Why you should consider a reverse mentorship

Why you should consider a reverse beratershipIf youve been in the workforce for a while, youre more than likely familiar with the concept of internships and how they benefit both the interns and the companies they work for. For many of us, its a tested and time-honored rite of passage when starting out in ur chosen fields, we pay our dues by providing free or low cost assistance to a mentor or team who, in turn, teaches us the job and its responsibilities, as well as the industry were looking to break into. We got free work experience and exposure to the field (and with a little luck a job at the end of the process), and the company got low cost help. Its a win-win setup. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) However, something new has been flying under the radar in more progressive companies thats starting to get more widespread attentionreverse mentorships. No, this doesnt entail middle-aged employees returning to the classroom to learn how to be students. Instead, its an intriguing concept that typically involves millennialsyoung adults who are at the beginning of their career pathsworking alongside older individuals to, well, mentor themGet built-in, on-the-job tech training.What could a seasoned and established individual whos farther along in his or her career journey learn from someone whos just starting out? Plenty, it turns out Millennials typically have their fingers on the pulse of the latest and greatest in tech, and can help keep their older, late to the game counterparts up to date. No longer do industry veterans need to secretly pretend that theyre up on all the latest tech and fumble along through it, hoping that no one gets wise to their ineptitudetoday, they can get shame-free coaching from a reverse mentorMillennials also have a great handle on how to use tools like social media, audio, and video to capture the attention of the younger generationa key demographic for a variety of industries, products, and advertiserswhich is something that older adults tend to struggle with. So, if youre clueless about using Twitter or Instagram effectively to promote your business, a reverse mentor can help you see the lightLearn how to reach out to younger demographics.These days, it isnt uncommon for companies to hire younger adults (and individuals even younger) to help them strategize their marketing campaigns targeted at this fickle and easily distracted age group. Sure, older adults can spend their time and effort guessing at what seems young and fresh, but todays younger generation is very good at spotting phonies and pretenders, and turning away when they encounter something that sets off their disingenuous alarms. Who better to provide ideas for grabbing the attention of younger consumers than those closest to the age demographic?Strategize how to attract fresh talent.Reverse mentors can also help companies stay fresh and adopt progressive strategies for attracting and retaining a new g eneration of employees, and can even offer fresh perspectives on the industries theyre focused in. Younger individuals also usually have an abundance of creative new ideas that can help businesses stand out from their static, slower-moving competitiona valuable resource, indeed.Despite the seemingly obvious advantages to having a reverse mentor, the idea does have its critics. Some people feel like reverse mentoring only feeds the egos and sense of entitlement that the younger generation has become infamous for having. They also claim that its an unnecessary and irresponsible way to destroy the standard chain of respect and authority that traditional business are used to operating in.However, there is a growing consensus that both older and younger generations have something to learn from the other side, and that the most effective mentorship arrangement would allow each side to share its perspective, knowledge, and experience with the other, to the benefit of everyone involved. So, regardless of what side of the mentorship coin youre on, consider taking advantage of a reverse mentorship arrangement to help you achieve your goals

Development Programs for Grad Students

Development Programs for Grad Students Share Share via TwitterShare via FacebookShare via Google PlusShare via LinkedInShare via E-mail As Assistant Dean, Program Development,Quentin McAndrew serves as the primary liaison for faculty anddepartments interested in developing new graduate degrees, certificates, and otzu sich graduate programs on campus.Quentin McAndrew earned her Ph.D. from the Department of English at the University of Colorado Boulder in May 2015, where her dissertation garnered multiple awards for outstanding writing and research. She teaches American literature and business writing, and her students consistently rank her as one of the highest performing instructors at CU. Quentin McAndrew holds a B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University. She also brings more than a decade of high-level corporate experience to the program.What does your office do?We are the program development group in the graduate school, through many iterations and evolutions. Our mission is to develop new graduate programs across campus. Theres a goal, on campus, to bring in 3,000 new graduate student enrollments in the next four years. Our job is to erleichterung graduate education and the departments that want to develop new programs that meet their mission and goals, in any way that we can. I love my job.Its fun, its campus-wide andits strategic. I get to meet ansicht amazing human beings who are doing incredible things.How were you able to parlay your doctoral degree into the position you currently hold?Theres always a bit of serendipity involved in these sorts of things, and Id be disingenuous to say I wasnt very lucky and that the timing happened to be right. I also had tremendous mentors who supported my effortselendhing would have happened without them. That being said, as I worked my way through the program, I also made sure to let my mentors know that I was interested in non-traditional positions after I earned my degree, and I made sure to talk about my bus iness background. I also kept conversations open across the University and in the private sector, so that when I defended my dissertation, I had three or four promising avenues to pursue. One of those avenues resulted in my learning about and interviewing for the role I took. I should also be clear none of the options I was exploring included a tenure-track position because wed decided as a family that we wouldnt relocate (I have a husband who works in a corporate job and two teen daughters). That clarified my efforts and allowed me a beneficial focus.What kinds of opportunities do you think graduate students should be saying yes to in order to enhance their marketability once they finish their degree?That depends on their goals. Obviously, if a person wants a tenure-track role, they have to go for it full bore. Im not sure you can really afford any distractions. You might explore the trends of your field and look for experience that would be helpful on the job marketfor instance, a lot of assistant English professors are asked to teach composition, so expanding your teaching experience from just literature to include writing courses could be useful. On the other hand, you might tailor your interests to a unique job search say, if youve been teaching online and designing courses, you might parlay that into an instructional design job search. This sounds hokey, but I really believe that whatever you do has to be driven by your true interests or youll end up uninspired and unhappy. So, the real questions become what are you interested in and how can you parlay that interest into an area of expertise that leads to opportunities? What else can you turn that passion and interest to, in a creative way that opens interesting possibilities on the job market?Theres nothing wrong with cruising the job boards at the University or other places. Its useful to know what kinds of jobs are available that might sound interesting. Finally, develop good mentors inside and outsid e your field. Find senior people who are willing to discuss the job market and your career with you. They can be wonderful sources of information and advice.What questions should grad students be asking themselves as they prepare for the job market?Id say the key point here is that you should start thinking about the job market long before youre actually preparing your materials or getting ready to graduate. You should really be asking yourself the primary question from day one in the program, which is what is my goal? The answer can evolve over time, but everything you do should be in service of that answer.CategoriesGraduate StudentsTagsCareer Search - Graduate Students