Reasons for seeking a mentor are both personal and professional. An individual may want a mentor for one or more of these reasons: They feel they lack experience, contacts or awareness in a specific area or situation. They feel something is missing from what they know, what they do or how they think, and they want to learn from someone they feel can help them bridge a gap.

They want to mature and develop themselves generally, to be able to operate in a pressurized work environment or stay balanced and self-confident. They have reached some kind of barrier or roadblock and feel they need a more individualized relationship with someone who has direct experience in their type of situation. They feel they would benefit from an open, trusting relationship with someone they can look up to.