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The Importance of Career Mentoring
Copyright 2005 Neil Gordon
One of the things that sets successful people apart from the
rest of us is coaching or mentoring. Smart people know they
don't have all the answers themselves, and others have already
found out through their own experiences the best approach for a
particular field.
All of today's professional sports men and women have coaches.
They can be general or specialist - fitness, diet, particular
skills etc. Politicians have speaking and writing coaches.
Singers have voice coaches, actors, dancers - all in the highly
paid sports and entertainment businesses. The rewards are high
if you reach the top, and there is a fine line between success
and failure.
Career mentoring is no different. You need to get a competitive
advantage over the rest of the workforce. This could be
increasing your chances of promotion in your existing company,
or looking for a new position elsewhere. You could be thinking
about starting your own business.
How do you start? It is not smart to re-invent the wheel, so you
need to find someone who has already been down the path, and has
been successful. They know what works and what doesn't work.
They can guide you in the right direction, and stop you going
off on tangents. Make sure the coach is credible. Have they
actually done it themselves? Why should you listen to them?
You must look at your career so far - where have you been
successful? What have you enjoyed doing? What are your
strengths? It's extremely important to look at what you would
like to do taking everything into account, e.g. where you want
to live, balance between work and family, travel, stability, as
well as financial issues. It wastes your time applying for jobs
that do not meet your criteria. It wastes your time not making
the most of your skills and experience by not marketing them
effectively. It also wastes your time sending out thousands of
resumes with a tiny chance of success.
You must know that networking is the key to success, and the
most effective way to leverage your network of family, friends,
acquaintances, business colleagues, church members, professional
associations etc. A good career coach will enable you to build
an effective network that will thrive through mutual help.
If you try to do it all on your own, your chances of success
will be much lower compared to someone that employs the help of
a coach or mentor. While the services of a coach are not free,
the amount paid is a great investment that will pay for itself
many times over in the future. But ... you need to be clear
about what you are going to get for your money. There are some
companies out there that charge a huge amount for questionable
benefits - be careful.
Before you start working with a career coach or mentor, you must
be perfectly clear about what services you are going to receive
for your money. Ask the provider to explain exactly what you
get, and the value it will bring. Ask the provider what evidence
they have that a particular service is effective. Have they done
for themselves, or are they just doing a sales job on you? What
is the background of the person you are dealing with? Can you
meet with or speak to the actual coach/mentor before you sign
up? What is their background and experience in the field? How
did they get their current and previous positions?
Do your research before you commit your hard earned dollars.
While having a quality coach, who has "been there, done that"
can make all the difference, someone of poor quality will not
only provide low value for money, but also put you off coaching
services. We get back to the start of this article - success is
a team sport - make sure your team is of a high caliber.
About the author:
Neil Gordon is the owner of CareerWealth4U, which provides both
on-line help/tools, and personal coaching, for those seeking to
be successful in their career. If you are dissatisfied with your
current position or job search, help is at hand. Sign up for the
newsletter at http://www.careerwealth4U.com
Neil Gordon
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