable time to meet him. If he has a secretary, ask her about his availability, if not, just call him or send an email. Then, when the time comes, you are supposed to be ready with your questions. In this way, you will save both his time and yours. Because he does not have you only, he has his own job to focus on. He might be a senior teacher, consultant, engineer, or senior secretary; in the end, both of you are working at the same institution. Thus, time is precious. We need to respect everyone’s time.
4. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MENTOR AND MENTEE:
The relation it could be official or casual, depending on the length of the relationship, situations, and years spent together. It is preferable to keep things professional. Respect the mentor’s time. Communicate with him whether to meet him during office hours or via email, as mentioned before.
5. WHAT IN RETURN TO DO TO YOUR MENTOR?
The relationship is supposed to be a win-win situation in which both of you gain. As I previously stated, the mentor will guide you and show you how things function because his eyes will see things from a different perspective due to his many years of expertise. Therefore, be respectful, polite, transparent, and honest; listen to what he has to say while taking notes. For example, during a hospital round, if a consultant discusses a case, you, as an intern or resident, are expected to listen intently and take notes on what he says. As a result, you will gain knowledge.
6. THE MENTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES:
There are things you have to consider when being mentored by the mentor, to mention few: Let’s read to do lists:
- Pay attention.
- Listen.
- Learn.
- Understand.
- Focus on to what your mentor is saying.
- Feedback.
- Update.
- Recap.
7. THE ADVANTAGES OF HAVING A MENTOR:
- Make your job easier, because of was mentioned before.
- Provide feedback on areas that want improvement.
- Regular guidance in difficult and conflicting situations.
- Developing your interpersonal skills.
The last things: If you would like to appreciate your mentor, who is going to be retired or leave. Here are some gifts to consider. You can check these cool things on amazon:
