Why Every Student Should Find Themself a Mentor
Mentors may sound daunting for students, but having go-to people to provide guidance is invaluable and the impact is long-term.
As a student, it’s easy to overlook how important it is to have people looking out for you. From career advice, feedback on blogs, tickets to events, referrals, resources, CV edits, warm introductions and even writing emails; I can’t express to you enough how humbling and helpful mentorship is. The best part? People want to help. Having been in your shoes, their current success would not have been possible without receiving mentorship themselves. And so the cycle continues.
The mentor-mentee relationship can range in formality and the time horizon is unbound. A ‘mentor’ is someone who puts aside time to invest in your professional & personal growth and how it frames your success. At H2, I’ve had the chance to build these relationships for the long haul.
The Value
I believe in the precept that everyone is your senior in some form so I always listen. Having similar interests means opening new perspectives. Another layer is empathy — would I consider making similar decisions or sacrifices? If yes, then I know I’m speaking to the right person.
Everyone suits different styles of mentorship. What has worked for me is having three categories: (1) those working in areas I see myself in later down the track, (2) those working in related fields and (3) those similar to me in age with skills/work experiences I want to develop too.
Why? I learn which skills are relevant and balance this with views from unique disciplines and fields with complementary value. The third group helps me construe my thoughts with someone who can truly empathise.
Three Cs
Career
Mentoring provides professional opportunities indirectly through career advice or skill-building, or directly through referrals and introductions.
- I have been given plenty of advice from asking questions, many of which I wouldn’t have thought to do myself. As I’m interested in venture capital, I’ve been encouraged to develop a side hustle (e.g. freelance, start a company), build a shadow portfolio and simply demonstrate my interest in the intersection of business and technology.
- Over seventy percent of people secure jobs through networking, while up to eighty percent of roles are not advertised. Being introduced to the right person or invited to the right event could be the reason you get hired!
Challenge
This is what I value the most. While friends and family may query your judgement, it’s easy to let emotions steer the conversation. A mentor has an entirely objective view and can challenge you at the wheel. Though some people may not enjoy the discomfort, growth comes with being able to answer these difficult questions with conviction.
Connection
Build build build. A strong network is a positive boost to your personal brand. As a student, you’re allowed to be curious about everything and know not as much. Reach out and ask lots of questions — don’t be embarrassed.
We adore Metcalfe’s Law in startup land, which states that a network’s impact is the square of the number of nodes in the network. While this refers to hardware, the same principle applies to your professional (digital) network.
A Final Thank You…
Unfortunately this comes to the end of my time at H2. In the last twenty weeks, I have followed the growth of fourteen teams who inspired me every day in their skills, ambition and friendship. On June 21, these startups presented at our Expo Day to showcase their progress to date!
My experience would not have been the same without the H2 team — Ben, Aurora, Toby and Mel — who are people-centric and devoted to creating the best environment for our teams. While I had my fair share of industry research tasks, reports, social media and diving in to support our startups, a key takeaway is an appreciation for the bumpy ride these teams face. I have a much deeper undrstanding of the value-add of accelerators to the startup ecosystem, and been exposed to a strong model of the founder-investor dynamic. The team have and will continue to be mentors of mine.
Of course I can’t overlook my fellow intern Lily Wu. From walking in on my first day pretending I didn’t know this was the founder of Austern International, to planning overseas holidays; I have learned plenty from working with you!
