Guidance from experienced professionals can shape career success

Only a few lucky people don’t have a workplace horror story. For the rest of us, it’s usually a tale of a toxic office, a micromanaging boss or a badly run business that gobbles up our free time.
For graduates, most of whom don’t have much office experience, it can be hard to tell: is this normal?
Graduates in their first “proper” job are usually keen to impress, but it’s also important that they both set boundaries and have an eye on their long-term career.
For these reasons, and many more, mentorship and ongoing career guidance can make all the difference to your trajectory.
I was lucky enough to be informally mentored and trained by the late Seán Flynn, who was education editor of this newspaper until his untimely death in 2014.
Seán never said the word “mentor” but he was known for taking on younger journalists and providing support and training. We gained a lot from it, and so did Seán; we like to think we helped keep his own skills sharp – not that he needed it – and gave him a sense of the challenges, opportunities and needs of his younger colleagues. I got so much from this mentorship that I resolved to mentor younger journalists myself.
So, why does it matter and how can you find the right support in your workplace?
Sinéad Brady is a career psychologist and the author of Total Reset: Quit Living to Work and Start Working to Live.
“For a long time, we had organisational management of careers,” says Brady. “Today, we like to step back and say: I want to own and be in charge of my own career. This means getting out, being proactive and defining your career on your own terms.”
There is a hidden curriculum in the workplace which tells you how to get to the next level, and a good mentor helps you understand it, says Brady.
“They can help you grasp what to go to, how to understand the network of the organisation and the wider landscape of your industry,” she adds. “That is really important because one of the most important ways to progress is through a network.
“Career guidance can fall under different guises but you want to ask: in my first three months here, what do you want me to do? In the same period of time, what does success look like?
“If you are asking this question, follow through on the answer; don’t ask the question and not do it.”
Brady advises graduates to ask if there is any career or mentorship support, and says companies will be glad to see that you are interested.
How can we find the right mentor? I asked Linda Codoul, president of Network Ireland, a non-profit, voluntary organisation that supports the professional and personal development of women. It has more than 1,000 members from a diverse range of organisations, including small-business owners, professionals in various sectors and multinational corporate leaders.
Codoul has more than a decade of experience in business banking, a background in hospitality and qualifications in wildlife management and conservation. She currently works for Abbott.
“Depending on the company, there are a few routes,” she says. “It can be part of your performance review with a manager, where you might ask for guidance and leadership and they can perhaps recommend someone outside your department.
“Or, there could be someone that you approach – ask them if they have time for tea and a chat. In my experience people don’t say no unless they are extremely busy.”
Codoul “always went for a mentor within the company I was working for”. “In hindsight, this may have been the wrong decision, as they will have their own agenda and can be creating you to fit the role they have in mind,” she says.
“It can be a brave decision to say no to an opportunity that is presented to you, as you worry that they might not progress you, but there’s no point going down the wrong avenue.”
If you are working with somebody outside your organisation, you want someone who has links to the industry, says Brady.
“A person who may be a great mentor for one may not be right for another. Make sure there is chemistry. Finding a mentor depends on knowing why you want this mentor and being able to explain to them why you have asked them,” she adds.
“As much as you may benefit from a mentor, you need to be a good mentee, too, so it makes a big difference if you have done the groundwork. It shows that you are clearly interested and is a fierce complement.”
In choosing a mentor, Codoul also advises graduates to be brave and selective.
“You can’t just walk up and ask someone, you can’t just walk up and ask anyone; you need to know who they are and what they are like. Ideally, maybe meet them a few times before making that ask. Ask them a few questions about their job to ensure they’re the right fit. Crucially, you need a plan to make the most of it, whether that’s organising weekly or monthly meetings and also setting out targets and goals within timelines.
“It’s important that you also network outside your own industry, as each industry works differently and so you can always be learning new things.”
Without sounding too mercenary, what’s in it for the mentor?
“There are mutual benefits,” says Codoul.
“Networking is hard work but it is key to growth. Meeting people and sharpening your skills unlocks career success. You have to give it time to see results. I got involved with Network Ireland when working in the bank. I was greeted with open arms, met people I would not have known otherwise, learned something new at each event and grew as a person.”
Brady says a mentor benefits from simply helping someone else.
“It’s not about you, the mentor, but instead about the person that you are helping or supporting. Sometimes, as you progress through your career, a gap opens between what you are doing and what you started to do, so a mentorship arrangement can help clarify ideas and understand the issues facing people – as a leader, you need to be on top of this.”