Why You’re Worth Mentoring
Conquer imposter syndrome and find yourself a rad mentor
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Last Fall, I launched and co-led Accenture Canada’s first BOLD Student Mentorship Program where 58 BIPOC post-secondary students and recent graduates were paired with current Accenture Canada employees for three months of networking, professional development, and one-to-one mentorship. This article is the first in a series of reflection pieces from the program.
Consider if any of the following statements resonate:
- I have never had a mentor before.
- I am either a student or early-career professional.
- I identify as a woman, any other gender minority, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, a Person with Disabilities, a newcomer/immigrant, or with any other visible or invisible marginalized identity.
- I hesitate to reach out to professionals for coffee chats or advice because I don’t want to inconvenience them.
- I have used the phrase “sorry to bother you”, “sorry for the inconvenience”, or another apology when requesting someone’s time.
- I am reluctant to ask for a follow-up after a positive initial interaction with someone because I feel I’ve already used enough of their time.
- Imposter syndrome? I know her well.
If any of the above had you nodding your head…
This article is for you.
Especially if you identify with #3, you deserve and need a mentor. Specifically, a mentor who looks like you or has similar lived experiences of marginalization.¹
For the prospective mentees out there who fear they aren’t worth mentoring or who wonder why so many incredible, successful people are inclined to invest in us as mentors, I’ve summarized their most common reasons for mentoring below.
Spoiler alert: all of these reasons revolve around the undeniable value we (as mentees) offer, just by being ourselves.
Your Experiences are Valuable
Evidently, I am not a biologist. Nor do I claim to be. Despite this, I clearly remember my high school biology unit on the three types of symbiotic relationships: parasitism, commensalism, and…
