Do you have a mentor at work?

Yes, I've had an unofficial mentor since I joined as a grad almost 8 years ago.

During my time I've moved roles a number of times and therefore have had several different managers, so have found having another go to person very useful (especially when I was doing exams etc).

I've been very lucky in that I get on very well with my mentor so we have continued to meet regularly over the years. They are great to have a general moan / ear bend to and I great point for bouncing ideas on. For example I moved to a role and after about 6 months I realised that I hated it. They made me realise that I was better off looking for a role that suited me better, whereas I was worried that it may look bad and would have stuck it out for another 6 months.

I have been encouraged to do things, ie apply for promotions and been able to discuss things that I may not have felt comfortable talking with my line managers.

I am now acting as a mentor for a new grad. I'm enjoying this but am quite scared as I know that I've been very lucky with mine so want to be as good a role model / sounding board for her!

Thanks EB, that does sound very positive.

I think in a big company it's one way of gaining a sense of stability, and really helped me find my feet.

Have just read my initial response and apologise for the poor grammar & choice of words. Must not hitch when on conference call!?

No help whatsoever, but as a small team of 8 two colleagues at the same grade as me have both acted not so much as mentors but 'buddies' so to speak, to get me up to speed with what Im doing as theyve been here a good few years. Above me is my LM and his LM who is the director (both of which are very helpful for different aspects of the job like mapping etc)

Its good to know someone is there to talk to and ask but I wouldnt call them mentors, as I think mentoring runs deeper.

Hi, I have 2 people I would consider my "unnofficial mentors" that I have met over the course of my career. I'd say the main difference between them and my line managers is that i can usually call them when I'm in a quandary, without having to let my line manager know that I'm not sure what I'm doing. They are more impartial, and i'm good friends with them both so i don't get embarrassed admitting i've messed something up or I'm unsure what to do. They are also good for a good moan about any problems at work, as they usually have experience of similar greivences. This means you can get it out of your system without upsetting management. I think most people have this sort of person at work.

I also have a girl that I am probably considered a mentor to and I always try my best to help her when she calls. i work for another company now but I still keep in touch and help her if she needs it. Mainly cuz I know what it's like to be stuck on a site full of blokes, they don'y make it easy to admit your stuck with something!

Er hope that helps x

Thanks everyone. That's really helpful.

I think I need one. They are difficult to find in our organisation, mainly due to everyone being hacked off, but in any case I'm hoping to find a new job. So I'm thinking about how not to make the same mistakes again if I join a new company.

What industry do you work in Zippy? Is there no one slightly more senior/experienced that is also approachable if you need help? That's how I ended up with my 2. The first one was the first person I ever worked with in my current job, so showed me how to do everything and said if I ever need a hand to just call him (6 years on I think he regrets that lol) and the other is just someone I really got along with on one paticular job and he's about 4 years ahead of me in the professional route, so when it comes to development and furthering my career its usually him I ask for advice. It usually costs me a pint or 3 but its good to have someone who will help you dissect your career and offer an intelligent input.

At the moment I'm working in utilities but I'm hoping to get a new job... anywhere, I don't care really ?

I think my current situation arose from a unique set of circumstances that are unlikely to be repeated (hopefully) - was promoted as part of a radical reorganisation that struck so much fear / loathing into everyone that getting a mentor during that period was out of the question. I was then assigned a mentor but he turned out to be very bad for my team (hugely influential on the success of my role (in his day to day role) and had a different view of what I should be doing to what my objectives actually said so this ended up in conflict. That I couldn't handle so ended up going of with stress and depression and things have never recovered since.

I've always felt my line management have not been helpful but I'm trying to work out now whether I had exaggerated ideas as to what they could provide.

I still think they've been unhelpful though ?