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4 mentorship pathways to employment
Editorial by Christian Saint Cyr
National Director / Canadian Job Development Network
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A few years ago, I was meeting with the manager of an immigrant mentorship program and she noted that not only did most participants go on to successful employment but a surprisingly large number went on to employment in the field of employment they trained for in their home country.
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I was fascinated by this and since then have always been on the lookout for statistics which support the effectiveness of mentorship.
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Recently, Signal 49 Research, which is the new name for the Conference Board of Canada, released a publication titled 'Opening the Toolbox: Barriers to Immigrant Professional Mentorship and Networking Programs' which included a survey of 1,900 mentees in mentoring programs in eight cities across Canada. The researchers compared employment outcomes of program participants at two points in time. The survey found the unemployment rates of participants decreased from 73 per cent at the time of mentoring to 19 per cent one year after program completion.
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Program participants also secured jobs that matched their expertise and skill level. Seventy one per cent of participants reported working in their field after 12 months of mentoring as opposed to 27 per cent before mentoring.
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When we talk about groups which are under-represented in the labour market, whether it's immigrants, those with disabilities, Indigenous Canadians, youth, mature workers or LGBTQ2S+, the common denominator in many cases is a lack of social and professional connections which can result in successful employment opportunities.
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While there is already tremendous mentorship going on, it isn't exactly woven into the fabric of our society. Outside someone just connecting with an influential person in their life, we mostly think about structured mentorship programs which often exist within professional organizations or government-funded mentorship programs tailored to specific populations.
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I think one of the reasons why people are so redescent about mentorship is that it seems complicated or possibly one-sided.
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I'd like to suggest that mentorship doesn't need to be complicated or unbalanced. Prior to professional organizations getting into the delivery of mentorship programs, this was just something people did naturally. An employer, teacher, someone in the community, a trusted friend or family member supported or inspired someone to reframe career decisions in a new way. That's a mentor.
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Unfortunately, it's very hard for people to build those connections. People are extremely busy and the world is far more complex, where we're constantly being bombarded by texts and alerts.
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In MENTOR Canada's 'State of Mentorship' report, they share that 38% of young adults in Canada today face barriers to accessing mentors in middle and high school (between the ages of 12-18).
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And yet, the benefits of mentorship are enormous. One factor often reported is that Gen Z is struggling with unparalleled levels of anxiety, depression and hopelessness. Mentorship is a powerful tool in building self-esteem, confidence and positive mental health.
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According to the State of Mentorship, 67 per cent of mentored youth reported good or excellent mental health compared to 62 per cent of non-mentored youth.
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The report found, 70% of mentored youth said that their most meaningful mentor during their teenage years had a significant influence on their hope and optimism for the future.
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So, how do we find mentorship in an increasingly chaotic world? We just need to redefine what we're looking for.
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There is a continuum of mentorship that can run from a brief meeting to a formalized process that can run for weeks, months or even years.
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The following is an outline of four mentorship pathways that can have a profound impact on job seekers' career opportunities. These include:
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- Information Interviews
- Unstructured Professional Guidance
- Professional Associations
- Structured and Supported Mentorship Programs
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There are many professionals who will be turned off by a highly structured program, with significant time-commitments and meetings. And yet they can make a significant contribution in bite-size pieces.
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Information Interview: While you may not think of an information interview as mentorship, it's guidance that can have a profound impact on a person's life. They are also a pathway to professional connections that people who are new to the job market or new to the country just don't have.
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When you think about your own career, how often have you gotten a piece of advice that may not be more than a sentence of two but has guided much of your career?
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Information interviews can not only provide a treasure trove of insights but also professional connections that can be valuable to establish more significant mentorship opportunities in the future.
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Unstructured Professional Guidance: This is how we traditionally think of mentorship. It's the individual who inspired you or had insights into your career.
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Often people are reluctant to go back to people who were influential in their life to seek this guidance but this is a gateway to the hidden job market and an excellent platform for building self-confidence.
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Because unstructured professional guidance doesn't start off with the same guidelines as a structured program, it is essential that mentees respect people's time, be accountable and demonstrate appreciation for the insights and opportunities the mentorship arrangement provides.
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Professional Associations: Many professional associations provide their own mentorship programs to help connect seasoned professionals with people who are new to the sector. The associations may include engineers, nurses or human resources professionals.
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Typically, these programs exist in professions where the work is highly structured and there is the benefit of learning best practices and new approaches.
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Recent graduates and newcomers should consult with their professional association to see if these opportunities exist.
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This is an extremely strong pathway to employment as seasoned mentors will typically have multiple connections that could result in employment.
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Structured and Supported Mentorship Programs: These programs are often contracted by government to create networking connections for under-represented groups.
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While these programs are often developed for specific groups such as women or Indigenous Canadians, they create an informed understanding of the challenges broad groups face and the mentors are aware of which populations they are supporting.
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One of the great benefits of these programs is that there is a third stakeholder in the arrangement. The mentors and mentees have the organizer to turn to when they need to refocus, clarify and get assistance.
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Unfortunately, according to Signal 49's research, mentorship programs face signficant barriers in their work. These include an insufficient supply of mentors -- particularly in specialized fields -- lack of program awareness, geographic and linguistic challenges, and restrictive eligibility criteria.
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While reading this, you may walk away thinking that mentorship is something that only benefits mentees but there is a growing level of support among employers.
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In 2023, a survey by Harris Poll found 76% of hiring managers believe internal mentorship programs are essential in reducing brain drain.
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In fact, even those who do not have mentorship programs acknowledge such practices allow employers to upskill and reskill staff (54%), as well as attract prospective employees (31%).
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Those who offer a mentorship program in the workplace also said they are a benefit to:
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- Upskill and reskill employees (80%)
- Cultivate greater connection between employees (51%)
- Attract prospective employees (45%)
- Keep older workers engaged (38%)
- Reduce brain drain (37%)
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On the other side of the equation, 87% of jobseekers surveyed said they find companies offering mentorship programs as "more attractive."
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Are you a mentor or have you ever thought about being one? If not, I've got news for you. You already are a mentor. Job development by it's very nature is a mentoring role.
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Every day, you are sharing insights and knowledge, not easily come by, which people are integrating it into their job search and career planning.
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I believe there is a strong business case for helping local employers develop their own approaches to mentorship. Perhaps it's just in the form of scheduling information interviews or perhaps something more complex.
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Share the data with employers about the benefits of developing mentorship programs. This will give your clients or students greater visibility to local employers and significantly increase their employment opportunities.
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We’ll be discussing the power of mentorship at our #MotivatingMondays meeting of the Canadian Job Development Network, Monday February 23rd at 8:30am Pacific; 9:30am Mountain; 10:30am Central; 11:30am Eastern; 12:30pm Atlantic and at 1pm in Newfoundland.
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Unfortunately, I'll be boarding a plane on Monday morning and won't be able to host the session, but you can still see the recording. On the morning of Monday Feb. 23rd 'Click this Link' to watch the session on YouTube.
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Labour Market 101 Training Modules
for British Columbia and Ontario
REGISTRATION CLOSES IN 4 DAYS
Thursday February 26th
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We're gathering FINAL REGISTRATION for our annual Labour Market 101 Training Modules. This is an excellent introduction to important LMI divided up into five different occupations:
Resource Room Advisors (Mon. Mar. 2nd);
Employment Case Managers (Tues. Mar. 3rd);
Facilitators (Wed. Mar. 4th);
Job Developers (Thurs. Mar. 5th); and
Managers / Supervisors (Fri. Mar. 6th)
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We have two series planned, one for British Columbia career professionals and another for Ontario. To learn more, click on one of these links:
BC LMI 101 Training Modules
Ontario LMI 101 Training Modules
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or to learn more, email Christian Saint Cyr, at: csaintcyr@labourmarketonline.com.
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