As we celebrate National Mentoring Day on October 27th, Protiviti would like to extend its gratitude and appreciation to our influential advisors and the role they play in our personal and professional development. Advisors are not just colleagues who cheerlead us as at work, they share invaluable knowledge from their own experiences to help serve as a roadmap and motivate us to push forward in the face of challenges. They believe in our potential and offer encouragement to help us achieve our goals.
In honor of this day, we’re showcasing the exemplary advisor-advisee duo of Samantha Schatzman and Cole Edward, who was recently promoted to Senior Consultant this summer. Cole started his career at Protiviti right after graduating from college and has been working with Sam as his career advisor since the beginning.
How did you initially establish your advisor/advisee partnership?
Sam – “When I first met Cole, I wanted to learn about his interests and career goals. Knowing that Cole had just graduated, I knew that he didn’t have a lot of experience and wanted to create a space for him to feel comfortable asking questions and understanding that he is not expected to know everything.”
Cole – “I really like how trust was built, very early on. I didn’t know many people, but I knew that Sam would be in my corner, help me find my bearings, and help me learn about Protiviti internally. “
How has Sam’s approach resonated with your career objectives, goals and individual learning style?
Cole – “Since we’ve been working together for as long as we have, we have more of a relaxed dialogue where we can be honest and not dance around a point. We can have a direct conversation which is always helpful for me. When it comes to feedback, she does a great job tailoring it and aligning it to my career goals.”
Cole, what is one crucial lesson or piece of advice you’ve gained from Sam that has significantly influenced your career path thus far?
Cole – “If you have a goal or something you are looking to achieve, make sure that everyone you are working with is aware of it so that you can be at the top of their mind when an opportunity comes up. For campus hires like myself, this isn’t always an obvious approach and was an important piece of advice I got for Sam.”
Sam, what is one instance where you have learned something from Cole?
Sam – “It’s been helpful for me to get the perspective of a consultant as Cole goes through obstacles and different situations that consultants go through. I’ve been able to alter any sort of management style that I have from the perspective of a consultant. So, if Cole expresses that it is difficult to do XYZ on his projects, maybe there is another consultant experiencing the same thing, and I am then able to change my approach to a situation so that others don’t face the same obstacles.”
Looking ahead, what comes next for this partnership as you’re both thinking about career paths and progressing in your career?
Cole – “Being a newly promoted Senior Consultant, there’s a lot I’ve been trying to learn, especially developing new skills related to project management. I’m now in a position where I am guiding newer consultants on projects and am looking forward to continuing to work with Sam to help me develop and refine my own leadership style. I can see myself being a career advisor or mentor in the future.”
Sam – “There are still a lot of new skills for Cole to learn, develop, and accomplish. I am looking forward to continuing to work with Cole and help him evolve and progress in his career.”
To our career advisors reading this – thank you for your contributions to Protiviti and for your help teaching, coaching and mentoring our future leaders. Today we celebrate you!
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