Ask HN: What qualities should you look for in a mentor?
What qualities should you look for in a mentor and whats the best way to approach such people? (I'm based in SF)
In my experience, approaching a mentor and asking them to be your mentor is not the best way to go about it. I found that a mentor relationship will occur naturally if you're ready for it and you have shown that you are insanely passionate about something enough to take action before ever approaching a mentor.
I guess one way to determine if somebody can or will mentor you is to simply ask for their advice on something that you are doing or have done. You have to show a lot of initiative though - it can't be conceptual in nature. For example, you wouldn't want to approach a rock star in your space and say "I'm thinking of doing this, would that work?" Instead, approach them and say "Check this out, here's what I have done. What do you recommend I do next?" If they get excited about what you have done, then you may have found a good match. Let that relationship grow and do not force them into being a mentor. I think a lot of the best mentors never consider themselves as mentors because they simply like helping out people and projects that interest them.
How to meet them: - Follow them on twitter - Connect with them on Linkedin or FB - See if they speak or attend events.
It might be analogous to stalking but be incredibly classy with them. If they're not responsive, move onto your list of potential mentors. Hope this helps.