From failing interviews to nailing one! If there’s someone who will unbiasedly guide you throughout your journey, it’s your MENTOR! If there’s someone who will motivate you to prepare for another interview despite you not cracking the previous one is your professional buddy!!!
But, there are a lot of opinions that say otherwise about collaborating with a mentor during a job search. Hiring a professional mentor helps you pick between a good job and a great job. Why not pay for a mentor who steers you to greatness?
This blog will answer every question of yours that revolves around whether a mentor helps in shaping a student’s career or is just hype. The most important step is nailing an interview – for more details on top interview questions, keep reading.
Who is a Mentor?
A mentor in general dictionary terms is someone who supports and guides a student. However, in this case, specifically, a mentor is someone who is associated with the best interview preparation site, knows the student’s shortcomings, mindset, and aspirations, and tries to become a major catalyst in transforming his professional journey.
Did You Know??
92% of all the US Fortune 500 companies have mentoring programs.
Types of Mentors
Just like every teacher specializes in teaching a specific grade of students. Here, in mentorship also every mentor has different levels of proficiency.
Every job seeker’s goal is different and it takes a specific type of mentor to aim for this goal. As per their experience, they can help job seekers trying to prepare themselves for common job interview questions.
Now that you have understood how vital it is to have a mentor by your side, let’s dig deep into the type of mentors you should look out for:
1. Traditional Mentor
This type of mentor holds immense expertise and has had a firsthand experience in the industry. Hence, a traditional mentor knows what employers choose regarding questions to ask in an interview. This guidance can help a job seeker with his or her professional life experiences.
2. Peer Mentor
As the name suggests, a peer mentor can be a colleague or a friend of a mentee. This means that both face similar situations at work and they can brainstorm ways of dealing with such crises. Of course, both will have varying viewpoints and hence, this healthy discussion will help the mentee a great deal.
3. Aspirational Mentor
Their skills, talent, expertise, and hard work are what a mentee looks up to. This struggle and journey inspire the mentee to work hard or perhaps work smart while dealing with his professional life at work.
4. Practical Mentor
Dealing with a real-time and real-world problem can be scary. Between 56% to 71% of organizations believe in using some mentoring to some degree However, with the help of a practical mentor, a mentee can discover various methods to take a quick yet effective decision. Also, the practical mentor can give step-by-step guidance by asking position-specific question sets with rectification in answers.
5. Coping Mentor
Dealing with stress during a workplace crisis is common. But, coping mentors are like a band-aid for a wound. Yes, you got it right!! A coping mentor is someone whom a mentee can consult during stressful situations. This type of mentor is like a healing and calming personality who can be a help in vulnerable times.
Influence of Mentorship on Students
A Forbes report stated that 76% of candidates think that mentors are important. However, only 37% have a mentor. Well, amongst those 37% of people are the candidates whose careers have undergone a massive transformation.
A mentor is someone who will help the mentee differentiate between the pros and cons of every job opportunity that comes his or her way. So, let’s see how hiring a mentor can influence a mentee’s career decisions one by one.
1. Mentor Can Help Building SMART Goals
Characteristics of a SMART goal are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Well, just like a project manager at work ensures that employees are utilizing the time for priority projects and achievable target goals. Similarly, here, the mentor makes sure that the candidate optimizes the time to prepare himself mentally, physically, and tactically for the interview.
2. Mentor = Time Manager
What type of skill building will take and how much time depends on the skills and capabilities of a mentee. A mentor during the pre-sessions identifies the strengths and loopholes in the candidates to design a unique and customized learning schedule for the candidate.
This timekeeping and management help the mentee tactically prepare for the interview.
3. Motivation Source
We have seen this quote often – ‘Where there is a will, there is a way…’
It is truest to the maximum extent possible. This means that the candidate might lose hope, but the mentor will never lose patience. Instead, he or she will motivate the mentee to keep the spirits high, cope with failures, and still be hopeful for the better.
Failing interviews is never a problem. It’s about being up for another one and that positive attitude can be imbibed in the mentee by the one and only – mentor!
4. Professional Know-how Exchange
Since the mentor is experienced, he or she shares the common interview questions and real-life examples from work that can mentally prepare the mentee. A wiser man learns from others’ mistakes. Having a professional mentor, who has been there, and made mistakes in the past helps you to be cautious & avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
5. Real Problem Solving
A mentee can ask every single question to the mentor – be it related to interview questions and answers or even general doubts:
- How to dress up for an interview?
- What are some behavioral interview questions one can expect?
- What to carry along?
- How to greet?
- What to answer when asked ‘Tell me about yourself
- How to answer a specific question and so on…
Mentors at NumeroPlaced follow a ‘Never Say No’ attitude. Just consult your mentor for the smallest or biggest query in your mind with 0 hesitations.
6. Showing Directions
A mentor’s role is to give end-to-end guidance. Even if you know that you want to become a software engineer, you will still need a mentor. This is because the industry is huge and we all are such tiny parts of it. Knowing where to start with confidence can only be made possible with a mentor’s support.
To Conclude: How a NumeroPlaced Mentor Can Help Students?
Indeed, finding a suitable career and cracking your dream job is not a game.
And if it’s your career, there is no room for mistakes. Also, what’s there no room for is trial and error. Knowing what works and what doesn’t beforehand is an advantage that can only be reaped by hiring a mentor.
Our mentors have ‘been there, done that’!!! Hence, don’t hesitate and give your career the kickstart it needs with end-to-end support, guidance, and most useful tips. Choose the mentorship program that best fits your needs.