Nobody ever starts a job and gets it all on the first working day. Almost always, an engineer has to lean on a guide to explain the whereabouts of the job and instruct what and how to do them. In short, he or she needs a mentor.
Engineering mentors are crucial because they give the newbie engineers a direction at work, which is aligned to the goals of the company as well as their career.
They are the ones who train the future of the company, assuming that the newly-hired engineers are after a long-term work relationship. Mentoring can be thought of as an investment.
But the new engineers in a company simply cannot assign themselves mentors. More often than not, the higher-ups are always busy and cannot afford to find time in mentoring their subordinates.
In cases that the new engineers get to have an opportunity of choosing who they could have as mentors at work, they should knock on the door of those who are accomplished individuals who find satisfaction in watching his or her student become a master.
To be a good mentor for newbie engineers, he or she should be able to display the qualities of a motivator and a leader around the workplace. Someone who is constructive when it comes to criticisms and does not shame people when they do not know the answers.
Of course, he or she should be someone who is knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the job. It is a bonus or he or she knows the politics of the organization for the trainees to remain competitive.
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And the newbie engineers can only choose by observing around the first or maybe second week at work. Perhaps through meetings. Or lunch breaks.
They should check who among the people in the workplace have the willingness to help others and meet the criteria mentioned above.
It is without assurance that they could find the perfect candidate for a mentor. They should be realistic about it.
However, sometimes, it only takes one meaningful conversation to know who their mentor should be without overthinking it.
Once they have that, just keep the engagement going. They will never notice they have already found a mentor.
