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Why a Mentor Can Change Your Career (and How to Find One)

  • Writer: Kellsie Fink
    Kellsie Fink
  • Sep 3, 2025
  • 3 min read

If you work in printing or packaging on press, in converting, QA, procurement, or technical sales, you’re surrounded by tribal knowledge. The fastest way to access it isn’t another course; it’s a mentor. Here’s why mentorship pays off in our industry and a simple plan to start (or improve) a mentor relationship this month.


Why Mentorships Matter

1) Shortcut to “how it’s really done.” Specs rarely capture the shop-floor reality (web tension tricks, ink/adhesive quirks, substrate pairings, heat/pressure sweet spots). A mentor turns years of trial-and-error into fast, focused learning.


2) Better decisions under pressure. Changeovers, trials, and vendor issues go smoother when you spot patterns. A mentor gives you more patterns to use, and a second opinion.


3) Career clarity without guessing. Not sure whether to move from flexo to digital, from QC to procurement, or into applications engineering? A mentor who’s walked that path will map the skills, timelines, and tradeoffs.


4) Faster leadership growth. Mentors show you how to lead, smooth out scheduling, work with R&D, and pitch ideas (exactly the skills that move careers forward).


5) A safer, smarter plant. Good mentors embed safety habits and quality thinking early. The result: fewer injuries, cleaner audits, and less scrap.


Who makes a great mentor in this industry?

  • Senior operators/leads who’ve run multiple presses, substrates, and speeds

  • Applications/field service engineers (ink, anilox, adhesive, inspection, automation)

  • Quality or process engineers who tie data to outcomes (CPK, waste, complaints)

  • Procurement pros with plant backgrounds (they understand materials and operations)

  • Sales engineers who see dozens of lines and know what “good” looks like across plants

Tip: Mentors don’t have to be in your company. Suppliers, OEM demo centers, and professional associations are rich mentor pools.

Where to find mentors (packaging-specific)

  • On the floor: Ask your supervisor who the go-to problem solver is for your substrate or process.

  • Suppliers & OEMs: Your ink, film, anilox, or inspection reps often love mentoring, and it makes their gear run better.

  • Events: PACK EXPO, TLMI, TAPPI, AICC: Attend a session, then invite a speaker to a brief follow-up.

  • Schools & programs: Community colleges with flexo/digital programs often pair grads with industry mentors.

  • Online groups: Packaging/print forums and LinkedIn groups; look for people who share fixes, not just ads.


Simple 90-Day Plan

Month 1 – Set up

  • Agree on 1–2 goals and one metric to move.

  • Share quick context (equipment, substrates, current results).

  • Take 1–2 small homework items from your mentor.


Month 2 – Test

  • Try 1–2 changes on the floor.

  • Track the metric (setup time, scrap %, FPY, complaints, downtime).

  • Review together; tweak.


Month 3 – Lock in

  • Standardize what worked (SOP/checklist).

  • 15-minute career chat: gaps, courses, next role, who to meet.


Every Meeting (15–30 min)

  • Win/Learn: 1 success, 1 roadblock.

  • Metric: a quick before/after number.

  • One big question.

  • Next steps: 2–3 actions, owners, dates.


Measure One Thing (pick one)

  • Scrap ↓ 1% on short runs

  • Setup time ↓ 10 min/changeover

  • FPY or complaints improved

  • Zero incidents on a risky task

  • Career step: promotion, added responsibility, finished course

Share the win (internally or on LinkedIn) and credit the help.


Mentor Etiquette (for mentees)

  • Do the homework.

  • Be candid (bring real problems).

  • Start/finish on time.

  • Pay it forward (train someone, share your SOP).


If You Can’t Find One Yet

  • Start a peer circle (3–5 people, 30 min/month).

  • Use micro-mentors (color, substrates, leadership).

  • Run a 90-day mentor sprint tied to PACK EXPO or a new install.


One-Page Starter

Goals (90 days): 1) ____ 2) ____

Metric: ____

Baseline → Target (by date): ____ → ____

Cadence: 30 min monthly · agenda sent 24 hrs prior

Agenda: Win/Learn · Metric · One question · Next steps

Bottom line: Packaging runs on practical know-how. A mentor turns daily problems into repeatable wins and speeds up your next career move.



 
 
 

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