George Conti has been a dedicated mentor since our test launch in Fall of 2017. Seeing that he’s witnessed the growth of the program firsthand, we were thrilled to take a moment to chat with him about his overall experience:

CoreNet Global: Why did you sign up to participate?

George: It’s a good question. I think we were lucky in New England that our chapter was asked to take part in the “test-run” of the match system. At that time, I had already been a mentor to a few people and I decided that joining the match program as a mentor was a good way to continue to be active and contribute to our chapter and was also a good way to give back. Throughout my career, I have had the benefit of having a few mentors and I felt like I could provide help and support to others.

CoreNet Global: What kinds of questions did you get asked?

George: In the beginning, two people (who were employed) asked me to help guide them in their careers: What would be a good next step for them? How could they think about transitioning to a new job? Where did I think they were level wise in a traditional CRE sense? One person asked me to help them with a new position in the sense that they were moving from being in middle management to joining the executive ranks at their firm. This is often a tough “step-up” as your focus has to broaden to more than just what you are responsible for. One person helped me as they were going through a “talent in transition” part of their career.

CoreNet Global: What advice would you give to aspiring mentors? Did you utilize any specific strategies when connecting with your mentee?

George: The most important thing a Mentor can do is first, listen and probe with questions to really try to understand what value the mentee is looking to get from the relationship. Each of the 3 mentees I had wanted different things. Where possible, we tried to narrow the focus down to specific needs and not keep it vague and open ended on “career advice.”

CoreNet Global: What general advice would you give to young professionals seeking to advance in the corporate real estate profession?

George: A mentor that you trust, who challenges you, and who is outside your company, your immediate geography or even your industry will help you advance your career faster than you doing it on your own. They may think differently than you, but most importantly, when you work with a mentor, you step “outside your own head” and work side by side with a partner on your career advancement.

CoreNet Global: Do you feel like you spoke with your mentee enough? How often would you recommend other mentors reach out to their mentee?

George: Over the three month period, I had the chance to have an introductory call with each one of my mentees and then have the chance to meet them face to face. We also had good continuing dialog over email.

 CoreNet Global: What are your thoughts on the program overall?

George: Overall, I found the program to be extremely valuable and rewarding. I hope I was able to help my mentees out, but I also think that I learned something about myself from going through the process. 

To sign up for Mentor Match and be paired with a mentor, enroll now!