Finding a Professional Mentor

This is a guest post written by Sr. Human Resources Professional, Kathie Elliott.

Are you looking for a mentor to help you develop your professional skills? Last month, we discussed types of mentoring relationships. Finding the right mentor can make a big difference in your career. Once you find a potential mentor, how should you approach them?

The nature of mentorships presumes there is already some sort of professional relationship between the parties. If that is true for your chosen mentor, you could begin by asking them if they are open to serving as a sounding board for you as needed when specific issues arise. Or you could arrange a time to talk with them about your specific learning objectives and goals. In either case, be sure to explain the skills and abilities they have that you admire, why you think they would be a great mentor for you AND what you think the benefits of mentoring you might be. 

If you opt for a formal mentor arrangement, be sure to agree on what is expected of both participants, such as frequency and length of meetings, types of issues or skills to work on, and how long you commit to work together. You can always agree to continue, but many mentors would like to have a planned end date.

Turning a current professional relationship into a mentorship could begin with short situation-specific conversations. Great ice breakers might include:

  • “How have you handled a situation like _________ in the past?”
  • “What would you say to someone who wanted to __________?”
  • “Would you be willing to offer me feedback on _        __?”
  • “Would you tell me about a time you were faced with _________?” 

If you have identified a mentor, but you don’t already know one another, you can’t be sure whether they would be a good fit or interested in mentoring you. In this case, you could start first by inviting them to meet with you to discuss a specific issue or question. They’re more likely to want to meet with you if you have shared contacts or interests. Contacts can help make introductions, whereas interests give you a chance to meet this person under different circumstances. If you keep the parameters and commitment well-defined, neither of you will feel pressured to commit to anything beyond an initial meeting. If that meeting goes well, you can decide whether to request another meeting.

Occasionally, mentees reach out to someone in their reporting line for mentorship, but this can create multiple highly-sensitive issues. It may give the appearance of a conflict of interest, or it may not be a feasible time commitment for them to make to just one member of their staff. In either case, it puts them in the uncomfortable position of having to decline your request.  Instead, consider looking for a mentor in another unit of the organization who can offer you a unique point-of-view. And don’t underestimate the value of a mentor outside your organization; they may open a new world of insights and opportunities!

Regardless of who you choose to approach to mentor you, be sure to thank them for their time and advice. And remember, the point of mentorship is to continue to learn and grow as a professional while at the same time become someone with knowledge and skills that others (even those more experienced than you) can learn from.

Job of the Week – Office Supervisor II

This week’s job of the week is an Office Supervisor II (#623878) for the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. This position is seeking an individual with strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills to serve as the Clerkship Supervisor for the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The responsibilities for this role include assisting in developing the operational and administrative functions of the program, communicating daily with students and training hospitals, and problem-solving to troubleshoot program consequences. Additional responsibilities of this role include overseeing the student records database, assisting in the planning and presentations at the student clerkship program, and advising students of program requirement completion. 

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired  in the first two or three years in college, technical, vocational or business school with coursework in office management and business; one to three years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in office management, budget preparation, financial and administrative record-keeping and secretarial skills; experience in word processing, spreadsheet, database, desktop publishing, and/or web page design or presentation software; or in performing responsibilities related to the operational activities of the employing unit; and may require one to three years of supervisory experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

Job of the Week – Catering and Sales Coordinator

This week’s job of the week is a Catering and Sales Coordinator (#622395) for the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. This position is seeking an individual to manage the development and implementation of sales, marketing, and conference service strategies for the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center.

The responsibilities for this role include maintaining all accounts, generating new business for designated markets, and negotiating guest room rates, meeting room rentals, and banquet events to achieve budgeted revenues. Additional responsibilities of this role include meeting assigned monthly sales quotas, assisting in developing month-end sales reports, and representing the Kellogg Center and Spartan Hospitality Group at community and industry events. 

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Business Administration, Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management, Communications, or a related field; one to three years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in Hotel Catering Sales or Hotel Sales and Hotel Operations; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

2019 Clerical-Technical Recognition Award Winner

The Clerical-Technical Recognition Award is presented annually to a Michigan State University support staff member performing clerical-technical duties. The recipient is selected from nominations received by the CT Recognition Award Selection Committee. The award is sponsored by the Thomas and Concettina Gliozzo Endowment Fund to recognize outstanding MSU clerical-technical employees.

This year’s winner is Thomi Chrisinske!

Thomi is a secretary for the Department of Communication where her she excels in her position providing leadership, technology, promotional, and human resource support to the department chair, faculty, graduate students, and staff. Exceeding the high expectations of her department, Thomi has been described as an essential component of the success of the Department of Communication. Chairing two standing departmental committees, the Equipment and Space Committee and the Social Media Committee, Thomi exemplifies great leadership by always striving to improve herself and the Department of Communication. With her dedication to the MSU community, Thomi consistently goes above and beyond to uplift those around her. Congratulations to Thomi!

Watch the video below to learn more about this year’s CT Award Winner, Thomi Chrisinske:

Job of the Week – Human Resources Manager

This week’s job of the week is a Human Resources Manager (#621712) for MSU Human Resources. This position is seeking an individual with strong leadership and analytical skills to manage the academic operations employment team.

The responsibilities for this role include overseeing hiring and other employment action processing for all faculty and academic staff populations, serving as a member of the Solutions Center management team, and supporting any Solution Center team areas as needed due to absence or emergency situations. Additional responsibilities of this role include engaging in continuous process improvements in areas of responsibility and overseeing staff in administration of special academic review processes such as reappointment, promotion and tenure reviews, and specialist reviews. 

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in a human resources area or a related degree; 3 to 5 years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in management and data base system analysis and maintenance; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

Job of the Week – Automated Testing Engineer

This week’s job of the week is an Automated Testing Engineer (#619108) for MSU’s Information Technology Services, specifically for IT Services Application Services. This position is seeking an individual to be responsible for the overall quality of deliverables for MSU’s automated performance and regression testing tool set.

The responsibilities for this role include analysis of competitive products and technologies to provide recommendations to influence product/technology direction, monitoring industry standards and applying applicable changes to MSU’s current automated testing processes, and developing and publishing Test Summary reports. Additional responsibilities of this role include identifying and communicating testing issues to appropriate teams/stakeholders, mentoring team’s automated testing resources, and collaborating with constituents involved in product development and release. 

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in computer science, information systems, business or related information technology field, with coursework in an information technology specialization related to the area of employment; three to five years of software testing experience with any of the following automated or manual testing tasks: test planning, script creation and execution, defect monitoring, test reporting; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

Events Round-Up – November

Arts

Friday, November 1

Arts Night Out

Thursday, November 7

Block Printing with Regina Pericini

Friday, November 8

The Broadcast Exhibition Opening Preview

Friday, November 15

Project & Sign pARTy

Saturday, November 16

Twelfth Night presented by MSU Dept. of Theatre

Community Events

Saturday, November 2

Public Plant and Succulent Sale

Thursday, November 21-December 29

Wonderland of Lights

Friday, November 22

Silver Bells in the City

Saturday, November 23-December 24

Family Farm – Christmas Season

Sunday, November 24

Breakin Bread with the Blues

Thursday, November 28

Bordeaux’s Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving Buffet or Dinner

Family/Kid Friendly

Saturday, November 2

PhUn Day

Jungle Book

Family Day at the MSU Broad Museum

Nighttime Scavenger Hunt

Monday, November 4

South of the Border: Celebrating the Music of the Other Americas

Thursday, November 7

Sensory Friendly Movie Night

Saturday, November 9

Zoo in Your Neighborhood

Monday, November 11

MSU Bug House Open House

Friday, November 15

Sensory Friendly Story Time

Saturday/Sunday, November 23-24

Brunch with Santa

Saturday, November 30

Caroling at Schuler Books

Music

Saturday, November 2

Lansing Symphony Orchestra

Wednesday, November 6

Jazz from Detroit

Saturday, November 9

Live Music w/ Time2Play

Singers on the Grand “Fifties Favorites”

Jazz Octets and special guests

Sunday, November 10

JAMM Tribute Concert

Saturday, November 16

Sensory Friendly Spartan Concert

Sunday, November 17

“Feel the Beat” Drumming Circle

Thursday, November 21

Wind Symphony

Professional Development Opportunities

Tuesday, November 5

Managing Difficult Customers

Wednesday, November 6

Identify and Maximize Your Strengths

Thursday, November 7

Thriving Through Change

Identify and Maximize Your Strengths

Saturday, November 9

Lean In Michigan Leadership Conference

Tuesday, November 12

Payments to Non-Resident Aliens and Foreign Vendors

Roadmap to Retirement

Wednesday, November 13

Supervisor Strategies for Performance Planning

From Distracted to Productive

Thursday, November 14

Communicating and Influencing Up

Fundamentals of Supervision

Creating and Sustaining a Positive Workplace

Tuesday, November 19

Capital Asset Management

Wednesday, November 20

Presentation Skills 101

Thursday, November 21

Ten Tactics for Powerful Business Writing

EBS Financial System Roles/ Onboarding

Sustainable High Performance

Sports/Fitness

Sunday, November 3

Run-A-Munk 5K Trail Run

Thursday, November 28

Lansing Turkey Trot