By Sara C. Albert, PICPA firm services manager

The PICPA promise states, “When you belong to the PICPA … you have the professional and personal support to refine skills, expand knowledge, connect with like-minded people, and achieve bigger and better things at every stage of your professional life.” The PICPA’s newest member benefit, Mentor Match, embodies the spirit of that promise.

Whether you are just starting your career, transitioning to a new role, or a seasoned professional looking for a way to give back to the profession, mentoring is a great opportunity to cultivate a rewarding professional relationship, advance your skills and knowledge, and discover new ways to think about the accounting profession and your role in it.

Why Mentor?

The mentoring relationship is typically focused on the development of the mentee and helping that person to reach their professional goals. But there are reciprocal benefits for mentors who are willing to invest their time in developing a mentee. Along with the personal satisfaction of helping someone else with their career goals, there are many professional benefits of becoming a mentor. Some key benefits include exposure to new ideas and perspectives, an opportunity to reflect on their own way of doing things, and recognition amongst their organization as a leader and subject matter expert. As a mentor, the lessons a person can learn about one’s self and their leadership style can truly become one of the most rewarding experiences of the mentoring process.

How It Works

PICPA’s Mentor Match, an exclusive member-only benefit, pairs willing mentors with eager mentees who want to advance their career goals. By entering search criteria into Mentor Match on the PICPA website, mentees are paired with a fellow PICPA colleague based on the professional skills the mentee wants to acquire and the skills that the mentor has to offer.

Mentor Match is a self-managed program. PICPA’s role in Mentor Match is to serve as the platform whereby mentors and mentees are matched. However, in addition to providing the platform, the PICPA has created a Mentor Match Toolkit that will guide you through the process of a mentoring relationship. The PICPA also will provide updates and resources for both mentors and mentees. Email Sara Albert or visit www.picpa.org/mentormatch for more information.