How First Advantage Makes Mentorship a Priority 

In this article, we’re taking the opportunity to proudly share how First Advantage invests in employees by making mentorship a priority. Our internal Mentorship Advantage Program (MAP) encourages growth and investment in our company culture, while empowering our team to cultivate and develop skills needed to deliver more innovative solutions and exceptional service to our customers. 

Getting buy-in from leadership 

Chief People & Culture Officer, Beth Price, who is responsible for shaping the People & Culture strategy at First Advantage, has personally seen what happens “when organizations truly foster internal growth,” as described in this Comparably feature about her professional journey and commitment to keeping people first in her leadership role. Price has made sure that career development is a critical part of the employee experience at First Advantage, noting that MAP has grown since the acquisition. In fact, she has led by example by serving as a MAP mentor herself. “You have to be a lifelong learner with a growth mindset, but also have company resources and programs to support it,” Price said. 

Brad Doctor, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at First Advantage, also decided to sign up to become a MAP mentor. He went as far as to volunteer to simultaneously mentor two different mentees because he deeply believes in the power of helping others cultivate their leadership skills. Ultimately, he sees how mentorship leads to long-term benefits for both the mentor and mentee, and the organization itself. “Leaders develop leaders. If you are not actively doing that, you need to be. There is no higher purpose for a leader,” he said.  

For this reason, Doctor strongly suggests that senior leaders consider taking on the responsibility of acting as mentors whenever they can. “When senior leaders participate in mentoring programs, that shows how important leadership development is. It’s imperative that senior leaders help develop other leaders, and mentoring is one of the highest ROI activities available. A small investment of time will multiply other’s performance.” 

Building a greater sense of belonging

For First Advantage, mentorship has been especially important following the milestone Sterling acquisition because it created opportunities for employees to come together and adopt positive attributes from both legacy organizations. “I joined the MAP because First Advantage is at a stage where judgement, institutional knowledge, and cultural consistency matter as much as technical execution. Mentoring is one of the few mechanisms that can scale those things,” Doctor shared. He has seen this firsthand through the professional relationships he has developed with his mentees.  

Niranjan Bhagwat, Associate Vice President, Verifications, and one of Doctor’s mentees, has also gained many insights during his experience in the program. He initially registered to broaden his perspective and learn strategies for leadership and career progression from someone who’s already walked the same path. Working with Brad in this current cohort has allowed him to do just that. “Through MAP, I have gained actionable insights and developed a stronger sense of belonging within First Advantage. This program has opened doors to new perspectives and helped me approach challenges with a more strategic mindset,” Bhagwat said.  

CNBC reported that more than 9 in 10 workers (91%) who mentioned having a mentor were satisfied with their jobs, and according to their 2019 CNBC/SurveyMonkey Workplace Happiness Survey, more than half (57%)  were “very satisfied.” Investing in mentorship so that more employees feel connected to their teams and the work they do is one of the ways First Advantage is working to increase engagement.  

Shaping your career trajectory  

Many leaders credit mentorship as a key driver of their career growth. According to an American Society for Training and Development survey, 75% of executives said mentorship has been a critical component of their career development. This is not an insignificant statistic. Being part of a mentorship program and working with leaders who have traversed their own career journeys can be grounding for mentees who are navigating an ever-changing corporate landscape.   

Bhagwat shared his perspective on this topic. “Mentorship ensures continuous learning; it’s a way to stay adaptable and relevant in a rapidly changing environment. Having a mentor means having a sounding board for ideas and challenges, which is invaluable at every stage of our career.”   

Doctor agrees that mentorship is always relevant, no matter your job level. “Mentorship matters at every career stage, because while the nature of challenges is always changing, the need for perspective does not,” Doctor said. “A mentor is uniquely positioned to provide that objective perspective. Nobody outgrows the need for mentorship. In fact, the most effective leaders I’ve worked with actively seek it, because they understand that growth is the key to success both personally and professionally.”  

When mentees see leaders take the time to teach others about what has worked for them, it can provide more junior leaders with practical knowledge that they can apply to their professional development. Additionally, it can inspire them to try becoming a mentor in the future, so they can also pay it forward. 

Giving back feels good  

The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine shared that people who volunteered reported better self-reported health, less risk of depression, and higher levels of engagement and satisfaction. By offering MAP, First Advantage is prioritizing both mentorship and volunteerism to support employee well-being. The company has a separate FA Cares program through which employees can volunteer their time to different initiatives, but MAP specifically caters to those who want to give their time to support the people they work with. The latest cohort had more than 60 mentorship pairs, demonstrating the positive experience for both mentors and mentees. 

In short, making mentorship a priority is good for the well-being of a company and those who help it run. Or, as this Harvard Business Review article puts it, “…where a mentoring program helps individuals grow, a mentoring culture helps organizations grow.” For these reasons, First Advantage is proud to support mentorship for its employees.