Thanks for doing this all! Y'all are awesome and love the work you do. I have a question as a relatively new mentor as it relates to mentor searches that I hope you can help with. I've been kind of thrust into the mentor role during the pandemic, through my own newsletter, and due to the recognizable name of the company I work for (Spotify) on LinkedIn and my alumni networks. I've found that for the most part, mentees are gracious and thankful with wonderful questions via my newsletter.
However, I've come across a few on LinkedIn and my own alumni networks (NYU, USC) that contact me for mentorship and set up a call, but it soon becomes clear that they didn't want mentorship at all; they expect a job referral after one conversation. I've found this to be a bit rude, but I also understand that the job market, plainly, sucks right now, so people are trying everything they can.
On my side, Spotify's referral system isn't like other places (just putting in the name of someone you heard about the job from); it expects that you know all of your referrals really well and asks you questions detailed about your working/personal relationship with them, which is why I naturally prefer to only refer people I've worked with before.
I just wanted to ask you all: I still want to serve as a mentor and I'm happy to do so, but is this a common expectation that you find among mentees? How do you weed out those who are just after a job referral vs. those who want a true mentor? And how can I properly communicate this in someone's mentor search that I'm willing to be a mentor but I'm uncomfortable referring them to a job until I get to know them better/serve as their mentor for a while? I have a note in my LinkedIn bio about it, but I still get messages all the time asking for referrals. Thanks for reading and considering this accidentally long question.
Hi Mallory! This approach is unfortunately very common, and deeply frustrating. I believe it's because a lot of people, particularly at the beginning of their careers but not always, don't understand that a referral can positively/negatively reflect on you, which is why you should only refer people you know you can vouch for.
I don't think there's one answer on how to screen them, but here is what works for me. When someone reaches out via email/DM asking for a mentorship call, I ask them to tell me three topics they'd like to discuss. If they are upfront about wanting to get a referral, I tell them I can't help them with that at the moment but can help them with other questions if they'd like. It's up to them to decide whether they still want to chat. Often, however, this question is brought up when you're deep in a call with them. I think saying what you wrote—"I'm uncomfortable referring you for a job until I get to know you better"—is a proper way to communicate it. If they ask why (some people truly don't know!) you can always explain your reasoning in a way that's kind but firm. Again, it'll be up to them whether they'll want to respect your stand and continue a mentoring relationship.
Hope this accidentally long answer helps with your question!
Hi Andrea! Thank you so much for sharing this advice. This is super helpful and I love the approach of asking for three topics to discuss beforehand! Same with being upfront when deep into the call -- it's happened before and I've been caught off-guard. Thank you again and appreciate all you do.
This is definitely something that I have dealt with! I definitely try to keep some personal guidelines so that students know what to expect, but still, I sometimes run into those issues.
I think being clear (the way you worded it above is great!) and letting them know why you are uncomfortable is definitely the best way to start. When I book sessions to mentor, I use Calendly and require that students write clear and distinct questions about what they would like to discuss, which I think keeps both of us on track and to avoid situations like this.
Still, I think it's bound to happen, but being as proactive as possible can help.
Thank you for sharing this advice, Adriana! Love the Calendly tip as well for staying on track on the call, as well as transparency. Appreciate all you do.
Like Mags here, I've been craving mentorship since I started. I came to the US in 2016 and started my career there so I had to figure out a lot of things on my own, without any prior professional network. I guess having a mentor would be good to evaluate your career choices and to know when you're making a mistake/taking a step back or not; and for people like me who haven't had the most traditional early-career path in journalism, how to leverage your reporting AND non-reporting experience when applying to jobs so that you're not pegged only in entry-level ones.
Hi Marguerite, mentors can certainly help with some of these excellent questions. When it comes to making big life decisions, I would also suggest going to your own personal board of directors (here's a piece in Science on the topic: http://bit.ly/3nGnn0i). Your own board could be made up of a small group of people who know you very well personally and/or professionally. They can help evaluate those big choices around new jobs, career shifts and difficult conversations.
I'm a mid-career journalist who's been craving a sincere form of mentorship but, because of the culture-train that I started with when I first began in the industry I feel like I'm being a burden to someone who as a female may feel like I'm encroaching on their hard earned talent/achievements by asking for a little of their time and help. How do I overcome this without coming off as too brash when seeking mentorship from someone
Soooo feeling Andrea’s advice here. I was listening to a video on Instagram just yesterday that Luvvie put out about this feeling of encroaching on a mentor’s time. The short story is that she was wrapping up a session with a mentor and the mentor said to feel free to contact her on Slack anytime with questions. Luvvie winced at that, but the mentor replied with something like, “When you contact me, leave it up to me to respond when I get a chance or let you know what my capacity is” and then added, “You do not have to take responsibility for my boundaries. Let me manage my boundaries.”
I was really struck by that. Sometimes, out of respect for people who guide us, we put up boundaries that they don’t actually have. We don’t have to do that. We just have to be respectful.
Hi Mags! I understand where you're coming from, feeling like you may be bothering people by asking for their help. I've experienced this myself and I see all the time with mentees in our program. But I want to tell you it's 100% possible to overcome this mentality and do so without coming off as too brash! You'd be surprised how many people are willing to talk with you about their careers and answer your industry questions. The secret is to be respectful at all times, from the moment you reach out asking for help to the moment you decide it's time to move on to another mentor. That's it! Respect people's time and boundaries. Respect the advice they give you. And remember mentorship is a relationship—it's not transactional, so it requires cultivating it.
In addition to Andrea's great advice here, mentorship programs like Katie Hawkins-Gaar's digitalwomenleaders.com, Adriana's Media Mentors program for early career journalists (journalismmentors.com/mentors) and Andrea's Latinas in Journalism Mentorship Program (latinajournalists.com) make it more comfortable to reach out and connect.
These excellent folks are all willing to volunteer at least a little of their time and could introduce you to others who might be an event better mentor fit.
Hello, thank you for doing this! My question is related to setting a foundation with potential mentors. I'll be graduating in May, so I've had several informational interviews with people I admire who are doing work I'd love to do someday. I've found it's fairly easy to get these calls set up since people generally want to help students, but I struggle with what to do after the call. I always send a thank you note afterward and include some of the things I enjoyed from our conversation, but after that, I'm not sure how to follow up. I also sometimes wonder if it's too late to reach back out to someone if our call was a long time ago. In short, how do I keep building a genuine relationship with potential mentors after the initial conversation?
If you had a solid conversation with someone, the next step would be to determine if you want to keep them as a contact or a mentor. For a contact, you might send them periodic updates about what you're working on or let them know if you enjoyed reading something they produced. This helps you stay in touch.
For a mentor, it helps to have goals. What would you like to work with them on? Maybe you want them to teach you to create data visualizations to go with stories so you can easily produce one a week, deepening engagement around your pieces. (Here's a great NPR article on goals for mentors: https://n.pr/2LIkkaH)
After you've put some thought into a potential goal, reach out to the person again, share your goal and make your ask. Hopefully they can help!
Hi! I'm an entry-level journalist (I graduated in December) and really don't what I'm doing with my life professionally yet. Is it okay to seek out a mentor even if I'm not technically active in the journalism field? I'm just thinking that conversations would be more about how to get started, how to actively maintain a portfolio, etc. and I don't anyone to feel like I'm wasting their time.
One of the most rewarding things about having mentor when you're still figuring out everything is that they can be a great first step to helping you carve your path. When you seek out a mentor, be honest about how you're feeling about your career and come with specific questions that they can answer. Good luck with everything!
Hi Mandy! this platform is amazing, thank you for building it. As I go back to work (I had to quit due to COVID/kids) I'm finding myself at a place where I'm not sure how to apply for jobs. Every opening I see asks for a portfolio. My last job was at CNN and nothing belongs to me, or I don't have a way to get it, so I find myself looking for entry-level jobs. Can you advise who to talk to? or what to do? THANKS
Hi Margot, thanks for writing. If there are links to your work, those could help a great deal. Or if you left on good terms with your last employer and you have a few specific clips in mind (and know an easy way to find them), you might be able to reach out and request those specific pieces for a reel.
I'm on great terms with them, but getting the clips is close to impossible if it's not done the same day/week they went on air :(..., so the pieces I have are more than 2 years old. So I'm unsure as to how to apply for jobs without a portfolio.
A big thing for me as a POC journalist is finding a mentor who has been able to navigate the industry, and share how their lived experience has helped but also made journalism challenging for them. In Canada, to succeed in journalism often comes with a lot of privilege. You have to leave your hometown, move to a small city and actually be able to afford to take on low wage jobs/free internships. Many people aren't able to do that. Representation is such a big thing for me...having a mentor who looks like me but also can provide wisdom goes such a long way.
I'm an early-career science journalist. A lot of things happened this past year and I couldn't find a job in US so I had to move back home to India. But, I still want to pursue a career in US and I don't know how to go about it. I believe it'll be harder to break into the field since I'm out of the country but I also believe I need more experience. Right now, there aren't a lot of science writing jobs here in India so I've decided to freelance and build my own brand. And even there, I'm anxious about freelancing.
Is it hard to break into the US journalism industry if you're outside? What experiences do people expect for a full-time writer? If I freelance, how do I stay accountable?
Thanks for doing this all! Y'all are awesome and love the work you do. I have a question as a relatively new mentor as it relates to mentor searches that I hope you can help with. I've been kind of thrust into the mentor role during the pandemic, through my own newsletter, and due to the recognizable name of the company I work for (Spotify) on LinkedIn and my alumni networks. I've found that for the most part, mentees are gracious and thankful with wonderful questions via my newsletter.
However, I've come across a few on LinkedIn and my own alumni networks (NYU, USC) that contact me for mentorship and set up a call, but it soon becomes clear that they didn't want mentorship at all; they expect a job referral after one conversation. I've found this to be a bit rude, but I also understand that the job market, plainly, sucks right now, so people are trying everything they can.
On my side, Spotify's referral system isn't like other places (just putting in the name of someone you heard about the job from); it expects that you know all of your referrals really well and asks you questions detailed about your working/personal relationship with them, which is why I naturally prefer to only refer people I've worked with before.
I just wanted to ask you all: I still want to serve as a mentor and I'm happy to do so, but is this a common expectation that you find among mentees? How do you weed out those who are just after a job referral vs. those who want a true mentor? And how can I properly communicate this in someone's mentor search that I'm willing to be a mentor but I'm uncomfortable referring them to a job until I get to know them better/serve as their mentor for a while? I have a note in my LinkedIn bio about it, but I still get messages all the time asking for referrals. Thanks for reading and considering this accidentally long question.
Hi Mallory! This approach is unfortunately very common, and deeply frustrating. I believe it's because a lot of people, particularly at the beginning of their careers but not always, don't understand that a referral can positively/negatively reflect on you, which is why you should only refer people you know you can vouch for.
I don't think there's one answer on how to screen them, but here is what works for me. When someone reaches out via email/DM asking for a mentorship call, I ask them to tell me three topics they'd like to discuss. If they are upfront about wanting to get a referral, I tell them I can't help them with that at the moment but can help them with other questions if they'd like. It's up to them to decide whether they still want to chat. Often, however, this question is brought up when you're deep in a call with them. I think saying what you wrote—"I'm uncomfortable referring you for a job until I get to know you better"—is a proper way to communicate it. If they ask why (some people truly don't know!) you can always explain your reasoning in a way that's kind but firm. Again, it'll be up to them whether they'll want to respect your stand and continue a mentoring relationship.
Hope this accidentally long answer helps with your question!
Hi Andrea! Thank you so much for sharing this advice. This is super helpful and I love the approach of asking for three topics to discuss beforehand! Same with being upfront when deep into the call -- it's happened before and I've been caught off-guard. Thank you again and appreciate all you do.
Mallory,
This is definitely something that I have dealt with! I definitely try to keep some personal guidelines so that students know what to expect, but still, I sometimes run into those issues.
I think being clear (the way you worded it above is great!) and letting them know why you are uncomfortable is definitely the best way to start. When I book sessions to mentor, I use Calendly and require that students write clear and distinct questions about what they would like to discuss, which I think keeps both of us on track and to avoid situations like this.
Still, I think it's bound to happen, but being as proactive as possible can help.
Thank you for sharing this advice, Adriana! Love the Calendly tip as well for staying on track on the call, as well as transparency. Appreciate all you do.
Like Mags here, I've been craving mentorship since I started. I came to the US in 2016 and started my career there so I had to figure out a lot of things on my own, without any prior professional network. I guess having a mentor would be good to evaluate your career choices and to know when you're making a mistake/taking a step back or not; and for people like me who haven't had the most traditional early-career path in journalism, how to leverage your reporting AND non-reporting experience when applying to jobs so that you're not pegged only in entry-level ones.
Hi Marguerite, mentors can certainly help with some of these excellent questions. When it comes to making big life decisions, I would also suggest going to your own personal board of directors (here's a piece in Science on the topic: http://bit.ly/3nGnn0i). Your own board could be made up of a small group of people who know you very well personally and/or professionally. They can help evaluate those big choices around new jobs, career shifts and difficult conversations.
I'm a mid-career journalist who's been craving a sincere form of mentorship but, because of the culture-train that I started with when I first began in the industry I feel like I'm being a burden to someone who as a female may feel like I'm encroaching on their hard earned talent/achievements by asking for a little of their time and help. How do I overcome this without coming off as too brash when seeking mentorship from someone
Soooo feeling Andrea’s advice here. I was listening to a video on Instagram just yesterday that Luvvie put out about this feeling of encroaching on a mentor’s time. The short story is that she was wrapping up a session with a mentor and the mentor said to feel free to contact her on Slack anytime with questions. Luvvie winced at that, but the mentor replied with something like, “When you contact me, leave it up to me to respond when I get a chance or let you know what my capacity is” and then added, “You do not have to take responsibility for my boundaries. Let me manage my boundaries.”
I was really struck by that. Sometimes, out of respect for people who guide us, we put up boundaries that they don’t actually have. We don’t have to do that. We just have to be respectful.
Link to video: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJ6qZvtlGUN/?igshid=11ycekm6sjhqx
Hi Mags! I understand where you're coming from, feeling like you may be bothering people by asking for their help. I've experienced this myself and I see all the time with mentees in our program. But I want to tell you it's 100% possible to overcome this mentality and do so without coming off as too brash! You'd be surprised how many people are willing to talk with you about their careers and answer your industry questions. The secret is to be respectful at all times, from the moment you reach out asking for help to the moment you decide it's time to move on to another mentor. That's it! Respect people's time and boundaries. Respect the advice they give you. And remember mentorship is a relationship—it's not transactional, so it requires cultivating it.
In addition to Andrea's great advice here, mentorship programs like Katie Hawkins-Gaar's digitalwomenleaders.com, Adriana's Media Mentors program for early career journalists (journalismmentors.com/mentors) and Andrea's Latinas in Journalism Mentorship Program (latinajournalists.com) make it more comfortable to reach out and connect.
These excellent folks are all willing to volunteer at least a little of their time and could introduce you to others who might be an event better mentor fit.
Hello, thank you for doing this! My question is related to setting a foundation with potential mentors. I'll be graduating in May, so I've had several informational interviews with people I admire who are doing work I'd love to do someday. I've found it's fairly easy to get these calls set up since people generally want to help students, but I struggle with what to do after the call. I always send a thank you note afterward and include some of the things I enjoyed from our conversation, but after that, I'm not sure how to follow up. I also sometimes wonder if it's too late to reach back out to someone if our call was a long time ago. In short, how do I keep building a genuine relationship with potential mentors after the initial conversation?
Hi Madison, this is a really good question!
If you had a solid conversation with someone, the next step would be to determine if you want to keep them as a contact or a mentor. For a contact, you might send them periodic updates about what you're working on or let them know if you enjoyed reading something they produced. This helps you stay in touch.
For a mentor, it helps to have goals. What would you like to work with them on? Maybe you want them to teach you to create data visualizations to go with stories so you can easily produce one a week, deepening engagement around your pieces. (Here's a great NPR article on goals for mentors: https://n.pr/2LIkkaH)
After you've put some thought into a potential goal, reach out to the person again, share your goal and make your ask. Hopefully they can help!
Thanks so much for your advice! I like the idea of differentiating between a contact and a mentor, I hadn't thought about it that way. Appreciate it!
Hi! I'm an entry-level journalist (I graduated in December) and really don't what I'm doing with my life professionally yet. Is it okay to seek out a mentor even if I'm not technically active in the journalism field? I'm just thinking that conversations would be more about how to get started, how to actively maintain a portfolio, etc. and I don't anyone to feel like I'm wasting their time.
Hi Sofi, absolutely!
One of the most rewarding things about having mentor when you're still figuring out everything is that they can be a great first step to helping you carve your path. When you seek out a mentor, be honest about how you're feeling about your career and come with specific questions that they can answer. Good luck with everything!
Thank you, this is helpful insight!
Hi Mandy! this platform is amazing, thank you for building it. As I go back to work (I had to quit due to COVID/kids) I'm finding myself at a place where I'm not sure how to apply for jobs. Every opening I see asks for a portfolio. My last job was at CNN and nothing belongs to me, or I don't have a way to get it, so I find myself looking for entry-level jobs. Can you advise who to talk to? or what to do? THANKS
Hi Margot, thanks for writing. If there are links to your work, those could help a great deal. Or if you left on good terms with your last employer and you have a few specific clips in mind (and know an easy way to find them), you might be able to reach out and request those specific pieces for a reel.
I'm on great terms with them, but getting the clips is close to impossible if it's not done the same day/week they went on air :(..., so the pieces I have are more than 2 years old. So I'm unsure as to how to apply for jobs without a portfolio.
A big thing for me as a POC journalist is finding a mentor who has been able to navigate the industry, and share how their lived experience has helped but also made journalism challenging for them. In Canada, to succeed in journalism often comes with a lot of privilege. You have to leave your hometown, move to a small city and actually be able to afford to take on low wage jobs/free internships. Many people aren't able to do that. Representation is such a big thing for me...having a mentor who looks like me but also can provide wisdom goes such a long way.
Hello! Thank you so much for this Mandy!
I'm an early-career science journalist. A lot of things happened this past year and I couldn't find a job in US so I had to move back home to India. But, I still want to pursue a career in US and I don't know how to go about it. I believe it'll be harder to break into the field since I'm out of the country but I also believe I need more experience. Right now, there aren't a lot of science writing jobs here in India so I've decided to freelance and build my own brand. And even there, I'm anxious about freelancing.
Is it hard to break into the US journalism industry if you're outside? What experiences do people expect for a full-time writer? If I freelance, how do I stay accountable?