If you have a desire to empower others or if you are interested in taking ownership of your professional growth for 2022, create a mentor or mentee profile. Register by Jan. 31, 2022 to be matched in February.    

“My mentee is absolutely one of the best people I have ever met, and I can now also call her my friend. She has taught me to be objective, inquisitive, and compassionate regarding a cause. I hope I’ve helped her personally and professionally, but I know she’s helped me,” said Rochelle Barry, closeout manager in the Office of Sponsored Programs at Georgia Tech.   

It is January and with the new year, comes new resolutions! Have you thought about what you want to achieve professionally? Or better yet, who can inspire and challenge you?   

Maybe you have a desire to learn new technical skills, get more certifications, strengthen your leadership skills, obtain a new job, or even facilitate a career change. Regardless of your career goals, with January being National Mentoring Month, a mentoring professional partner can be a powerful asset to inspire and challenge your professional development.  

Mentors serve not only as a repertoire of industry knowledge but also a source of empowerment. Benefits of having a mentor include confidence and coaching enhancement, communication and personal skills development, and job and career reinforcement. The inclusion of these skills and experiences will make you ready for change and challenges in your professional trajectory. Conversely, by serving as a mentor, your mentees can help you grow as a leader and elevate your confidence. Benefits of having a mentee also include job and career reinforcement and the fulfillment of helping others reach their potential.  

Thinking Ahead  

Before you start your journey to obtaining a professional partnership, it is imperative to identify your short and long-term goals. Consider writing out and visualizing the types of positions, certifications, and skillsets that you would like to obtain in the immediate and distant future. The concept of SMART goals will help your vision become more realistic and provide a more strategic and proactive approach to your mentor-mentee interactions.  

“Self Reflection is the key to unlocking clarity,” says Debbie Phillips, professor at Georgia Tech. “The most important meeting you’ll ever attend is the meeting you have with yourself.” A popular mentor, Phillips tells her students to have a “keen sense of who they are as people and what they want to accomplish.  

Quality Professional Partnerships  

It is important to understand that a mentor does not necessarily have to be a person in a senior management position. They could be a colleague with ample experience, a faculty member with connections to your field of expertise, or even a seasoned professional in a field that you are trying to enter.   

Fortunately, at Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE), the MentorTech program within Workplace Learning and Professional Development (WLPD) is designed to strategically pair you with a professional partner. The program matches you with a mentor based on your set of relevant competencies and a personality assessment. The program's number one priority is ensuring the quality of each match.    

“Although my mentee had a longer tenure at Georgia Tech, we were able to mutually agree upon building and establishing a vulnerable and transparent relationship where we confided with each other. I was able to provide career guidance, interview preparation best practices, performance and conflict management coaching, effective communication skills, professional development opportunities, and tips to effectively cultivate and establish professional interpersonal relationships,” said Will Jimerson, director of human resources of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at Georgia Tech.  

Register by January 31.

Happy Mentoring!