Wouldn't it be nice to have someone sitting on your shoulder to tell you what the outcome would from each of your decisions before you made them? "Do not take that job; the boss there is horrible! You will quit in six months if you go to work there." "If you take this position, you will be the office manager in less than a year." Similar to the good angel from the cartoons you watched as a child, but this person had fortune telling capabilities. While you may not be able to arrange an angel for your shoulder, you can get the next best thing: a career mentor.
A career mentor is beneficial because this person has typically done exactly what it is you are trying to do. They have walked the steps you are walking and can speak from experience. They may not be able to tell the future, but they can tell you the next best thing and that is the past. Mentors are used in many fields as a guide through the unknown. You can wing it on your own, you can listen to people that do not have a clue, or you can take advice from someone who has succeeded in accomplishing the same thing you want to accomplish. What do you think is the best route?
In addition to valuable advice, a career mentor may be able to provide precious contacts and networking capabilities you would not normally have available. Networking is always an advantageous practice, but a mentor may provide an immediate inside contact to many positions and important information. While you do not want to exploit any relationship you have, you may be able to utilize your mentor's contacts in a way that is mutually beneficial.
The simple truth is most people want to help others, especially when it comes to sharing their knowledge and experience. This is an ideal arrangement in which someone has the ability to pass on their life's lessons and you can have the advantage of the knowledge from mistakes you did not have to make yourself!
A career mentor is beneficial because this person has typically done exactly what it is you are trying to do. They have walked the steps you are walking and can speak from experience. They may not be able to tell the future, but they can tell you the next best thing and that is the past. Mentors are used in many fields as a guide through the unknown. You can wing it on your own, you can listen to people that do not have a clue, or you can take advice from someone who has succeeded in accomplishing the same thing you want to accomplish. What do you think is the best route?
In addition to valuable advice, a career mentor may be able to provide precious contacts and networking capabilities you would not normally have available. Networking is always an advantageous practice, but a mentor may provide an immediate inside contact to many positions and important information. While you do not want to exploit any relationship you have, you may be able to utilize your mentor's contacts in a way that is mutually beneficial.
The simple truth is most people want to help others, especially when it comes to sharing their knowledge and experience. This is an ideal arrangement in which someone has the ability to pass on their life's lessons and you can have the advantage of the knowledge from mistakes you did not have to make yourself!
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