3 Questions to Ask Your Mentor

Once you've secured a mentor in your professional life, it's important that you are fully utilizing this valuable relationship. One way to do this is by asking the right questions. Watch this Vault video for examples of questions you can ask. 

Transcript: 

After going through the process of researching a potential mentor, reaching out to them, and securing their role in your career, it’s important to make sure you’re getting the most out of this relationship.

A mentor-mentee relationship is different from a network connection, as your mentor will be more invested in your goals and career growth. To help with this career growth, it’s important that you’re asking the right questions.

Of course, these questions will vary depending on your specific goals and career situation. And it’s important to cater your questions to the specific reason you chose this person as your mentor.

1. Short-term goals 

That said, one place you can start is by focusing on your short-term goals. Think about what you want to accomplish in the next 6 to 12 months, and craft your questions from there.

You could your mentor something like this:

“What are some steps I can take now to be ready for a promotion in 6 months?”

Or this:

“What helped you grow your network early on in your career?”

2. Long-term goals

It’s also important to begin to think about your long-term goals, If you have a certain level that you want to reach within the next five years, you could also ask something like this:

“What steps do you think I should be taking now so can I expect to be where I want in five years?”

Or, getting more specific, you might ask:

“Are there any continuing education classes or degrees you think would be beneficial for me”

3. Personal branding

Mentors are great people to ask for feedback on personal branding and growing your network. A question about branding could sound like:

“What are some changes or improvements you would make to my LinkedIn profile?”

And a question about networking could be something along these lines:

“Are there any specific networking events you think I should be attending?”

Having a mentor during your career will help you reach your goals, and make you feel more confident while doing so. For more career advice, check out Vault.com.