Mentor, sponsor, or both? Why early-career professionals need multiple advocates

By Jasmine Escalera, PhD, Career Expert, MyPerfectResume

When you’re early in your career, advice is everywhere from professors, managers, peers, and even TikTok. But not all guidance carries the same weight, and not all career relationships serve the same purpose. Two of the most important,  and often confused, relationships you can have are with a mentor and a sponsor.

Many early-career professionals assume these roles are interchangeable. They aren’t. In fact, the most successful career growth happens when you have both. Someone who helps you think through your career and someone who helps move it forward.

Understanding the difference, knowing how to find each, and learning how to engage these relationships can make a big difference in how quickly, and confidently, you move up the career ladder.

What Is a Mentor?

A mentor is someone who helps you learn, reflect, and grow. Mentors offer guidance based on experience, share lessons learned, and help you navigate decisions, challenges, and transitions. 

A mentor might help you:

• Think through career options or long-term goals
• Navigate your first job, manager, or workplace culture
• Build confidence and self-awareness
• Reflect on mistakes and learn from them
• Identify the best ways to develop professional skills for your selected role and career
• Help you network with other professionals or land a new role

Mentors don’t necessarily have power over your career outcomes (for example promotions and pay raises). Instead, they ask good questions, challenge your thinking, and help you see possibilities you might not see yet. Mentors also don’t need to be senior executives. They can be a few years ahead of you, in a role you aspire to, or someone who understands a path you’re considering.

What Is a Sponsor?

A sponsor is someone who advocates for you when you’re not in the room. Sponsors use their credibility, influence, and network to create opportunities for you at your place of employment. 

A sponsor might:

• Advocate for you in performance or talent discussions
• Recommend you for a stretch assignment
• Recommend you for opportunities or high-visibility projects
• Put your name forward for a promotion
• Introduce you to influential people
• Help accelerate your advancement

Unlike mentors, sponsors typically have organizational power or influence. Because their reputation is tied to the people they advocate for, sponsorship is often earned over time through strong performance, trust, and reliability. 

Key Differences Between Mentors and Sponsors

While one person can serve as both, mentors and sponsors serve different functions:

• Mentors talk with you; sponsors talk about you.
• Mentors help you grow; sponsors help you advance.
• Mentorship is guidance-based; sponsorship is opportunity-based.
• Mentors support learning; sponsors support visibility.

Why Having Both Matters

Early in your career, mentorship helps you avoid mistakes, build confidence, and develop a clearer sense of direction. Sponsorship helps ensure your work is seen, your potential is recognized, and your name is considered when opportunities arise.

How to Find the Right Mentor

Finding a mentor can be very organic and starts by looking for someone who:

• Has experience you want to learn from
• Communicates in a way that resonates with you
• Is willing to invest time and energy
• Challenges you constructively

Mentors can be inside or outside your place of employment. They don’t need your exact career path and sometimes adjacent experience is even more valuable.

A simple way to start is by asking for a conversation, not a commitment. For example:

“I admire your career path and would love to learn how you navigated early decisions. Would you be open to a short conversation?” From there, you can see whether the relationship naturally grows into something more formal, based on the value of the guidance and the time both of you are able to commit.

How to Find the Right Sponsor

Sponsorship is less about asking and more about earning trust and visibility.

Sponsors often emerge when:

• You consistently deliver strong work
• You show initiative and accountability
• You communicate clearly and professionally
• You follow through on commitments

Focus on building relationships with managers, leaders, or stakeholders who can see your work and understand your strengths. Over time, these individuals may naturally begin advocating for you. If you’re considering asking someone to be your sponsor, focus first on delivering strong work and making your growth goals known. When trust and credibility are established, sponsors often emerge organically, creating the right moment to have a more explicit conversation.

How to Engage Mentors and Sponsors Effectively

Both relationships require intention to nurture and growl 

With mentors:

• Always come to meetings prepared with questions or topics
• Be open to feedback, even when it’s uncomfortable
• Share updates and progress regularly to show you are taking the advice seriously 
• Respect their time 

With sponsors:

• Deliver consistently high-quality work
• Make your career goals and interests known
• Be reliable and proactive
• Express appreciation for any advocacy received 

Using These Relationships to Move Forward

Mentors help you think better. Sponsors help you move faster. Use mentorship to refine your goals, understand your strengths, and make informed decisions. Use sponsorship to gain exposure, access, and opportunities aligned with those goals.

As your career evolves, so will these relationships. Some mentors may become sponsors. Some sponsors may shift roles. The key is having the right people in your corner. Having both a mentor and a sponsor ensures you’re not just learning how to build a career, but actively building one.