Member Article

How a mentor can guide your path to success this National Opportunity Day

In today’s fast-paced and ever evolving world, it can be easy for individuals to get caught up in day-to-day life and miss out on opportunities that can aid in their professional development. However, opportunities may be fleeting and like every good sale, once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Wednesday 9th August is National Opportunity Day within the UK, a day dedicated to shining a light on opportunities often missed and encouraging individuals to take the reins on their career development by removing barriers and seizing every moment. But it can be hard to identify these opportunities on your own. Mentorship is a great way to aid your career growth, with recent research showing a whopping 97% of people with a mentor find them to be an “impactful and valuable” resource.

To aid people in their progression this National Opportunity day, PushFar, one of the world’s leading online career platforms, has rounded up the top five ways that adopting a mentor can help individuals to overcome their own limits and follow their career passions.

1 Valuable and Insightful Advice

There are plenty of benefits that come with having a mentor, such as gaining valuable and insightful advice. A mentor allows individuals to learn from seasoned professionals who have navigated similar career paths whilst having different experiences. This allows them to offer a wealth of invaluable insights, guidance, and support. Through mentoring, individuals can gain a competitive edge, ensuring they are well prepared to meet the demands and expectations of prospective employers, nerve-wracking interviews, hone CVs and take on other professional opportunities.

2 Learning New Skills

Employers are always expanding and looking for individuals who bring something unique to the table, alongside their core offerings, and a mentor is a great way to help potential candidates expand their knowledge whilst identifying and learning new key skills. Not only is mentoring a great way to learn new skills but it also helps many to brush up on current skills with the help of industry professionals. PushFar has a free open network of over 1.5 million professionals looking to help their mentees, so no matter the industry, there’s someone for everyone.

3 Building Confidence

There’s often a psychological and social stigma around changing careers, and many people associate it with risk and instability. This results in many individuals choosing to stay well within their comfort zones and remaining in jobs that may not be satisfying them.

Having someone to discuss work and upcoming opportunities with is incredibly beneficial for a person’s progression. It allows them to identify the benefits of the opportunity, whilst giving them the confidence boost they need to take it. The opportunity to communicate with someone about the challenges you may face, reduces stress and anxiety, greatly improving your well-being. In fact, 86% of PushFar’s participants say that having a mentor has helped them and encouraged them to reach their goals and develop their careers.

4 Expanding your Network

One of the best ways to gain opportunities and excel in your professional development is by forming relationships and creating a solid professional network. However, it can be difficult to build connections if you’re starting in a new industry with no previous experience or contacts.

A mentor is a great way to expand your network as they can introduce you to key stakeholders, give advice and real-life anecdotes on what it means to network and how to use it to benefit your career. Guidance and direction from knowledgeable people within the industry can help you to identify opportunities and connect you with like-minded people who are making an impact in your desired field.

5 Challenging your thinking.

Even the most open-minded people need a little help seeing things from all angles and mentorship is a great way to gain perspective. Whether it be a professional setback or a rough day, it’s easy to fall victim to negative self-talk or create excuses to avoid trying something a little different. By adopting a mentor, individuals can step back and view things from angles that perhaps weren’t considered through peer review.

A mentor can also offer insight into a role and give direct you to landing your dream job. Many individuals are guilty of overlooking key details when working towards a goal or becoming overwhelmed, and that’s where having a compassionate mentor by your side will work wonders.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lucy Seller .