Scot Crooker’s Top Tips on Mentorship and More

Last semester, we were lucky enough to hear from Scot Crooker, Chief Content Officer at Tilt Creative + Production, about the ins and outs of mentorship. Now, we’re sharing some of his words of wisdom with you!

If you are breathing, you need a mentor.

No matter how old you are and where you are in your career, we can all benefit from another perspective. Whether this comes from a peer, a coworker, or another industry professional, it’s important to have someone to go to for advice and guidance.

Find a mentor whose work you love. 

Don’t just contact someone because they’re in a high position or work for a prestigious company. Make sure they create relevant work that you are interested in learning more about. You should be looking to improve your work through your relationship with your mentor, so if you want to be an Art Director and enjoy social justice work, an Account Manager working for Tesla may not be the right fit for you.

It’s a relationship, not a transaction. 

Mentorship is a two-way street! The right mentor for you will be excited to meet with and help you, but you should also be respectful of your mentor’s time. Good relationships are built on respect for each other and appropriate boundaries. Don’t be afraid to ask your mentor for what they’re looking for and to share what your goals for the relationship are.

You can do very good work and be very unhappy. You can do very bad work and be very happy. Happiness is the more important factor in life.

Wherever you go with your career, happiness will always matter the most. It’s okay to do bad work— it happens all the time! But don’t give up and don’t settle for unhappiness. What you need in your life will change as you move throughout your career. Have honest conversations with yourself about your needs, goals, and mental health. Protecting yourself in your career is your responsibility.

The biggest mistakes come from a lack of humility.

You will make mistakes. It happens. The problems arise when your mistakes are a result of your ego or you cannot learn from your mistakes due to arrogance. Advertising is ever changing and growing and you should be too.