Do newcomers with high political skill benefit more from the formal mentoring program?

Purpose Previous research on the factors influencing mentoring received has primarily focused on protégés' personalities and the similarity between protégés and mentors, whereas understanding on the role of protégés' skills is still limited. Drawing upon the social influence theory, this study investigated how newcomers' political skill influences newcomers' mentoring received and further affects newcomers' socialization outcomes (i.e. person-organization fit perception [P-O fit], performance proficiency and well-being). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 255 newcomers at a large Chinese information and technology (IT) company using a three-wave, time-lagged design. Findings The authors found that newcomers' political skill positively predicted mentoring received, which in turn positively affected newcomers' socialization outcomes. Originality/value These findings indicate that political skill enables newcomers to exert social influence on organizational insiders to achieve desirable socialization outcomes, enlarging both the mentoring and political skill literature.