Mentor At Work: What To Do When You’ve Been Blown Off

Sometimes during one's career, you may need a mentor. A mentor, is a guide or a teacher who inspires you and who you look up to. But what if your mentor is nowhere to be found?

A mentor is someone you admire and would be happy to talk to you when you have questions, explains Ashley Lutz, Senior Editor. However, it's easy to be invested in a mentor and get your hopes up. It's a heart-breaking moment when someone who was involved in your career trajectory doesn't return your calls.

One employee felt blown off by his own mentor. He recalls that he had scheduled phone call with his own mentor. He writes, "The last correspondence I had was with her assistant who asked me for my number so this person would be able to reach me, which I took to mean that she would be the one to call me." But the call never came. He doesn't want to appear nudgey. What should this person do? According to Business Insider, this is a tricky situation since he initiated the connection. He would feel like he's prodding for a follow-up but it's okay to feel this way, the article continues.

Lutz suggests that he should follow up with the assistant as soon as he's available. Surely, his mentor would be happy to talk to him. And if at the end, there is still no word, then Lutz advices that he should go straight to his mentor and reconnect.

Having a mentor means both of you have invested on a path that requires you to communicate and connect. While it's easy to feel lost when your mentor is too busy, there is no reason why this relationship should dissolve unless your career goals have changed or was not met.

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