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Why mentors are imperative for the future of technology
Particularly across the technology industry where representation is not a strong point, it’s crucial that individuals from underrepresented groups are supported to not only take up space but to thrive in the tech sector – that’s where the crucial role of mentorship comes in. Broadly speaking, a career mentor is a person you can go to for support, advice and guidance when it comes to your professional life. Having a mentor is so much more than just talking to someone to validate your goals; it’s a powerful exchange with untold opportunities to utilise.
The power of having a mentor
One of the main purposes of building a relationship with a mentor is to unleash your potential by helping you to see your career from a new perspective. So often people are confined by their own preconceptions and limitations about what they can and can’t do career wise, but a mentor is there to challenge this unproductive mindset and to offer an unbiased, practical and positive voice to counteract the inner critic. With the support of a good mentor, current and aspiring tech professionals can build their confidence, establish their goals and how to achieve them, develop new skills and the list goes on.
Proactively tapping into the opportunities that a mentorship presents will help to take your career to the next level. Let’s say you’re looking to expand your network; you can ask what specific events your mentor attends and if there are opportunities for you to also join those events that you may not typically have access to. As well as securing long term goals, mentors can help you to handle everyday workplace situations; for instance, they can suggest different ways of navigating a difficult scenario at work that you may not have thought of or tried in the past. Whilst mentors are there to guide you, they can also enable you to take ownership and responsibility for your own career path and be bold in making decisions off your own back.
Especially in a male-dominated sector, the tangible and moral support of mentors can empower more women to go for and secure roles that they would have written themselves off for previously through fear of not fitting the bill, thus improving representation in the grand scheme of things.
Finding a mentor
There are different ways to find a mentor who is right for you. Taking a more formal approach, you can research official mentorship schemes and see if there are any specific schemes that target your area of interest. It’s also worthwhile asking your employer about internal mentoring programmes as some organisations will have these in place. Alternatively, you can reach out to someone in your network who you feel could provide support and inspiration to see if they’d be open to mentoring you; as the saying goes, if you don’t ask, you don’t get!
Being a mentor
It’s equally important to acknowledge that as well as having a mentor, being a mentor can bring about a vast number of benefits including enhanced leadership and communication skills, network growth, increased confidence and motivation, self-reflection, personal fulfilment and positive recognition across the sector.
Regardless of a person’s seniority or years of experience, everyone has something to offer to their peers, hence the need for reverse mentoring. It’s widely believed that someone who is just starting out their career is in greater need of a mentor than someone who is more senior, but we must challenge that perception to ensure all technology professionals are open minded about reaping the rewards of mentorship initiatives. For example, a junior technology professional might encourage someone who is more experienced to think outside the box and adapt the way they have always done things, to see new results. The transfer of knowledge can certainly go both ways. Having a mentor and creating opportunities is invaluable for every person at every level – the success boils down to how you utilise that relationship.
Ultimately, a culture of mentorship within the world of tech is impactful for improving diversity, inclusion, equity, a sense of community and innovation and for nurturing talent to empower the next generation.
techUK’s TechTogether campaign, taking place throughout March, is a collection of activities highlighting the UK’s technology sector pursuit to shape a more equitable future. In 2025 we are exploring: Inclusive AI, investing in diverse founders and entrepreneurs, the power of allyship and mentorship, and empowering young people.
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Authors
Amanda Whicher
Amanda Whicher is Hays’ UK&I Director of Technology.