What is Informal Mentoring?

Informal mentoring is another option for employees to enter into a mentor/protégé relationship. An informal mentoring partnership has less structure and can occur at any time in one's career. The relationship is usually initiated by the mentor or protégé. Here are some of the following ways an informal mentoring relationship can be initiated:

• A senior level employee seeing something in a younger employee and taking a younger employee under his or her wing and providing them advice and guidance to assist them with their current job or career goals;
• An employee seeking out a senior level employee they admire and together they work to develop a relationship; or
• A supervisor or a senior level employee recommends a specific employee to the protégé to receive mentoring.

Source: http://www.opm.gov/hrd/lead/mentoring.asp