AGCAREERS.COM FOOD & AGRICULTURE CAREER GUIDE 16 At Griffith Foods, we’re more than just a company—we’re a purpose-driven organization dedicated to blending care and creativity to nourish the world. You’ll find more than just a job here; you’ll discover a place where you can grow, thrive, and contribute to a better future. Join our amazing team and help us create better together. Learn more here HOW DO I FIND A MENTOR? Sure, finding a mentor and someone to go to for advice sounds great, but what if I don’t already have one? How would I go about finding one? For some, your mentor might be a professor you had that you really enjoyed, a club leader that you look up to, or perhaps even a senior student above you in your program or a recent alum who has gone down the career path you are looking to follow. But what if a mentor isn’t something you can easily find? What steps can you take to find a mentor if there isn’t already someone in your world who has naturally become a mentor to you? 1 . Get involved in industry. What part of the industry do you want to enter? Are you looking to work in the food and beverage industry? If so, attend industry events for the food and beverage industry employees or networking sessions put on by an industry organization. Are you looking to enter the plant science sector? Attend a farm show and meet the people working the booths for crop science companies. There are industry events specific to the various sectors; find out what those events are, attend, and make connections. 2. Step out of your comfort zone. If you don’t already know people in the industry, step out of your comfort zone and reach out to people in the industry who might be good mentors. Fine-tune your LinkedIn profile and use LinkedIn to search for people who are working in the field you want to get into and reach out, maybe they attended the same college as you or are from your same hometown; reach out and ask if they’d be willing to chat, many people happy to help someone excited about the industry. 3. Be respectful of your mentor’s time. If you’ve found someone who would be happy to help be a mentor and help guide you, remember that they are likely busy and are doing this as a favor to you; perhaps ask them to connect for a video or phone call or even meet for coffee. If they commit to a time, be sure you respect how much time they say they have available for you, be punctual, and come to the meeting prepared. If you want their advice on your resume, interviewing, or the next steps in your career, send them some questions and details ahead of time so that they can think about it and you don’t waste their time when they are with you. 4. Be open to feedback and opportunities to learn. Remember that your mentor is generously giving you their time; when they share feedback with you, be sure to thank them and use that feedback to shift and grow! Throughout your career, there will always be value in having a mentor, a person you can go to when looking for advice, or someone who can help you advance and grow. There is something valuable we can learn and gain from every interaction. Taking the time to learn from others will continue to benefit you throughout your entire career journey. AG
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