Suggestion 3: Always ask. The most they can say is NO - but don’t be defensive when they do.

My mother always used to tell me this - and it was validated when I was a senior in high school. My grades were just under the A- line which identified the group that was required to take the National Merit Scholarship test while it was optional for others. Thanks to my mother, it was a test I did take. Only the class valedictorian and I had test scores giving us Letters of Commendation.

So you should always ask - for an informational interview, for help connecting you to a colleague of mine, for consideration for a job. You never know what the person will say - and it could be YES....

But don't be defensive if I do say No. It may not be the right time, the right place, the right skills fit, or the right person. Remember that there will be another opportunity.

Posted via email from suegriffey's posterous

Comments

Mentor: Barbara Rawlins, Monitoring and Evaluation Team Leader, Maternal and Child Survival Program

Another feature of this blog is bringing you advice and perspectives from people who mentor, by answering 3 questions. Here are Barbara Rawlins ’ responses: What are mentees looking for? · Career guidance · Technical advice · Moral support · Advice on how to negotiate politically-sensitive or controversial situation What 1 piece of advice do you give every mentee you work with? Figure out what they want to do (in the long term) and what steps they can take to get there Why are you interested in mentoring? To support younger colleagues, especially women, to help attain their career goals

A mentor is like a mirror: Even a senior (expert) needs - and wants - mentoring #mentor (SueMentors.Blogspot.com)

I haven’t been posting for the past 3 months because of an extremely busy time. But I have been mentoring – and in ways that were surprising to me. In July-September, we at Social & Scientific Systems (SSS) were unexpectedly were facing the sooner-than-expected project close-out, and it meant that several staff needed to be looking for new jobs. I wasn’t surprised that some of the staff – mostly those still early in their careers – were asking for my help in updating their resumes. I was more surprised to have two very senior and experienced professionals ask for my help. When they gave me their resumes to review before we met, I realized that both were examples of why a mentor can be useful, no matter how far along you are in your career. One had an illustrious and varied career and many qualifications prior to coming to SSS two years ago. But her resume read like someone who had just finished graduate school. She was very detailed in listing all the things she did (both in her SS

Guidance on Mentoring: What is Mentoring?

This brief guide focuses on defining different aspects of mentoring, whether for an individual or for a team, and includes selected reference resources. It is critical that the mentee and mentor both approach their interaction with the same understanding of the nature and scope of the advising that will be offered. This brief guide can serve as a reference for both parties in arriving at that mutual understanding. Before delving into mentoring, it ’s important to be aware that s ome times the terms “mentoring” and “coaching” are used interchangeably despite important differences between them . There are many resources on mentoring and coaching – and almost as many different definitions for each as well as the similarities and overlap between the two (such as shown in the articles on coaching in the resource list below). Also, m ost people agree that mentoring is NOT training although a mentor or coach may recommend that a mentee obtain additional training. W hat i

Sue Mentors: Jobs, Careers, Lifework...

Search This Blog