Home » Mentor stories » Sanjeev Ohri – “I am passionate about giving back to the community and helping people find the right opportunity in the Canadian workplace.”

Sanjeeev Ohri is an experienced Business Analyst and Scrum Master at RBC bank. Having completed 10 partnerships with a successful track record, he brings a lot of knowledge and helpful advice to the people he mentors through TRIEC Mentoring Partnership.

Why he started mentoring:

“For me it was the passion to help. I wanted to do something different from the things I do at my work every day. I really wanted to go the extra mile to help newcomers, and those who happen to be not as privileged enough to get a job easily.  I think it is important they have the right coach to prepare them, and help them tailor their resume and work style to fit with the Canadian workplace.” 

Why he thinks other professionals should start mentoring:

“I strongly believe all professionals should start mentoring. I have personally spoken to peers and seniors, to encourage them to do so. I think being a mentor gives you a lot of personal satisfaction. You are helping someone and you are also giving back to community.  Mentoring is a two way learning process, not only do you help your mentee, but you also learn a lot from them. It’s very much a win- win situation for both people.”

What being a mentor means to him:

“To me a mentor is a person who guides people. There are a number of different things a mentor can do – I call myself a coach and, I‘m someone who guides a person to achieve the potential they have by putting together a plan for them to follow.”

The impact mentoring has had on Sanjeev’s own career:

“It’s given me more perspective and has helped me become a better leader. It has helped me a lot with managing small teams. I also mentor within RBC for Junior Analysts, as I have the expertise to guide them.”

What he has learned about mentoring from his time with the program

“I believe I have changed during my time as being a mentor. I’ve noticed I have become more mature and confident in my leadership style. To me, mentoring is a constant feedback loop – you do something for your mentee, and then check how it went. At the beginning and the end of every partnership I asked my mentee for feedback on me as a mentor. Then you tailor yourself to that feedback. It’s very effective. I’ve also done different things at different times. I make sure I learn from and try to understand each mentee. I make sure what I deliver matches the needs of the mentee, to make my time with them as a mentor as useful as possible.”

Sanjeev’s mentoring highlights:

“I’ve been lucky that way that most of my partnerships have ended on a happy note! Most people who were assigned to me through TRIEC Mentoring Partnership ended up receiving job offers following our partnership.

“I mentored someone that enjoyed the process so much that the moment he finished his partnership with me he wanted to become a mentor himself. That was a highlight for me.”

 Sanjeev’s advice for those who decide to start mentoring:

  1. Set the expectations with your mentee. Don’t give any false hope – it’s important for me to under promise and over perform! I also don’t give any guarantees on employment, as the market is so dynamic and there are so many variables.
  2. Find out about your mentee’s motivation. When I start each mentoring partnership I do an assessment to gauge if the mentee is committed to the program, and willing to invest their time in it. It can vary so much with different people.
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