How do you feel about your current job? Maybe you’re working towards your next promotion or seeking an opportunity elsewhere to progress. Or perhaps you’re stuck in a rut, unsure of your next move and what you actually want from your career.

Whether you’re after advice to help you progress or motivation to rediscover what you love doing, a workplace mentor can be a great source of support in all of these areas. According to research, nine in 10 people who have a workplace mentor are happy in their jobs and report feeling more valued at work compared to their counterparts who don’t have mentors. Mentoring schemes are also invaluable to successful businesses: 100% of Forbes’ top 10 employers offer mentoring schemes.

Once you’ve found a mentor, you’ll want to ensure you’re making the most of your sessions to see the benefits, be that through career progression, improving your skills or getting your focus back on track. “One of the biggest benefits of mentoring is that it provides personalised guidance,” explains Cise Kilic, business psychologist and leadership development consultant at New Street Consulting Group. “Both the mentor and mentee can concentrate on specific, live opportunities or challenges that are being faced in the workplace. This means mentoring can really help a person to better develop the professional attributes and skills that matter most to adding value in the job they do and advancing their career.”

If you’re wondering what your first mentoring session will be like or want to plan for your next one, Stylist spoke to two career experts for their best tips on making the most of your workplace mentoring.

When it comes to getting the most out of being mentored, you have to be upfront about what you’re hoping to achieve. “A mentee should be prepared to be open and honest with a mentor about what they want to get out of the mentoring,” says Kilic. “Being clear about the areas you want to develop, the problems you’re facing or the things you’re unsure about will help the mentor to personalise their guidance. A mentor may not have all the answers, but they’re likely to know other people with relevant experiences, skills and insights.”

Feedback isn’t always easy to hear, but it’s crucial in helping you progress, so asking a mentor for regular feedback from their point of view is important. “One of the most valuable aspects of having a mentor is the honest, unbiased feedback you receive, especially feedback that can be hard to come by in other settings,” explains Samantha Lubanzu, a career and business development coach and motivational speaker specialising in diversity and inclusion. “This kind of feedback is essential for your growth, offering insights into areas where you can improve and highlighting strengths you might not have recognised.”

After you receive your feedback, Lubanzu advises that you have to be prepared to make changes as necessary. “It’s not enough to just listen; you need to act on it,” she says. “Take everything your mentor tells you on board, reflect on it, and make a deliberate effort to implement their advice. By showing that you’re willing to make changes based on their guidance, you demonstrate your commitment to the mentorship and ensure that both you and your mentor are making the most of the experience.”

For many of us, networking doesn’t come naturally, but asking your mentor to connect with their network is a valuable way to make new contacts. “One of the most powerful benefits of mentorship is the opportunity to tap into your mentor’s established network,” Lubanzu explains. “The saying ‘your network is your net worth’ is especially true in your career development. A mentor can introduce you to influential people in your desired industry, opening doors to opportunities that you might not have accessed otherwise.”

Similarly, if you’re struggling with public speaking, pitching or sharing ideas in meetings, work with your mentor on how to tackle this. Kilic expresses that mentoring can help build self-awareness and self-confidence, so don’t be afraid to lean into that. “Mentoring can help people to overcome the fear of proactively suggesting ideas or sharing their opinions and guide them to constructively make their voice heard,” she adds.

Images: Adobe; Getty