Sponsorship programs can be an important component of landing higher-paying management jobs. According to Payscale findings, those who have a sponsor are paid 11.6 percent more than those who do not. Yet, the sponsor gap continues to happen with men getting a higher pay scale at 12.3 percent compared to women at 10.2 percent. Owing to this reason, it is critical for companies to have a formalised plan to ensure women have equal access to sponsors who will advocate for them when decisions are being made about career advancement and pay raises.
In the world of work, many often associate mentors as their sponsor because they also help workers get advancement that could boost their wellbeing at work. Yet, having a mentor does not always result in advancement as what a sponsor can do because in general, mentors advise employees and sponsors advocate for employees.
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Here is a brief difference between mentors and sponsors.
| Mentors | Sponsors |
| – have mentees, – could be anyone in a position with experience desired by a mentee who can offer advice and support, – support mentees through formal or informal discussions about how to build skills, qualities and confidence for career advancement, – help mentee craft a career vision, – give mentees suggestions on how to expand their network, – provide feedback to aid a mentee’s personal and professional development, – offer insight on how a mentee can increase visibility through finding key projects and people, – passively share the unwritten rules for advancement in the organisation with mentees. | – have proteges, – is a senior-level staff member invested in a protégé’s career success, – promote protégés directly, using their influence and networks to connect them to high-profile assignments, people, pay increases and promotions, – give protégés their active network connections and make new connections for them, – are personally vested in the upward movement of protégé champion protégés visibility, – often use their own platforms and reputation as a medium for exposure, – actively model behaviour and involve protégés in experiences that enable advancement. |
If you as an employee want to advance your career and gain a higher level in your industry, getting a sponsor is advisable. Consider the following questions to help identify a potential sponsor for your co-worker or yourself:
The last step is to list all the potential persons of the questions above, then select the best sponsor for you or your co-workers.
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