Thinking Outside The Box With A Mentor

 

Rona Carr, an Ivy Exec protégé from the public/non-profit arena, explains how mentorship helped her sanity check the impression she made with recruiters and interviewers, and more…

IE: Why did you seek mentorship?

RC: I wanted an objective assessment of: (1) the first impression I make; (2) what I could do differently when I interview; (3) whether my resume presents me as a “must have” candidate for the public/nonprofit sector; and (4) whether, at this point in my career, it’s necessary to be willing to relocate.

IE: Who is your mentor?
RC: John Reed, CEO of Quinn Reed Associates (QRA)*

IE: How did it go?
RC: John was enormously helpful. We discussed my resume, my experiences and how I work. John had doable suggestions such as: connecting with community service organizations (e.g., Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs) to speak at member meetings, and marketing myself to small and medium-sized business owners who may not post jobs on job boards.

IE: What are your next steps?
RC: I’m following up on many of John’s suggestions, and am revising my resume to better emphasize the executive coaching, employee engagement and retention program development and implementation I’ve done.

IE: What are your takeaways from the mentorship experience?
RC: Mentoring was the most important step I’ve taken. It’s definitely accelerated my career plans, and I’m moving forward confidently with new approaches I think will yield positive results.

IE: What advice would you give other protégés?
RC: Be open to new ideas and ways of working. Ask questions about any and everything, no matter how small. Learning and understanding the changes you may need to make will make a difference in the level of success you can achieve.

Facing career hurdles?  Get one-on-one guidance from The Ivy Exec Mentor Network.

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*John Reed PhD is CEO of Quinn Reed Associates (QRA), a corporate psychology and management consultancy, and an Ivy Exec Mentor. He authored Pinpointing Excellence, a guide to finding quality executive coaches.  He holds an AB and MBA from Dartmouth, and is a licensed corporate psychologist and certified executive coach.