Welcome to the corporate world where we are all set on achieving our career aspirations
As a young aspiring professional, you may find this daunting when you have many goals in mind and little sense of direction. A mentor can be extremely helpful in navigating your career path. They open the doors to a wealth of knowledge and what better way for you to gain a sense of direction from someone who once walked your path.
What are the benefits?
As a mentee you will gain access to experienced professionals who will assist you on your professional development. You’ll be able to share about your experiences and learn from your mentors ‘lessons learnt’. A mentor can also provide you with personalised advice that will help in your development, opening you up to new ideas and a clearer career path. This will not only increase your confidence but aid in your personal growth.
Mentors act as a source of guidance in your development, but as a mentee you will also need to seek challenges and step out of your comfort zone. You should be in control of your professional development.
How to get the most out of your mentor
Set goals: You will receive a wealth of information from your mentor and they can help clarify your career goals and provide clear direction from their experiences.
Ask questions: Your mentor is there to help in your development, take ownership of this and have clear objectives for each meeting. Discussing your objectives with your mentor will help put things into perspective and inspire you to set achievable targets to enable you to attain your goals.
Share successes and failures: We all make mistakes, we’re only human. As you progress along this journey you’re bound to make some errors. Having a trusted mentor makes things a little easier to work through your mistakes.
Develop a good relationship: Learn to ask questions to gain a better perspective, discuss your challenges, update your mentor on your progress with your goals. This is a great opportunity to gain wisdom and experience by developing a nurturing relationship which will provide a huge amount of encouragement and guidance and a reminder that you’re not on this journey alone.
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Written by Michelle Akin-Ola, Veran Performance
If you’d like to get in contact please e-mail hello@myhrcareers.com
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