How to Ask for a Mentor at a New Job in English

Asking for a mentor can feel like admitting you don’t know enough, but at most companies it signals the opposite — that you’re proactive about ramping up quickly. This guide gives you the English to ask directly, without sounding needy or unsure of yourself.

Raising It Early, With Your Manager

The easiest time to ask is during onboarding, when it’s an expected topic rather than an unusual request.

• “Is there a mentorship program here, or is that something I should set up informally?”
• “I’d get up to speed faster with someone to check in with regularly during my first few months — is that something we can arrange?”
• “Who would you recommend I lean on for questions about the codebase versus questions about how things work here generally?”

Approaching a Potential Mentor Directly

If there’s no formal program, you can ask a specific person rather than waiting to be assigned one.

• “I’ve noticed you know this system really well — would you be open to being a sounding board while I ramp up?”
• “Would you be willing to do a short check-in every couple of weeks while I’m getting oriented?”
• “I don’t want to take up too much of your time, but I’d really value your perspective as I get up to speed.”

Being Specific About What You Need

Vague requests (“can you mentor me?”) are harder to say yes to than specific, bounded ones.

• “Would you be open to a 30-minute call every other week just to talk through what I’m working on?”
• “I’m trying to understand how decisions get made here — could I ask you a few questions about that over coffee sometime?”
• “Could I send you a short list of questions once a week rather than interrupting you constantly?”

Making the Ask Low-Cost for the Other Person

Framing the request as low-commitment makes it easier for someone busy to say yes.

• “No pressure if your schedule doesn’t allow it — even the occasional Slack message would help.”
• “I know you’re busy, so I’ll keep it to specific questions rather than open-ended time.”
• “We could start with just one conversation and see if it’s useful to continue.”

Following Up and Showing Progress

Mentors stay engaged when they can see their time is having an effect.

• “Thanks again for the last conversation — it really helped me understand how the deployment process works.”
• “I took your advice on the architecture question, and it worked out well — wanted to let you know.”
• “Would it be alright if I checked back in with you in a couple of weeks once I’ve made more progress?”

Formalizing an Informal Relationship

If an informal mentor is working out well, it can be worth naming the relationship explicitly.

• “This has been really valuable — would you be open to making this a regular thing going forward?”
• “Would it help if I brought a short agenda to our check-ins so we use the time well?”
• “I’d like to formally list you as my mentor if there’s a process for that here — would that be alright with you?”

Vocabulary Reference

Key Takeaways

• Ask early, ideally during onboarding, when mentorship requests are expected rather than unusual.
• Approach a specific person directly if there’s no formal program, framing the ask as low-commitment.
• Be specific about what you need — a recurring 30-minute call is easier to agree to than an open-ended “mentor me.”
• Show the mentor their time is making a difference by following up on progress.
• If an informal relationship is working, it’s fine to ask to formalize it.