4 Ways Career Mentors Guide You Through A Career Change

Are you looking for help with a career change? Do you wish there was someone who could talk you through the process and show you the ropes? Have you considered the benefits of a Mentor?

1. Understanding Career Change

Any Mentor you work with has had at least two careers. They’ve worked in the job role they’re mentoring and now they work as a Mentor. That experience alone is incredibly valuable because it means they’ll understand how it feels to shift gears and pursue a new career path.

It’s easy to think of a Mentor as just a teacher – someone who’s there to give you the information you need and little more – but here at Career Navig8r, we believe that a huge part of successful mentoring is all about the relationship between Mentors and Mentees.

Although practical and professional, a Mentee/Mentor relationship also involves both parties getting to know one another far better. That relationship can enable Mentors to provide emotional support to their Mentees, empathising directly with the Mentee’s situation.

When it comes to a career change, that empathy is invaluable because it means that any and all advice the Mentor gives is coming from a place of true understanding and experience.

All that being said, a Mentor isn’t just about helping you deal with the stress of changing career path. In fact, a Mentor’s main purpose is just what it sounds like: mentoring.

If you’re looking for help with a career change then you’ll want the best advice there is on a wide range of subjects. You’ll want to know everything from salary expectations to employment opportunities. Having an expert on hand to give you all the information you need up front can really help to soften the nerves and ease the process.

2. Assessing Transferable Skills

As you set out on your new career path, the first thing you’ll want to know is what you need to learn and which skills you can reapply.

This is important for two reasons. The first is that if you need to learn new skills then there’s no better time than the present. The sooner you get to work, the sooner you’ll be a perfect candidate for the job role you’re hoping to attain. Secondly, understanding which of your existing skills could be useful in this new role will really help you to sell yourself to potential employers.

Working with your Mentor, you can pin down which areas of your CV will really stand out in your new career and which areas could do with some extra training.

3. Reskilling and Upskilling

Speaking of training, your Mentor will be able to teach you everything you need to know about the job role you’re looking to take on. After all, they’ve been doing it for years.

As a rule, the new skills you learn will fall into one of two categories: reskilling and upskilling.

Of the two, reskilling is generally easier. As we discussed earlier, you’ll already have a number of transferable skills, but you’ll also have adjacent skills that will help give you the start you need.

Upskilling, on the other hand, is harder as it’s about expanding your skillset outside the areas you’re familiar with. That being said, it can also be incredibly rewarding as it gives you an opportunity to jump into something entirely new and discover a different side of yourself.

4. Building Confidence and Resilience

Last but certainly not least, your Mentor will be able to help with your career change by building up your confidence and preparing you to face a new world.

Of course, there are similarities between any professional setting but there are also major changes. In some ways, in fact, jumping to a new career can feel a lot like moving to another country. The only difference is that instead of culture shock, you’ve got career shock.

Tackling career shock can be difficult but having a Mentor around can definitely ease the process. When embarking on a new adventure in life, it’s very normal to have moments of self-doubt, especially if you feel inexperienced or unaware.

If you’re having one of these moments then the best thing you can do is talk openly with your Mentor. They’ll explain any points of confusion or misunderstanding that you might have and help to smooth that transitional process so that you can find your feet and excel somewhere new.

Of course, changing careers doesn’t have to mean abandoning your previous job role altogether. Instead, why not become a Mentor yourself? As a Mentor, you could guide others through the pressure and pitfalls of a job role you have first-hand experience of, helping them to grow and develop a fulfilling career for themselves. Sign up with Career Navig8r today and earn money by sharing your knowledge.