A mentor is usually someone who has travelled the same career path and is one step ahead on the career ladder; they pass on their firsthand experiences in order to help you with your own career progression. A mentor is someone who is there when you are in need – say, when facing redundancy – or even when things are going well – when the offers are plentiful and the choice of what to do next can seem somewhat overwhelming. If you are facing a crossroads in your career a mentor will guide and support you with the knowledge gained from their own career path.
Friends and family can provide a certain level of support and guidance but a mentor is not a friend. A mentor’s distance and ability to be impartial is indispensable when making important decisions relating to your career. You know this person on a professional basis so the advice and criticism is easier for them to give and easier for you to receive than if it was from someone close to you.
On many levels you must choose your own mentor, you must respect the decisions they have made and trust that they will be honest with you and have the desire to see you progress and do well. Your relationship must be mutually beneficial and you must give as much as you receive whilst listening to what they have to say.
Coming across a mentor in your natural career world can prove difficult. The relationship that you build is very different to a friend, or even a manager or colleague, however, the need for someone who can provide this support can be crucial when at a junction or feeling stunted in your career progression. If you find yourself in need of a mentor you can enlist the help of a career coach.
A career coach may not have travelled the same career path as you but they will have assisted many people like you, from a range of industries and backgrounds, and will have a large network of contacts. What is more, you don’t have to give anything back. The coach is working for you only, the relationship is purely built on pushing your career forward and making the right decisions now, laying the foundations for future opportunities.
PCS Executive provide a bespoke career coaching service to all their clients to make sure they are making the right decisions to really maximise their career potential. The support provided by PCS will help you today, whilst setting you on the right track to find the new opportunities for tomorrow.
For more information, and to arrange a one to one consultation with a PCS career coach, visit www.pcsexecutive.com or call 0844 880 6690 to speak to an adviser.