If you are a young professional, I can’t advocate seeking out a mentor enough. A mentor is by definition more senior than you and has had greater professional experience, but most importantly, a mentor is your source for inspiration and long-term development. A mentor is invaluable for bouncing ideas off of and learning from.

To make the most of your mentor-mentee relationship, remember that it’s your responsibility to make your mentor’s investment in you a valuable use of his/her time. It’s not all take, take, take.

I came across some helpful advice on how to maximize the relationship with your mentor, and thought I’d recap it for you here:

1. Be thoughtful about your mentor’s interests. Be on the lookout for any articles or books that may interest your mentor and make sure to pass them on. It’s a two-way relationship where you can mobilize around shared interests, and grow via knowledge sharing.
2. Give deeper insight into the company. You are more junior than your mentor, and you can be helpful eyes & ears into micro-currents that they might not be aware of. Your mentor can benefit from your insights into layers within the company and, in turn, have better insight for their own decision-making.
3. Pick up the check. Once in a while, show your appreciation by paying the check at your mentor’s favorite lunch spot, especially if you’ve spent the whole lunch benefitting from your mentor’s advice.

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