First, think about industries or careers in which you are interested. Utilize the Trojan Network to do informational interviews with alumni regarding these interests. You may need to talk to a few people before you feel the connection is right. Perhaps you developed a good relationship with someone at your internship or you feel you have a solid rapport with one of your professors — you could ask them if they would be your mentor. Think about the qualities those people possessed and use those traits as a guide to finding a new mentor.

While you want a mentor who has the ability to discuss a wide range of issues, your mentor should be someone you respect and can trust. He or she should be a good and active listener who is able to provide constructive feedback. He or she should have the ability to challenge you, share mistakes and failures with you, provide you with realistic expectations and a good sense of humor always helps too! Mentors will strive to help mentees establish a stronger sense of self-esteem and confidence as they continue their pursuit for enhanced knowledge and higher education.

Your mentor can help you assess your strengths and weaknesses, as well as help you develop skills for success and a long-range career plan. If you and your mentor share the same employer, your mentor can foster your sense of belonging within the organization, help you navigate the company culture and politics, as well as identify the organization’s key players. You can also work through career and workplace problems with your mentor’s assistance. A mentor can provide a fresh perspective — a new way of looking at a problem or issue. You can bounce ideas off your mentor. Look for a relationship in which the mentor is more coach than advisor — one in which the mentor facilitates your decision-making process by suggesting alternatives rather than telling you what to do. Ideally, your mentor will motivate you to do your best work. 

• How did you decide to enter this profession?
• How did you get started?
• What kind of schooling or experience does it take to do this job?
• How long have you worked here?
• What steps would you recommend I take to get a job like yours?
• What benefits are there to doing this job?
• What’s the best/worst part of your job?
• Do you plan to do this for the rest of your life?
• Is the time investment needed to qualify for this job worth the effort?
• What part of the job causes you stress?
• How has your job impacted your lifestyle?
• What kinds of tasks do you do for your job?
• Is there a part of your job that requires special expertise that you could teach me?
• Are there any resources you use from which I could learn?

• What are your goals and dreams (Short term and long-term)?
• Why did you choose to pursue these goals and dreams?
• What books have influenced your ideas and thoughts the most?
• What ideas or thoughts inspired you or motivated you to get started?
• What is the one action you have taken that has accounted for most of your success?
• If you could change your life in one way, what would you change?
• What magazines, newspapers, and/or information products do you read?
• How do you handle defeat and/or failure?
• How do you handle obstacles and roadblocks?
• What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
• Who is your hero?
• Who is in your personal and professional network?
• Who has had the most impact on your life?

Take advantage of the experience and insight that your mentor has to offer.