Jennifer Herrity is a seasoned career services professional with 12+ years of experience in career coaching, recruiting and leadership roles with the purpose of helping others to find their best-fit jobs. She helps people navigate the job search process through one-on-one career coaching, webinars, workshops, articles and career advice videos on Indeed’s YouTube channel.

Working with a mentor may be valuable if you want to develop new skills in your career. Mentors can provide insight into specific professional situations, negotiation tactics, opportunities and career path goals. Choosing the right person to be your mentor is important based on your career goals and your relationship with them.

In this article, we define what a mentor is, explain how to find a mentor and provide tips for undergoing a successful mentorship.

How to find a mentor

Follow these steps to find a mentor who can support you by providing the insight and assistance you need:

1. Reflect on whether mentorship is the right fit

Think about where you are in your career and the reasons why you want a mentor. Reflect on your personal attributes, what you think you may be like as a mentee and how well you accept feedback. This may help you confirm that you’re ready to look for a mentor and provide a basis for your search for one.

2. Identify your mentorship needs

Determine what you hope to learn from your mentor. Consider outlining the goals you have set for your own professional growth, and think about what it would take to achieve those goals. This can help know who could be a good mentor for you and provide a starting point for your initial conversations with them.

3. Consider people you admire

Create a list of people in your career whom you admire or people at more advanced stages in your field whom you want to be like, and think about what you respect about them. Consider who you might know in your life who also has these attributes, and focus on people within your same field so they can help you develop hard and soft skills. It’s also important to prioritize people who enjoy teaching or training and value fostering growth. This may help you brainstorm with people you potentially know to become your mentor.

4. Start with your network

Begin your search for a mentor by reviewing your professional network. Think about people you currently work with or previously did, and reflect on your relationships with them. It may also be useful to go through the profiles of your connections on professional networking websites to find someone you’ve previously met with who has the expertise you desire.

5. Explore other options for finding a mentor

Expand your search to include other options for getting a mentor. For example, joining a professional organization in your field may be helpful or attending networking events. This may help you connect with more professionals in your field, and some of these groups or events offer additional services to help match mentees and mentors. It may also be useful to explore online databases or groups of mentors.

6. Prepare your elevator pitch

Be prepared to share your goals, why you think this person is the right mentor for you, and your expectations of them confidently. Setting clear expectations in the initial conversation, including the time commitment involved, provides your potential mentor with the information they need to contemplate your request. Creating an elevator pitch may help you share your ideas succinctly and prevent you from forgetting anything important you want to say.

7. Request a meeting with them

Ask the person you want to be your mentor to meet with you. An email or a phone call is an appropriate way to ask for a meeting, but the best option may depend on your relationship with them. Consider asking them to meet you for coffee or lunch to provide a neutral, relaxed place to have the conversation.

8. Explain your interest

Share your elevator pitch to explain to your potential mentor why you want to find a mentor, why you think they could be the right mentor for you and what you hope to learn from them. It may also be helpful to discuss how you may be able to benefit them as a mentee. Answer any questions they may have, and create a plan for what to do next if they agree. It’s important to be respectful if they decline your offer, and it may be worthwhile to ask if they know someone they know has an interest in becoming a mentor.