How to keep your cool when your ment or is a le gend

Two years ago I found myself in an unreal scenario: out to lunch with Jill Abramson, my professor at Harvard University and the former executive editor of The New York Times (the only woman to ever fill that role), celebrating my first ‘real’ job at a magazine. The moment was made possible because I’d taken her journalism seminar and she’d sent a glowing recommendation to my future boss. I still couldn’t believe it: how had I stood out to such an esteemed journalist? And how on earth could I continue to impress her? The answers to those questions help anyone who lands a unicorn mentor – that insanely high-powered person who supports your career. Take a look:

When I first got into Jill’s seminar, I was embarrassed that I didn’t have published work, yet my classmates had bylines in national publications. She saw that not as a deficit, but as room for growth. “I’ve had many students who have had no experience in journalism go out and discover amazing things,” Jill says. When someone who has directed a newsroom and published

While Jill’s comments were a vote of confidence, she also wasn’t shy about pointing out where I had areas to grow. Case in point: I’d turn in a draft I thought was airtight, and she’d hand it back with a full paragraph of revision notes. It’s easy to feel defensive when you get that kind of blunt feedback, but don’t. Over time, I learnt to swallow my apology reflex whenever Jill gave me advice; instead I absorbed what she was telling me. The best mentors give it to you straight so you can really learn.

Jill spent hours with me as I was job searching. She assured me this wasn’t a burden. “I feel journalism needs to be reinvigorated by young talent,” she says. “Where I can help, I throw myself into that and try my hardest.” The only thing she asked in return? That I try to help other young writers who want to break into journalism. I’m already working on that: I’ve got a coffee date with one of her current students coming up.