You cannot know everything there is to know about how to get where you want to be in your career. While it’s possible to learn the needed skills, this will take time and likely a lot of money. Instead, what if you had someone (or a group of people) who can help guide you to success? If you have effectively built your personal brand to include a network or people who can help you succeed, you’re miles ahead of everyone else. Let’s look at why you need a mentor.
What does a mentor do?
A mentor is someone who currently is where you want to be. The relationship you have with a mentor can be an official one, or it can be informal such as following in the footsteps of someone you admire. Mentors have experience and have gone through the growing pains towards success. They will know what kinds of training you may need or skills to develop.
More importantly, mentors can give you needed feedback on what you are doing right and wrong during your development. This kind of advice is invaluable. You don’t want a mentor who will hold back. Make sure you give them full permission to be completely honest with you. Most worthwhile mentors will have no problems doing this for you. It may be a hard pill to swallow, but you will be better off than having mentors who sugarcoat your progress. That won’t help you in any way.
The mentors you choose should have the experience or skills you desire to learn. Be sure to ask lots of questions about what they expect from you and ask what you can expect from them. This expectation is important. Otherwise, you won’t have any means of knowing whether the mentoring relationship is working. If someone you are considering to mentor you takes issue with you asking these questions, this is a sign they may not be right for you. It can also be more difficult to sever the relationship once it has begun.
Should I pay for a mentor?
Should you pay for mentors? It depends on what you currently have available at your disposal and what you intend to receive from this kind of arrangement. If, as previously mentioned, there is someone who can act in a mentor capacity and they are willing to do this for free, then consider doing it. On the other hand, paying for someone to help you lets you hold them accountable. This is a crucial aspect of mentoring. Without it, you could be spinning your wheels, going nowhere. You don’t want to waste time as the entire reason to take on a mentor is to save time in getting you further in your development.
This is where coaching can be a great addition to your career development. One word of caution – there’s a lot of wolves in sheep’s clothing out there. If you are going to invest in yourself with coaching, make sure you talk with others who have used them in the past. I’ve been fooled before by a coach who talked a good game and never delivered the results. Don’t get fooled by pretty words and glitzy videos on speeches. Look for results. It was a painful lesson to learn but a valuable one as I’ve gone on to develop my own successful career branding program.
If you’re interested in finding the perfect mentor, here’s a FREE resource you can use to develop the questions you need to ask and a guide to set realistic expectations of the relationship.
If you want more secrets to building a successful career brand, you can:
Join my course – Successfully Ever After – and fast track your career. by building a personal brand in as few as 30 days
Subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch quick tips to help your job search or make yourself promotable.
Join my private Successfully Ever After Facebook Group for trainings and information designed for success-seekers.
Check out my audio books: Get Noticed, Get Hired or When In Doubt, Delete It!
Want another reminder that you have a lot of hidden potential inside? Download this image and make it your screen saver so you remember each day you have more to learn and more to give.
