What is a Mentor? What Does a Mentor Do? What is Mentorship and its Characteristics?

A mentor is an individual who guides people with less competence in terms of expertise, experience, and knowledge during the process of setting and achieving goals. There is no specific age requirement to be a mentor. Although mentors are often older than their mentees, there are also individuals who provide mentorship at a younger age by specializing in a particular field. The key factor here is not age, but the knowledge and experience possessed.

Briefly, a mentor can be defined as a person who guides and provides consultancy. The mentor-mentee relationship progresses similarly to the traditional master-apprentice system. Especially in professional life, an experienced employee guiding and supporting the development of a newly hired or less experienced employee is an example of mentorship. In this process, the mentor transfers their knowledge and experience, supports the mentee's development, and helps them find solutions to problems they may encounter.

Mentors maintain constant communication with their mentees and support their growth. In doing so, they act with empathy and establish effective communication without imposing a specific viewpoint. The mentorship system is quite common, particularly in Europe and America, and support is frequently provided to women in this field to ensure equality in professional life.