Latest / The Career Mentor Podcast with Fexingo: Finding Mentors, Sponsors, and Career Advisors / How to Find a Mentor When You Are Over 50
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this stat that I keep coming back to: workers over 50 are about 40 percent less likely to be offered mentorship than their colleagues in their twenties and thirties. That's from a study by the Center for Talent Innovation, and it tracks with what I hear from a lot of senior professionals who feel invisible when it comes to career development. Luna: And yet those same people often have decades of hard-won expertise. It's like the system assumes you stop needing guidance once you hit a certain title or age. Lucas: Exactly. And look, if this show has helped you think about your own career path — whether you're in your twenties or your sixties — a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these episodes ad-free and accessible. Buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. It really does make a difference. Luna: Yeah, and it's just a simple way to say this matters to you. We don't have sponsors or ads, so that direct listener support is what keeps the lights on. Lucas: Anyway, back to the 40 percent gap. The irony is that older workers actually benefit tremendously from mentorship — but the mentorship needs to look different. It's not about someone teaching you the basics of your field. It's about navigating transitions, staying current, and leveraging your existing network in new ways. Luna: So what's the first step for someone who's, say, 55 and feels like they're being overlooked for mentorship programs at work? Lucas: I think the most effective move is to stop waiting for a formal program and start reverse mentoring. Find someone 20 or 30 years younger who has skills you want — digital fluency, social media strategy, new market insights — and offer your own expertise in return. It's a trade, not a handout. Luna: I've seen that work really well. There's a VP of operations at a logistics company who told me she learned more about AI from a 27-year-old analyst in six months than from any course. Lucas: And that junior person gets exposure to strategic thinking, leadership perspective, and someone who can advocate for them. It's a genuine win-win. Luna: What about finding a mentor who's at a similar career stage? I know some people shy away from peer mentorship because they think it's not 'real' mentoring. Lucas: I'd push back on that. Peer mentorship is incredibly valuable, especially for people over 50. You're not looking for someone to tell you how to do your job. You're looking for a thinking partner who understands the unique pressures of a late-career transition — maybe someone who moved from corporate to a board role, or started a consultancy later in life. Luna: Where do you find those peers? It's not like you can search LinkedIn by age. Lucas: No, but you can search by alumni networks. Most business schools and universities have alumni directories where you can filter by graduation year, industry, and current role. Reach out to someone who graduated around the same time and say, 'I'm exploring next steps and I'd value your perspective.' That shared institutional context makes the ask feel natural. Luna: And if you didn't go to a school with a strong alumni network? Or your degree was decades ago and the database is thin? Lucas: Then professional associations are your next best bet. Groups like the American Society on Aging, the Association for Women in Science, or industry-specific bodies — they often have formal mentorship matching programs. I talked to a former Fortune 500 VP of marketing who, at 54, used the mentorship platform of the National Association of Corporate Directors to connect with a retired CEO. That relationship led directly to her first board seat. Luna: That's a concrete win. So it's not about finding a generic mentor — it's about targeting a specific outcome. Lucas: Right. And that's the bigger point. If you're over 50, you probably don't need a mentor to help you with day-to-day skills. You need a sponsor — someone who will recommend you for a board seat, or a consultant who will co-create a business plan, or a peer who will hold you accountable for launching that encore career. Luna: But let's be honest: age bias is real. How do you handle a potential mentor who might assume you're not interested in learning anything new? Lucas: You address it directly, but with a light touch. When you make the ask, you can say something like: 'I've spent 30 years in this industry, and I'm now focused on building my digital presence. I'd love to learn from your experience with that.' That signals you're not resting on your laurels. Luna: And it frames the relationship as learning, not as a deficit. You're not saying 'teach me everything.' You're saying 'I have this specific gap I want to fill.' Lucas: Exactly. Another tactic is to target organizations that have explicit age-inclusion programs. Companies like CVS Health, Bank of America, and Intel have formal initiatives to recruit and retain older workers. Those environments are more likely to have mentorship cultures that include everyone. Luna: So if you're job hunting and mentorship matters to you, you should ask about it during the interview process. Lucas: Absolutely. Ask: 'Does your company have a reverse mentoring program?' or 'How do you support career development for senior hires?' The answer tells you a lot about the culture. Luna: I want to go back to the idea of sponsorship versus mentorship. For someone over 50 who wants to make a big leap — say, from corporate executive to nonprofit board chair — how do you find a sponsor? Lucas: Sponsorship comes from visibility. You need to be seen delivering results in settings where influential people are watching. That could mean joining a task force at a professional association, speaking at a conference, or volunteering for a high-stakes project within your current organization. Then, when you've demonstrated value, you ask specifically: 'Would you be willing to recommend me for the board of X organization?' Luna: It's a direct ask, and it only works if you've built the credibility first. Lucas: Right. And that's the same at any age, but for older professionals, the window can feel narrower. You might think, 'I only have five or ten years left to make this move,' so the urgency is real. But the research also shows that older workers who have mentors are more likely to stay engaged and productive, and they actually earn higher performance ratings. Luna: So it's not just a nice to have. It directly impacts your career trajectory. Lucas: One more thought: don't underestimate the power of giving back. If you're over 50, you have enormous value to offer as a mentor to younger professionals. That generosity often comes back around. People remember who helped them, and they become your advocates. Luna: So by mentoring others, you build a network of people who will champion you. That's a kind of indirect sponsorship. Lucas: Exactly. And it fights the isolation that can creep in when you feel like the oldest person in the room. Stay connected, stay curious, and keep asking for what you need.