Post Grad Life- Mentorship in the Workplace

I read an interesting article on mentorship from Forbes recently. We had a class in the "two" section of the semester on mentorship, which I found interesting, however, I was not looking through the lenses of a person who will literally be in the workforce in a month. Although I am joining the company I interned with last summer, I have selected a different office in Boston and therefore only know one person.

The article talks about setting an agreement from the beginning to make sure there is no confusion and each party starts on the same page. Things to be discussed are how often to speak, schedules, and whether or not there is a personal connection. The article says that without actually liking the person on the individual level, it will end up being a chore to chat- even if they have a lot to teach.

So how do I pick a mentor? Should it be within the company I am working for? Is that a conflict of interest if they are in my department or senior to my manager? How do I promote myself so that they want to mentor me?

I overheard a conversation with career coach this past summer that held an interesting idea. They were telling this to a friend of mine at a casual social gathering. This friend was hoping to climb in their company but felt held back by her manager. The coach said to make an effort to meet everyone in the (small) company. She said to try to have coffee with someone new every week. It could be 15 minutes, it could be an hour, but get your face out there and really learn what everyone does, where they are, and who could be an ally and friend. I think this is where my mentor search will start. I want to meet everyone, have a meaningful conversation with anyone, and get my feet wet as to what I want from the company, position, and myself.