Career functionsKram

Career functions are the forms of support through which the mentor directly contributes to the mentee's professional advancement. In her 1980s work, Kathy Kram divided mentoring into two main functions; the first of these, career functions, covers the concrete contributions that help the mentee rise professionally. Sponsorship, giving visibility, assigning challenging tasks, and protection fall into this group. These functions accelerate the mentee's climb up the career ladder. Kram's distinction showed that mentoring has not only an emotional but a very concrete career effect.