Five Types of Mentors

Attorney Graham R. Taylor serves as principal at Marquis Advisory, an international business consulting firm based in San Francisco, California. In his free time, Graham R. Taylor enjoys helping young graduates launch their careers. He is also in the process of developing a way for older, successful, mostly retired business people to connect with young graduates with new business ideas.

A 2018 Gallup Alumni Survey found that college graduates who had encouraging mentors were two times more likely to be engaged at work. Mentors can be instrumental in providing guidance, advice, and support during transitional times. Business expert Anthony Tjan states that there are five types of mentors that cover a variety of roles. These include:

An expert in your field.
Someone further along your same career path can answer questions, help you expand your network, provide guidance, and keep you informed on current trends.

A personal champion.
This type of mentor provides unwavering support, helps you learn from your failures, and celebrates your successes.

A peer.
Find someone going through similar experiences as you and form a co-mentorship so that you can share challenges and opportunities and find ways to collaborate.

An anchor.
This type of mentor will help you stay grounded by reminding you of your priorities and encouraging you to focus even when things feel tough.

A mentee.
You can also learn a lot about yourself by helping someone with less experience than you.

Most colleges offer mentorship connection programs. Consider signing up in order to begin a valuable professional relationship that can make a world of difference to your career and life.