WHAT IS A CAREER MENTOR
AND HOW CAN ONE HELP YOU

Determining what is a career mentor should be the first step to take. Use your time to identify exactly what it is and how it varies from other coach or advisor roles. Consider how a career mentor could help you.

You know the best way to approach it. Think about what it is you really want. What are you trying to accomplish? Then find a means to reach your goal. It may be that a career mentor is the best, most efficient way.

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A mentor and mentee discussing an item on a laptop screen

WHAT IS A CAREER MENTOR DEFINITION?

Let’s get to this right up front so we are on the same page.

In my view, a career mentor is an individual who is experienced in their career field and transfers their insight and knowledge to someone less experienced to help steer them through their evaluation process of considering a change to a new career category.

WHAT STAGE OF YOUR CAREER ARE YOU IN?

A woman on steps spray painting over the letters “IM” in impossible to change to possible.

A quick review of your current status would help in determining where a career mentor may fit in for you. It’s not only what is a career mentor, but how will you use one. Perhaps you may feel you are at one of these stages:

For any number of reasons, you just want out of your current role and you want to learn some basic information about one or more career fields in which you may want to pursue.
You have some knowledge or understanding of a field in which you are interested, but want to learn more.
You have a general understanding but have some specific questions for which you want answers.
You are in the career field you desire but would like to know more about adjacent areas in that field to augment your progression.
You are well-positioned in your field but want additional insight about senior levels to prepare for your own advancement.
Your reason is different but valid.

IS A CAREER MENTOR THE SAME AS A CAREER COACH OR ADVISOR

The quick answer is No!

A career coach is someone who helps you find your true self and help you discover how you may fit in an organization. They may also assist you in preparing for resumes, interviews and develop strategies to improve yourself.

An advisor may do some of the same things and structure out how to accomplish certain tasks for your career move.

Your career mentor, however, transfers insight regarding the inner workings of a specific career field including details, if desired, of daily issues and career objectives. They know their career field — all of the details. Whereas, a career coach or advisor usually will not understand all or even most of the elements involved in a specific field.

Ok, so I know that I want a career mentor, not a coach or advisor. What next?

HOW TO LOCATE A CAREER MENTOR

ONE APPROACH

You can go through your contact list to try to locate someone in the career field in which you have an interest, even though it may not be the specific area of your interest. If you find someone, contact them to discuss your desire to locate an individual who works in your specific area of interest.

Next, find a way to get introduced to your target mentor. Then express you desire to learn more about that field and ask if they will agree to provide you with the information you desire.

That can work, however, in my view it is time consuming and can be a scary process which may not lead to the results you want.

A BETTER APPROACH

The next option is to use the tools of today to find a career mentor online. There are several sites that are targeted to specific career fields like computer programing. However, the fields that are covered usually are a limited number. Then you can grasp what is a career mentor.

Here at Career Redo, we provide a large number of career fields which may just be the one for which you are seeking more information. The great news is that you can review their background and experience right here to find the one that meets your needs.

Just follow these easy steps:

Go to our home page to see the Career Categories / Fields that are currently available. We are constantly adding new ones to our list.
Click on the Career Category you want and it leads you to a list of mentors for that category / field.
Select the mentor by name to go to the mentor’s photo and short description of their experience.
Select the mentor’s photo or name to go to their specific page that provides more detail on their background, experience, and how they can help you learn more about your desired field.
Click on the green “Reserve A Mentor” button to be taken to a short form.
Fill out the form and send it in. Your mentor will contact you by email to set up a phone or Zoom visit with you.
Your mentor does charge a fee for the session which allows you to obtain your desired information easily and timely. [You will most likely agree that it could be well worth a small cost to gain the insight that you must have to move forward.]

NOT ONLY WHAT IS A CAREER MENTOR BUT WHAT CAREER FIELDS ARE AVAILABLE

Four individuals in various career attire considering a career change.

Some of our mentors at Career Redo include:

Author
Copywriter
Artificial Intelligence Consultant
Branding Consultant
Copywriter
Efficiency Expert
Marketer
Solopreneur
Startup Advisor
Supply Chain Manager
Venture Capitalist
Virtual Teacher
Website Business Owner
and many more!

All of the career categories / fields can be found here.

Now that you know what is a career mentor and where to easily find the one to help you in your transition, select the one for you by using this button.

Examine more advice and ideas on changing careers here:

You can find more information on the process at our Client FAQ page. To truly understand what is a career mentor, spend a small amount of time talking with one. Then it hits. Please feel free to ask me anything at my contact page.

We look forward to helping you reach your goal.

Then instead of I need a career mentor, you can say I FOUND my career mentor!

Our Free Guide Gives You An Easy Way To Find Your Mentor And Begin Your Career Change

Download Now!

Don D'Armond is the creator of Career Redo.

His goal is to connect his visitors who want to learn more about their desired new career fields with experienced individuals (Mentors) to transfer their insight and knowledge.