Have you been at a crossroads, feeling lost and confused? Did you have difficulty in finding a solution? Is making career-related decisions hard for you? We all felt the need for a guide in our life at every step. Be it be your mother or your favourite teacher who inspired you to take up a particular career. Mentors are not always paid or labelled, they come in disguise too. Most importantly, they are the ones who influence you to make a good decision. When it comes to career, we call these mentors career mentors and the process of career mentorship. Never heard of it? Career mentorship plays an important role in a student’s life. It is important both in the early and late stages of career life.
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Importance of Good-Decision Making
Not a single day goes by when you don’t have to decide. The first decision of the morning we make is to snooze the alarm. Then comes what to wear, what to have for breakfast, and so on. Thus, decisions are the most important and inevitable part of our lives. Nobody can escape them.
They shape our careers and personality. They are a reflection of who we are and what we want to do. Hence, decision making is a huge responsibility that needs to be executed perfectly. As quoted by Roy Disney
“It is not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are”
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Thus, making wise and informed decisions save your time, effort, and money. It also grants you the ability to make full use of your resources and skills. You will work more effectively and most importantly with clarity and greater concentration. Also, you will be able to set and accomplish more goals. In the end, this leads to faster growth of your career and personality development.
While there so many advantages of good decision-making, not everyone can always choose the right path at the right time. Human beings make mistakes but those who repeat them are foolish. But those who do not learn from it are at an even greater loss. Hence, to make great choices you need great advice and these come from experts. In life, these experts can be your mother, your best friend, your teacher, your siblings, etc. But in a career, you cannot risk taking the wrong step. This is when a professional comes into the picture.
What is a career mentorship? Who are career mentors? Is career mentorship really effective? Keep reading to find out.
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How to make wise career decisions?
Before we get into the topic let’s brief about how to make good decisions consistently. I know we have all been there, done that. Investing unnecessary time and overthinking about it. The Decision-making process itself is tedious and tiring. Thus, to make it simple and easy, I have put it in 3 steps. Follow the below-mentioned steps and you will never go wrong.
Step-I: Collect information
Gathering information is the most crucial step to making a wise decision. Grab your pen and paper and make a list of all the possible options you have. Talk to the people in that field and pen their reviews. Ask experts and professionals aka career mentors for possibilities and opinions. It is easier to make a choice when you know what to expect. Hence, take your time to interpret the facts. Then only you can predict the outcomes of each possibility. Comparison is also a key to help you take the right step.
Step-II: Focus on your goal
Having no goal is a major setback to your career. As quoted by Fitzhugh Dodson
“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.”
Once you know what you want out of your career, you can also make plans to achieve them. Hence, you can choose those paths that will take you higher and help you achieve your goals. Goals are like benchmarks of success. Accomplishing them will give you pleasure and motivation to go beyond.
This helps you cross out most of the possibilities of your list. Thus, you can focus on the path that leads you closer to your goals and reach milestones.
Step-III: Decide and Evaluate your decision
Once you are sure about your choice it is time to put it to action. And once your decision comes to life it is necessary to evaluate it. Prepare yourself for the best as well as the unexpected problems that may pop up on the way. It never ends with just one decision there are several smaller ones on their way. Thus, keep in touch with the professionals. Also, keep them informed about your advancements so that they advise you on your course of action. This will keep the unnecessary stress away.
Although the above three steps may help you a great deal in effective decision making, there lacks one aspect. And that is how perfectly you execute it.
Clearly, two of the above steps need professional advice and opinion. This calls for a meeting with career mentors.
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Who is a career mentor? How to find a career mentor?
Career mentors are basically teachers of the business world. They share their experiences and knowledge to help you fix problems and make good choices along your career path. Also, these people are extremely friendly. They teach you everything they know and that can help you grow. Occasionally, they may also help you establish good communication and network with the right people. Additionally, they can also promote your work, if they want to help you beyond boundaries.
But who is the career mentor in your life? A career mentor can be your manager, your boss, or even your colleague. Apart from this, they can also be total strangers. For example, you are a fresher in a particular field. Then you need to connect with the right people. It is not hard to find mentors. All you need to do is identify them and get to know them. Initially, you may find it difficult to talk right away but be polite and patient. Build a strong relationship with them to get assistance and advice.
The guidance and help you get from a career mentor are incalculable. Who knows one day someone might contact you to be their mentor.
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Importance of career mentorship in a student’s life
The importance of going in the right direction from the beginning is vital. Early-on in your career, you may seem overwhelmed with options. Everything seems to be right and everyone looks successful. Also, it has become difficult to find the right career which suits your skills and needs. Additionally, a student is least exposed to the industry. Hence, a career mentor or career guide helps you to select the right kind of occupation which goes well with your capabilities, qualification, and skills.
1. Guidance from career mentor
There are various benefits of a career mentor in a student’s life. Firstly, they provide guidance. They introduce you to the various possibilities and help you choose the best of them. Also, they are knowledgeable and can clear all your doubts. They enlighten you with what you cannot study at school or college. For example, they familiarise you with the industry, its demands, and outcomes. You will also be able to know the growth of your selected jobs, the salary, and sectors, etc.
2. Plan and envision a career
Secondly, career mentors not only provide you with the knowledge base but also plans out your career. The student cannot know or predict the direction of the career and hence, career mentors help you envision the path. They also keep you informed on the evolving career opportunities and conditions. Also, some careers require specialisations and skills. Thus, only your career advisor can help you find the right courses to enhance your resume.
3. Job and network
Thirdly, a career advisor will help you find the actual job. He/she may also introduce you to his contacts thus, increasing your network. Further, he/she will help you rehearse for interviews, and learn about the current trends in the job market. Additionally, a career advisor may also find role models for you according to your career stream.
4. Motivation and focus
Most importantly, career advisors excite or motivate you towards your career. They allow you to explore opportunities without losing time or money. Further, they suggest some ways to increase your involvement in the organisation and its activities. Also, they help you to maintain focus on your career while making advancements.
Lastly, they improve your skills, concentration, self-confidence, network, and opportunities. Thus, a career mentor or advisor can teach you what the books, internet, and education could not teach. It is only they who identify your areas of improvement and help you grow. In the end, it is up to you whether you want to struggle hard without a career mentor or get that edge over others by talking out to the mentor. The growth and development you get from a mentor are incomparable.
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Benefits of a career mentorship
There are various benefits of a career development mentor, some of them are listed below in brief:
1. Regular feedback from career mentor
When a person is praised for his/her work, then he/she will definitely put more effort and focus on a daily basis. This is the idea behind regular honest feedbacks from career mentors. As opposed to the monthly and annual feedbacks, keeping in touch regularly helps motivate the mentees better. Also, it brings out the shortcoming of the mentee as well as the mentor and gives them a chance to improve. Hence, the millennials prefer a modern career mentorship model that gives better results.
When things are going well your mentor’s encouragement plays a great role. And if things are not so well then the mentor’s advice is crucial. Hence, in both cases, there is the benefit of having a mentor by your side.
2. Sharing knowledge
As is the case a student or fresher lacks knowledge of the industry or organisation or corporate world. Thus, this is where your career mentorship comes to the rescue. They not only share their experiences and knowledge but also they get learn from what you have to say. Hence, it is not a one-sided relationship. Also, the relationship demands participation from both the mentor and mentee. Feel free to share your experiences and to ask your mentor any questions.
Also, many a time your mentor has exactly been in the place where you are now. Hence, they can help you avoid so many mistakes while making a decision. Therefore, I say knowledge and experience counts a lot.
3. Valuable advice from career mentor
Sometimes there is no need to reinvent the wheel. It not only wastes your time and energy but also makes you bored with your job and you can easily lose focus. Hence, there is a shortcut. Simply ask your mentor. Their advice can help you decide on the best course of action. Also, you learn so many new perspectives of viewing the situation that will be helpful in the future.
4. Improving communication skills
There is a lot to learn from an experienced person. A mentor has great leadership and communication skills. If you stick around a lot you may end up grasping those skills. After all one day, you may also have to act as a mentor to someone at work.
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In conclusion, to advance your career rapidly you need to connect with a mentor and make use of career mentorship for your benefit. Be smart and learn new shortcuts to improve your work life. Hence, ForeignAdmits provide you with world-class mentors and counsellors from around the globe. Make complete use of the opportunities coming your way and contact our mentors for expert opinion and professional help.