Federal employees often report that having a supportive supervisor or a mentor is critical to career success, and in promoting mentoring in general the Merit Systems Protection Board has said that having both can be a big advantage to an employee.
Supervisors routinely observe work performance and give feedback, but a mentor is typically a senior, more experienced professional who provides knowledge, expertise, and other support through a less formal, voluntary exchange.
While some mentoring relationships span careers, shorter-term mentoring – such as "flash mentoring"- is growing in popularity.
Here’s MSPB on flash mentoring:
"In a typical flash mentoring session, senior employees/mentors are seated one per table with about five additional chairs. Every thirty minutes or so, mentees rotate among the tables. This affords small groups of mentees with the opportunity to meet several different mentors who provide a brief overview of their career history and answer questions such as ‘What was the best career move you ever made?’ and ‘How did you deal with challenges in your career?’ Afterwards, mentees can take what they’ve learned and apply it to improving their own careers, often with assistance from their supervisor or other mentors they meet along the way."
Employees should look for opportunities to participate in mentoring or any kind and agencies and employee organizations may want to help employees connect with potential mentors by encouraging and organizing mentoring opportunities to help all employees reach their potential, MSPB said.
