What is the need and roles of a mentor in internship?

“An individual always require an ear to hear,
A hand for help, and fingers to hold on,
Akin, in an internship program,
A mentor is required at each stage,
As a guide, supporter, and problem solver.”

 

 Who is a mentor?      

                    
In essence, a Mentor is a person having a handful of experience in their pockets, specifically related to a particular field. Certainly, a person who has achieved excellence in their concerned discipline. 

Generally, when an individual begins a new chapter of their life by enrolling in a firm as an intern, there is always a skepticism on tasks assigned; thus, it is indispensable to assign a mentor, primarily an employee of the company having every minute details on company dynamics, and the skills to assist the fresher intern with all assignments. 
The need for Mentor:


A mentor works as a backbone for the mentee and assists in every assigned work. As seen, with the technological advances, it has become tremendously easier to look for an answer to the question in a spilled second, but entitling a web browser as a problem solver is unacceptable, and by typing in problems in the search bar, it is less likely to achieve relevant results. Moreover, a search engine is not proficient enough to hand in an optimum solution for real-time situations. 

 

 In my perception, individuals must always keep a piece of advice in their mind that Books cannot speak on their own, ironically some audiobooks are indeed available; however, in both facets, a reader has to put in efforts to read as well as understand the published sequence of words and letters on pages, to make the best use out of it. Similarly, in an internship, there is a need to conquer all the stumbling blocks to make it fruitful and to accomplish it, a mentor comes into the picture as a magic man. 

 

If any uncertain obstacle occurs, it is advisable to have a dialogue about the problem with them and implement the solution provided, considering its pros and cons as per the gravity of the situation. Consequently, it is fairly proved that a mentor is a better option than searching for any doubts virtually on Internet, as the former can provide a person with simple and implementable ways to come out when stacked. 

 

The reason for such trust underlies the fact that such individuals have gained immense experience in their field through years of hardships and survival in an organization. In other words, having answers from a mentor’s mind would do a great help as it saves one's time that can be utilized elsewhere.

 

Let us consider an illustration to throw light on why do intern strenuously requires a mentor? Suppose a talented and diligent individual land a sales job and/or internship and gains a senior sales executive as her mentor. The senior executive might guide her in her development as a leader, a strategist, and a complete business professional. The mentor might not exactly instruct her or provide on-the-spot coaching or training. He will challenge her and encourage her to think about issues and approaches by asking difficult-to-answer questions, hereby imparting critical thinking. This implies that there are clusters of areas where a mentor plays an imperative role. 

 

Roles of mentor- 


Even though countless roles are played by mentors, some are mentioned underneath:
                   
1. ADVISOR AND COACH- provides advice, guidance, and feedback; share their experience and expertise as appropriate; act as a sounding board of ideas and action plans. 
2. CHAMPION AND CHEERLEADER- offer encouragement and support to pursue new tasks, help mentees move out of their comfort zones, celebrate success, help mentees understand when things don’t go as planned.


3.RESOURCE AND RECOMMENDATIONS- identify resources that will help mentees with personal development and growth, such as recommending books, workshops, or other learning tools, encourage mentees to join networking organizations, or introduce them to new contacts.
4.DEVIL’S ADVOCATE AND “TRUTH SAYER”-provide the tough feedback that mentees need to hear to move forward; push mentees to take risks when appropriate; help mentees consider and weigh potential consequences of decisions and actions to avoid the pitfalls and predictable surprises that occur.

 

At last, it is an immense pleasure to work under certain exceptional personalities. As an intern, one must not let go of such an opportunity as a waste. They should primarily focus on getting the best use of the golden offer.

I hope, as a reader, you may have found this article to be quite informative. If so, kindly share this fragment of valuable information with your pals, as knowledge sharing is an attribute that depicts generosity. Lastly, I would like to represent a token of appreciation to you for being patient and reading till the end.
Happy learning!

 

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Comments
Gurkirat singh - Aug 10, 2021, 4:08 PM - Add Reply

Way of writing is such a speechless. I like it .

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Sukhdeep Kaur - Oct 1, 2021, 8:35 AM - Add Reply

Thank you !

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