đ How to get legit mentorship in college
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We know youâve heard it a million timesâbut youâre about to hear it a million and one times:
You should build a network and seek mentorship.
Why?
Because youâll get the 3 ingredients to identifying and achieving your career goals.
Constructive advice and feedback
Encouragement and accountability
Access to your mentorâs network
So listen up whales: this week weâre breaking down a step-by-step process to building the ultimate mentorship network as a college student.
1. Getting their attention
First things firstâyou need to meet cool people.
Cold emails and DMâs are the most common way to initiate getting to know someone.
But, convincing busy, successful people to chat 1-1 can be difficult.
But guess what? There are alternatives that can even yield greater results. đ
Create a podcast and ask them to be a guest on your show. The prospect of being featured on a podcast is exciting and flatteringâmaking it much more likely to land a chat with someone you admire.
Attract people by creating and sharing online content. Everything you post can be seen by some of the most interesting people all over the world. You never know who is readingâor who might reach out.
2. Maximizing the value of the conversation
So they agreed to chat with youâŚnow what?
One of the greatest benefits of mentorship is getting personalized feedback and advice.
But often, feedback falls flat because:
Itâs vague general praise or criticism
Itâs not actionable advice for your future self
So, what should you do?
Be specific: Instead of vaguely asking âwhat could I have done better?â Frame your question with your end goal. đ âwhat could I have done to make my ___ more impactful/profitable/organized?â
Probe deeper: When you receive vague feedback, ask more questions. Follow a âYou did great!â with âThank you! What was something stood out to you?â.
Keep digging until you reach something specific and actionable.
3. Strengthening the relationship
Talking once with someone isnât going to provide the long-term results you need.
Impactful mentor-mentee relationships come from repetition and consistency.
This is how đ
Check-in with them every 2 months: thank them and tell them all about the results of their advice.
Create a spreadsheet to track these meetings: We got a Google Sheets template for you to use and customize below!
Contrary to public opinion: you don't need to maintain repetition and consistency with everyone you speak to. Focus your energy establishing deep relationships with a few mentors that are the most compatible with your personality and career goals.
4. Become part of a mentorship cohort
Our buddies over at Canvas are launching a mentorship accelerator program.
Theyâve assembled a panel of career coaches and leaders with experience at top tech companies like Google, Snapchat, and Microsoft that are ready to personally mentor a group of 21 ambitious peopleâlike you!
In the world of mentorship, this is basically using a cheat code to beat the game. đšď¸
They did the work for you because they know it is difficult to get mentorship.
Itâs their gift to youâcompletely free! đâ¨
Our resource picks for the week đ
Tech Pod's Database of 2,100 Recruiters in Tech đŠâđť
Networking Tracker Google Sheet Format đ
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Written by Jacqueline Mastrelli