by FutureLab | 15 Feb 2018
Finding a mentor is one of the best investments you can make in yourself and your career.
Whether you are an entrepreneur or a goal-oriented professional, you need advice from someone who has already been where you are headed. A good mentor can help break psychological barriers when starting a new company, propel your career or simply challenge and inspire you.
Here are 5 reasons why you should get a mentor:
1. Mentors break psychological barriers
If you are starting your career, if you're a fresh graduate, or if you're someone who has no idea what you want to do or how to progress in the career that you are currently in, a mentor will help you realise your full potential and guide you along the way.
Your mentor will give you a much-needed sense of direction. You can also discuss your worries about your career with your mentor, and he or she will lay down a plan that is most suited for you and your skills, showing you the big picture along the way.
2. Mentors educate you with the ”what” and the “how”
With a mentor, you are learning from someone who has already gotten to where you want to be.
They know exactly what it takes to get there and what sacrifices need to be made. You also have the rare opportunity to see what it would be like to step into the shoes of someone you want to be.
By having a mentor who is where you want to end up, you can also see first hand what their day-to-day experience is. This is extremely helpful in figuring out if you really want to go down that path.
A great mentor will share their experiences with you to help you achieve your goal in the best possible way they know how.
3. Mentors help assess your strengths and weaknesses
A good mentor can help you gain insights into your unique talents.
They will spot your weaknesses and make suggestions on how to improve them. A mentor not only guides you to the right path, but also molds you and provides you resources and links for new ideas.
After all, talent can only be honed when steered in the right direction.
4. Mentor have contacts
Mentors have some incredible contacts, especially if they are in the industry you want to get yourself into. Unfortunately, the world we live in is who you know and not what you know.
The other advantage is efficiency, you can spend years at networking events to build a contact list or you can build a strong relationship with an extremely trusted individual who has all the contacts you need.
Their word will get you further through that door than any networking event.
5. Mentors take you on a journey to become a mentor yourself
Under a good mentor, not only do you discover your true potential, but also the enhanced knowledge you gain through observation can help you take a shift from a mentee to a mentor.
It gives you the opportunity to go the extra mile for others and provide both personal and professional enrichment.
While reading the above pointers, if it ever occurred that you too need a trusted relationship, a meaningful commitment that helps you become the person you want to be, then you must consider finding a mentor.
You don’t have to look too far, FutureLab enables you to get connected with mentors who have already made it to your dream destination.
This mentor and mentee relationship helps in spreading knowledge about careers and help you bag your own dream career.
If you have already taken the first step towards your dream career, then it’s time you make a difference to someone else’s life by sharing your experiences and learnings with the one’s in need.
Get connected with FutureLab
FutureLab is an online mentorship platform that connects students, working professionals, jobseekers and entrepreneurs with expert industry mentors across the region to help them gain new skills and insights to enhance their employability and career growth. We also provide our mentoring software for corporations, organizations and learning institutions to upskill and engage their workforce and graduates that increases their efficiency and productivity. Sign up as a mentee or join us as mentors today!