Do you tend to ask Google for career guidance? Although it might work in several cases, the information shared on the internet is not always tailored to your needs. The World Wide Web has millions of resources, including books, articles, videos, or online workshops. But these resources usually share general information that may apply to one situation and totally differ for another.
So, what to do if you want to get advice that will be relevant precisely to your situation? No, don't Google it. Instead, check out the opportunity to get a mentor. A mentor will advise you much better than the internet and offer the best solution taking in mind all circumstances you're limited by.
As stated by definition – a mentor is an expert in their field with relevant experience and takes a more senior role than a mentee. For a mentee, it means that a mentor has already experienced this or that situation and can tell a story of what happened then, the lesson learned, what to take in mind, and how to proceed today.
If you have a question about the exact process, project plan, or system as a whole, the mentor is the best to get advice from. This way, you won't hear only general points on how it should or should not be done, but you will get the answer tailored exactly to your situation.
Although the World Wide Web can find many answers to exact questions, the internet can't consider all details. Mentors, on the other hand, can. The role of a mentor in a relationship with a mentee is to share their expertise, advice, support, and encouragement.
A mentor can support you in dealing with some challenging task or taking the next step in your career development. Whether you're not sure your idea for the next project is right or your next step asking for a raise is relevant right now – a mentor is here to encourage you and give you the power to move forward.
The last but not least important benefit of talking to a mentor instead of the internet is a mentor's vision. In a relationship with a mentor, you won't get only a specific reply, advice, and support, but also guidance from an experienced professional. Mentors base their vision on previous experience and learnings to avoid repeating the same mistakes. In addition, mentors are great in supporting any challenging and ambitious ideas visualizing how you would move ahead.
If you're unsure where your career would take you or what your next steps should be to get to the position you always wanted – that's the time to speak to your mentor. A mentor won't only support you in your decision but also visualize struggles you may encounter and success that is waiting for you in the end.
Diana Bonczar, Internal Communications Consultant and Femme Palette Mentor, summarized:
"There's a huge difference between gaining knowledge and adjusting it to your specific situation. When you read books or complete online training, you might get lots of valuable information, but then you're all alone when it comes to digesting it and applying it in your life and work.
What mentoring offers you is personal and personalized support throughout the whole process. It might start with learning when the mentor brings in new ideas, and it might as well start with discussing what the mentee has learned from other sources.
Then the real beauty of this relationship happens - by discussing the mentor's and mentee's experiences and ideas, imagining consequences of specific situations, and answering concerns, the mentor helps the mentee prepare for putting the knowledge into practice. No Google result can do that for you."
Do you want to get tailored advice from a mentor rather than the internet? Check out the Mentoring Program by Femme Palette, where you can apply to get a mentor in the field where you’d like to develop. A mentor allocated to you will share expertise with you and support you along your career journey.
