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A good mentor can have a huge impact on your career and your job hunt. There are several advantages to finding a mentor. Most mentors have experienced something similar to your current situation and they lived through it. Just be careful when choosing a mentor, the wrong mentor could do much more harm than good. If you are real brave or want to see big results, it may even be good to have several mentors.

Finding a good mentor is surprisingly easy. Past employers have a clear understanding of your experience and skills. Because of this they usually make the best mentors. However, if you do not have a good relationship with past employers, there are many other options. For instance, look at ex co-workers who have done well in their career. If that doesn’t work, consider college alumni, local businessmen, or senior members of your church.

There are several advantages to working with a mentor. Among other things, mentors can help you learn to be a better employee and a better person. Most importantly, they can be a huge help during a job hunt. A few ways a mentor can help:

• * Share your job search with others in the community or market
• * Identify weak points in your resume, interviewing, or networking
• * Point out strengths you may have missed
• * Uncover hidden opportunities

Before choosing a mentor, you will want to do a bit of research. The right mentor is everything. First and foremost, only consider mentors who have a high level of integrity and a good reputation. Otherwise you may unknowingly collect bad habits and/or a bad rep. You will also want to find a mentor who you have a strong relationship with. Mentoring takes quite a bit of work and requires brutal honesty so a strong relationship is important.

Once you have selected a mentor, trust their opinion and work with them closely, if you want to leverage the relationship to find a new job. Be proactive throughout the relationship. Ask questions and look for opportunities to learn. Most importantly, be clear about what you hope to get from the mentor. In this case, what you want is help finding your next job opportunity. Be sure to tell them and ask for their advice.

As you grow in your career remember to look for new mentors regularly. If you do this well, after a few years, you will end up with a mentor wall. Then, if you find yourself in need of a new job in the future, you will have a group of people who want to help you.

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