Today, I attended a Mentoring program meet-and-greet at my job, which works exactly like speed dating. Each quad-table seats two prospective mentors, facing two rotating mentees, who discuss what they’re looking for (growth, guidance, advice) – then after four minutes, a bell rings, signaling rotation to the next table. Being a first-timer and never having participated in this program, I came with some blank expectations. I dreaded going all night and even contemplated backing out, until I realized I’d rather bear my guts then go a full year without any kind of professional mentoring. I dressed hip but professionally; I wanted to strike a fine balance between serious about finding a mentor, but relaxed enough to show off my personal side – an auburn-thatched blazer, dual-toned blouse, black skinny jeans, and suede three-inch ankle boots.

Upon seating myself at the nearest empty seat, I noticed the room wasn’t packed like sardines, and instead of a frenetic, stressful speed dating environment, it seemed like a casual meet-and-greet. Confidence slowly began to emerge in my veins as I started to exchange words, glances, and grins. Far from nervous, I was energized. Fortunately, for the first 20 minutes, I was the only mentee at the quad tables and thus indulged myself in having all of the two mentors’ attention for the first two rotations. In a week, we’re required to submit our top 3 choices for mentors and mentees, and then, people will be matched accordingly.

“Speed dating” wasn’t overly impersonal and rushed – it was getting a brief, nutshell synopsis of each person and his or her goals in under five minutes. It was a moment of chemicals mixing, personalities intertwining, and energy being created – some in greater degrees than with others. With some people, you wished there was way more time, and with others, you couldn’t be more relieved that the bell rang. After casually meeting and greeting 16 people in an hour and 15 minutes, I walked away realizing, it doesn’t take more than four minutes for you to realize who you gel with. You either click, or don’t click. You end up having chemistry and smiling often, or you end up jotting notes and saying to yourself, “Definitely not the one.”

This is a list of personalities I liked, who I wasn’t sure about, who I adored (only one person), and who didn’t cut it – for my personal sanity, as I am sifting through everyone’s bios before I make my top 3 list (*names changed for privacy reasons):

1. Jacky: Editorial Specialist, works in the department I had vied for (Integrated Media/Technology), has tremendous editorial background, studied journalism; her current position interests me the most. Slightly neurotic, type-A sarcasm, but has a human touch – she just had a baby two years ago and is learning to manage the work-life balance. She takes her job seriously, though. I really liked her because our career fields directly overlapped the most currently and we shared the most common background, out of all the people I’d met. Regardless, her focus seems to be about finding work-life balance, and her mentoring style seems fluid, conversational, and structure-free.
2. Susie: Sr. Director, Marketing. Slightly cavalier, hands-off, beautiful, middle-aged woman with multi-colored jewelry and excessively icy, bourgeois laugh. Sensed that she wasn’t the type to wholeheartedly involve herself. She didn’t ask too many questions and rarely openned up.
3. Patrick: CFO of 11 years. Sharp-shooter, slightly intimidating, with a business mindset. Seems really interested in me. Straightforward, motivational, and career-driven. I asked him what his mentoring style was, and he said he’d accommodate specifically to my needs and goals, and would work to help me achieve them. Not too personal, however.
4. Gerald: “Bumbling Scientist”. Wouldn’t stop talking.
5. Marsha: Polite, soft-spoken, docile. Seemed committed to achieving results, but didn’t show much personality or experience to work from.
6. Katie: Sharp-shooter veteran woman in HR. Older, she seemed like a take-charge, dominant personality, and would work effectively in a structured mentoring environment. She seemed really invested in achieving results through outlining the goals I’d bring. A little bit forceful at times, I could sense. Effective mentor, no doubt, however.
7. Lauren: Director. I valued her because of her professional development, strategic thinking, networking savvy. But she seemed a bit impersonal about herself, and more focused on how to “rise” up in the career. Her career passions take up her entire life, so she seems a bit calculated – a product of all her career success and ambitions.
8. Amy: Assistant Director. My favorite. She seemed the most relaxed and yet dedicated, out of all the prospects. She seemed like someone I could just run into at a grocery store and exchange recipe ideas with, or go on a coffee run in London on a cloudy day. The possibilities seemed limitless, as I conjured up images of her hiking, going to her college football games, and baking cookies in a cherry-wood kitchen in a log cabin in Minnesota – all in a matter of seconds. She seemed intelligent, enthusiastic, warm, strategy-minded, approachable, personal, with a really genuine laugh that touched me. She matched my enthusiasm with more enthusiasm, and really responded well to my openness to constructive feedback. I’d rather just get to know her as a person, beyond just mentor-mentee. It seemed like she was the perfect blend of a mentor, colleague, and friend. She asked me if I’m a “go out and grab lunch” type of person or a “sit in a structured conference room and go over an outline” type of person. Um, no brainer. With that being said, she seemed really apt to engage in her mentee through some structure and more flexibility, and beamed about how her former mentee just got an MBA. Overall, she seemed the happiest, positive, and most engaged out of all the prospective mentors. Despite the fact that our departments weren’t related and our career paths were different, she seemed the most engaging and yet flexible out of all of the mentors. More like a “life coach”, her presence alone seemed like the right fit for me. I hope she liked me back, or, or, or, I’ll just cry.

Mentoring program, or personality 101 in disguise?