Three quarters of Brits lack a career mentor

Guess who is the most popular celebrity mentor…

New research from global jobs site, Monster.co.uk, shows nearly three quarters of Brits (72%) don’t have a mentor to help guide them through their careers. 

While over a quarter (28%) say they want a mentor, nearly a fifth (19%) admit they have no idea how to go about finding one. A further 9% say even though they’re actively looking for a mentor they haven’t been able to find the right person.

Those starting out in their careers were most likely to want a mentor with 41% of 18-35 year olds saying they would like a mentor, compared to 27% of 27-50 year olds and 14% of people aged 50+. The survey also revealed that those working in a smaller company were most likely to have a mentor, or want one.

The research highlights the role mentoring can play in tackling gender representation issues, particularly in fields with less female role models – 15% of those surveyed agreed that business should offer mentorship programmes, in particular aimed at women in business. A fifth of HR professionals polled agreed that introducing a workplace mentoring programme would help towards achieving gender equality in businesses, it’s also widely acknowledged that programmes like this work to improve self-confidence amongst participants.

The research found that the UK is trailing behind its EU counterparts when it comes to supporting mentoring – 63% of French employees, 59% of German employees and 56% in the Netherlands have mentors vs 28% in the UK.

VP of Marketing Europe at Monster.co.uk, Sinead Bunting, says: “Everyone could benefit from the increased career confidence being mentored offers, and our research shows that young people in particular are crying out for one. Finding a mentor can help you lay out your goals and receive advice from someone who has ‘been there, done it’. However, the main hurdle people face is finding a mentor in the first place and having the tools and confidence to approach them.

“Employees and HR both agree that business need to do more to build mentoring into the fabric of the company. After all studies have shown that this leads to a more confident, empowered and productive workforce and significantly improves retention of employees. It’s a win, win.

“If your company doesn’t currently offer a mentoring programme then be proactive. Whether it’s approaching senior people in your workplace and asking for advice, attending industry events and picking up business cards or messaging people on LinkedIn, just take that first step. People rarely say no to offering advice, in fact it’s quite flattering, and it could be the start of a brilliant mentor, mentee relationship.”

When asked, 18% of Brits would like Barack Obama as their dream career mentor, compared to only 3% who would prefer current President of the United States, Donald Trump. Theresa May came 15^th in the list behind Kim Kardashian and Mark Zuckerberg, who despite the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal came 7^th.

Most popular celebrity mentors:

1. Barack Obama
2. Richard Branson
3. Stephen Fry
4. Emma Watson
5. Oprah Winfrey
6. Ellen DeGeneres
7. Mark Zuckerberg
8. Jeremy Corbyn
9. Beyoncé
10. Kim Kardashian
11. Anthony Joshua
12. Victoria Beckham
13. Donald Trump
14. Serena Williams
15. Theresa May