Technical mentorship and sponsorship: why you need it and how to find it

I've known about technical mentors for a while, but I only just learned about the concept of sponsors a few months ago. I'm sorry to say at the moment I have neither :( A few years ago I had an informal mentor, but as things get hectic I kind of lost the relationship. Anyway, I was pretty excited about this panel, because I really wanted a kick to jump start my finding a mentor and/or a sponsor.

First, the panelists gave a good explanation of the difference between mentor and sponsor. Amentor is a person who has the power to create positive change in your career. They give you technical advice to help you stronger technically, steer you toward the right projects to make you more visible, help you gain leadership skill and learn how to use your technical skills more effectively, and is someone who will listen to you vent.

In comparison, a sponsor is someone who takes an active role in endorsing your work and open doors for you, they suggest new opportunities and supports you in pursuing them. A sponsor need to have a seat at the decision making table, to be your eyes and ears. They need to be closer to your organization, compared to a mentor that can be anywhere. Also, you should be careful what information you share with the sponsor, show them your good work so they can recommend and endorse you. Don't show them your struggles.

Q: Where do you find them?

A: Your manager could be an obvious choice, but it is already their job to help you. Look for your manager's peers, and anyone in senior roles. Look in social/network affinity groups, you can meet and connect with the right people through these networks. A sponsor needs to have enough influence to open doors for you, so a peer would not make a good sponsor. At the same time, you don't always have to find sponsors at executive level. You need to build good working relations with people and sometimes they'll advance to a position where they can help you. Also, recognize that sometimes someone will be your sponsor on their own, and you need to recognize that.

Q: What do you do with a technical mentor?

A: You can review your job description with them and scrub through what is expected of you. Have them help you identify area of growth, and think about how to strategically approach your career growth.

Q: What do you do with a sponsor?

A: You need this person to be your PR agent, who can extend/demonstrate your work/skills that you bring to the table. You can sometimes ask your sponsor to do things, like removing roadblocks for you.

Q: What do mentors look for in a mentee?

A: Know what they are looking for, have a goal, thirst, and passion, so they can go on a journey together and both benefit. You need to want to reach, grow, and extend yourself.

Q: Can a mentorship be bad?

A: Sometimes a mentor can tell you something you absolutely do not believe in, you may have to break up with them. Make sure you don't burn any bridges. A nice way to do that is to show that you've accomplished your goals and have them recommend a new mentor to help you with new goals. If you are in a formal mentorship program, be honest with the program manager if things aren't working out.

Q: Thoughts on informal mentor relationships?

A: There is definitely benefit in both informal and formal mentorships. In formal mentorship it forces you to articulate your objectives, and you have an opportunity to develop a deeper relationship with that person. There is less potential for that in casual mentorships. However, don't give up the casual mentors, they could lead to a more formal mentor relationship later.

Q: How do you ask someone to be your sponsor?

A: you don't necessarily need to ask them to be your official sponsor, but you can manage your interaction with them to give them more information to act on your behalf.

Whew, that is definitely a lot of useful information! Now my goal is to identify some possible candidates before I go back to work next Monday!

What is the GHC Poster Session and Why Should I Go?

We asked Bettina Bair, co-chair of the GHC Poster Committee, to explain what the Poster Session is and what's in it for you. Here's what she wrote. — bj

When I first started attending professional conferences, I had no idea what a "poster session" was. I visualized some sort of Woodstock-esque gathering, with people sitting on the floor of a blacklight lit room, wallpapered with posters that espoused "Peace, Love & Computers". Okay, that was a little scary. And, it turns out, really really wrong.

Now I know that the poster session is just about the best activity at any conference. And the poster session at the Grace Hopper Celebration is better than most, and I'm not just saying that because I've been the GHC Planning Committee Poster co-Chair twice. At the GHC poster session there might be 70 to 100 research posters, all tacked up on screens. Each poster will have one or two friendly and knowledgeable presenters on hand to explain the findings. The poster session at GHC is also a welcome reception, so there is a lot of time for meeting and chatting. Don't forget to enjoy the hors d'oeuvres, and beverages (cash bar).

1) Research Posters are a great way to quickly skim research and get an overview of what's new in your field. A research poster is usually about a new issue or concern -- usually with some preliminary insights. Most posters are prepared by grad students, but undergrads, faculty and industry professionals present posters too.

2) The Poster Session makes it easy to find others with similar interests. After skimming through all of the posters, I usually have two or three that I want to look at more carefully. When I get back, if I see other people at the same poster, its a perfect time for me to open a discussion with them, "Isn't this interesting? Are you doing anything similar at your institution?". Make sure to exchange cards with them.

... oh my gosh, this would be a perfect time to get CONNECTed. Find a scanner and get linked up in the database. Read more: gracehopper.org/2009/community/connect

3) If you are an undergraduate student, the poster session is a good time to shop for grad schools. Wander around and see what schools are doing research that is interesting to you. Talk to the student presenting the poster and ask her about her school and professors. Make sure that you take some notes and get her name, because these details look good in a grad school application letter.

Another thing that you can do, is look for the posters being presented by other undergrads. This year there are about thirteen undergrad posters. Think about proposing a poster yourself next year.

4) If you are a graduate student, you may already be presenting in the poster session. It's good practice, and you will meet others who are doing related work. If you are not presenting a poster this year, then use your time to plan a poster for next year.

5) If you are a faculty member, you may be looking for students that will be ready to apply for faculty positions with your college soon. Or you might be interested in seeing what other institutions are doing. Or you might be supporting your own students who are presenting posters.

6) If you are an industry professional [note from bj: or a sponsor!], this is a recruiting opportunity for you too. The undergrads that propose and present a research paper are clever, motivated and friendly. They'd make great employees, wouldn't they?

The Opening Reception & SRC Poster Competition and General Poster Session will be on Wednesday, September 30th from 7pm to 9pm. The reception is informal and unstructured. Come early and stay late -- or vice versa. It's all good.

Tips for Job-Hunting at Grace Hopper 2009

Our diversity-minded Grace Hopper Celebration sponsors know this conference is a great place to find talented technical women. They send recruiters and hiring managers, search our Resume Database, volunteer in the Resume Clinic, and interview job candidates during the conference. So whether you're about to graduate or have years of experience, GHC is a great place to look for (and find) a job.

In case you missed the recent article on Great Ways To Find A Job at Grace Hopper 2009 in the Anita Borg Institute's e-newsletter, here's a summary of tips given there plus a few additions to help job-seekers make the most of this opportunity.

Submit your resume online. Sponsors will begin accessing resumes from the GHC Resume Database on August 8th and will start setting up interviews with GHC attendees starting then. Submit your resume now so you don't miss this opportunity.

Register for the GHC Resume Clinic. In the Resume Clinic, experienced human resource and staffing professionals will go over your resume with you. Bring at least two copies of your resume for editing. Not only will your resume be reviewed, but the Resume Clinic is a great way to connect with recruiters from major tech companies and government labs. So be sure to sign up for a slot at the Resume Clinic when you register for GHC.

Use GHC's online community for professional networking. Take advantage of the CONNECT project to plan and organize your networking at the conference (sign up when you register). And join the Grace Hopper Celebration and Anita Borg Institute groups on LinkedIn to make professional connections before, during and after the conference.

Visit GHC sponsors in the exhibit area during the conference. You'll be able to talk one on one with GHC sponsors and also set up interviews with representatives from some of the most acclaimed tech companies and academic institutions in the world.

So don't delay: submit your resume to the database today, sign up for the Resume Clinic and CONNECT, and join our groups on LinkedIn.

And if you didn't receive that e-newsletter, subscribe now before you miss any more great tips on how to make the most of Grace Hopper 2009!