Every January, millions of people make New Year’s resolutions but unfortunately, only a small fraction – less than 20% according to studies – end up achieving them. [1]

With such a low success rate, you may be wondering if New Year’s resolutions are even worth it. Is it truly possible to be part of that small camp of folks that turn their goals into reality?

The answer is a resounding ‘yes’. That’s because one often overlooked, but highly powerful solution for making your resolutions stick for the long run is the HRPA Mentorship Program. The HRPA Mentorship Program matches mentors and mentees based on profile information, self-identified coaching needs and professional goals, using an online platform known as HRPA Mentoring.

And it’s great way to reach your goals this year. Here’s why…


3 Ways Becoming a Mentor Can Help You Reach Your Goals

  1. Goal: Develop Leadership Skills – As a mentor, you learn how to bring out the best in others, how to give sound advice and recognize strengths and weaknesses – all important characteristics of successful leaders. The leadership skills you learn are transferable and can be applied to other professional situations too. And if you’re already a leader in your workplace, mentoring simply gives you the chance to hone your established approach to leadership and cultivate new leadership techniques.
  2. Goal: Make Meaningful Connections – Mentoring others presents an excellent opportunity to meet people in your field or in another industry. By meeting different people, you also expose yourself to issues facing other industries. Better yet, if your mentee is a student or a recent grad, mentoring can help you keep abreast of the latest trends and best practices that you can use in your field of work. At the end of the day, you never know who you’ll meet, or what connections you’ll make by being a mentor, but there’s a high probability that they can be beneficial for you.
  3. Goal: New Job – Combined with Hire Authority, mentoring others gives you a great shot at landing your dream job because through mentoring you’re able to tangibly demonstrate your knowledge, hard and soft skills, and enthusiasm to hiring managers. Your mentees could even act as additional references to help a potential employer get a more accurate picture of your personality and capabilities.

    The good news is that you don’t need 40 years of experience to become a mentor. All you need is a few years of HR practice, an open mind and the willingness to share your knowledge with other HR professionals in the community.


3 Ways Becoming a Mentee Can Help You Reach Your Goals

  1. Goal: More Accountability – New Year’s resolutions are far easier to make than to keep. But when you have a mentor who acts as an accountability partner it becomes a lot easier to see those goals through. After all, mentors have a bird’s-eye view of your journey so they can make sure you’re on the right track in furthering your professional and personal development plans.
  2. Goal: Professional Development – One of the best things about having a mentor is the access to their wealth of knowledge and experiences. Rather than learning things the “hard way”, a mentor saves you a bit of time as they can share tips and experiences that helped them overcome similar obstacles or challenges. Beyond that, mentors are typically ahead of you so they can give you actionable insights into what skills you need to focus on to advance your career.
  3. Goal: Boost Your Network – Mentors typically have more work experience, which often translates to a wider professional network. As a mentee, your mentor can introduce you to other organizational peers and even “higher-ups” to help expand your circle. If you’re looking for a new job, these new contacts could potentially help you move your job search forward. A larger network could also offer you access to the resources or opportunities necessary to develop new professional skills.

    No matter how you look at it, having a mentor gives you a competitive advantage at every stage of your career.

January is International Mentoring Month, a time dedicated to celebrating mentors and the power of mentoring relationships. This month, join us in thanking our mentors, especially those part of the HRPA Mentorship Program. We are truly grateful for all the support and effort they put into helping others in the HR community reach their potential. Follow us on social to join in on the celebrations.

Visit the HRPA Mentorship Program to learn more or attend one of our upcoming Mentoring Events:

[1] A Study of 800 Million Activities Predicts Most New Year’s Resolutions Will Be Abandoned on January 19