Mentors are great. But a sponsor could really help your career

Moving up the career ladder takes more than just hard work. Gaining the support of someone with more experience than you helps, too. One way to do this is to find a sponsor.

Although much has been said about mentorship, sponsors can advance your career in a way that mentors can't. And while the two are often confused, there are distinct differences. In a mentorship, a more experienced person gives guidance to a more junior person. In a sponsorship, a more senior person proactively invests social capital and clout in a more junior person, according to Sylvia Ann Hewlett, economist and author of The Sponsor Effect.