Everyone needs a mentor. So how do you find a good mentor? And once you have a mentor, how do you build a strong relationship that will benefit both of you for years to come?

The PRSA-NCC is helping members answer these questions by matching mentors with proteges. Traditionally, enterprising proteges have attended networking events or looked within the workplace to find people who are willing to share their expertise and wisdom. Through this program, we hope to take some of the guesswork out of the equation by doing some of the work ourselves. Mentors and protégés can now focus on what really matters - building meaningful relationships.

The PRSA-NCC Mentoring Project is available only to members of the National Capital Chapter and PRSSA. Mentors will be matched with proteges who have similar areas of work experience and mutual interests.

What is a protege? A protege is defined as a public relations practitioner with 10 or fewer years of experience. A mentor is someone who has more than 10 years of experience.

The process is simple: fill out the appropriate form and send to Fred Whiting, APR at whtngfrd@msn.com. You will then be matched with the mentor or protege with whom you appear to have similar needs and interests, and you will be notified by e-mail. It is the responsibility of the protege to contact his or her designated mentor.

Questions? Call Fred Whiting at 301-216-0203.
Mentor profile form
Protege profile form

See the mentoring article that appeared in summer issue of the PRSA-NCC newsletter.

So you have a mentor/protege...now what?

A mentoring relationship can give someone the insights they need to take the next step in their careers, or it can give them the inspiration they need to truly excel. Whatever the reason – people should seek this expertise and find ways to apply it to their careers. The effort is minimal yet the payback is immeasurable.

A mentoring relationship is based on mutual respect and benefit – mentors should view the protege as someone who can help them learn and grow as well. Sharing time with someone who has less experience helps to nurture the profession and create ethical practitioners.

As a first step, you should get to know your new mentor or protege by finding out what inspires them and keeps them motivated day-by-day. Below are several questions to ask during the initial meeting.

Why did you pick this field? How did you begin your career? What has surprised you the most about the profession? What skills do you think many junior-level professionals lack? If you had to do it over again, what would you do differently? Describe your dream job.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? Are you happy at your present job? Are you learning? What do you like most about what you do? What would you change? What has been your biggest challenge? What are your biggest weaknesses? What are your strengths? Describe your dream job.

While many of these questions may sound like a job interview, they are meant to be conversational and substantive. The idea is to try to learn more about the person and what they want and need from a mentoring relationship. Once you have succeeded, a good mentoring relationship can prove beneficial for many years to come.