How can a mentor help you change jobs
The changing jobs journey can be a lonely and road to take on your own. That is why finding different kinds of supporters is crucial to making it to the end and achieving your goals. Mentors are one type of support to guide you through this process.
Different mentors for different seasons
During the changing jobs journey, the mentors that have served you for years may not be the right fit for this transition. They may have been amazing advocates supporting you in your journey thus far, but depending on their focus and expertise themselves, they may not be the best equipped to help you on your change jobs journey.
Action: You can start by looking at your mentors, and writing down what their unique perspectives bring, how they have helped you up until now, what skills they have, and how these characteristics can either help or hinder their role as a mentor in your change jobs journey.
The right mentor can help:
Identify strengths
You may know what you are good at, and what you are not so good at - within the boundaries of your current role or career path. But understanding these strengths and weaknesses in a new environment can be difficult, if you've never been in said environment.
For example, often academics simply have on their CV that they have a PhD. To those who have never pursued a PhD or don't know someone close who has, won't realise all the skills that are required to succeed in a PhD. A mentor that knows you, your work, your career thus far, is well placed to help you see your strengths through a new lens, not distorted by your current workplace filter.
Find direction
Depending on your career thus far, the next step could be obvious to you. And if this is the case - then lucky you! This is a huge part of the change jobs journey that you can tick off.
But for some of us, your new direction may not be so clear. There may be a range of things you know you life, but figuring out what that means for a your change in direction, can be overwhelming to say the least.
A great mentor can act as your compass. They should invest time in getting to know you, and can help point you in the 'right' direction. Of course, it is important to realise we are all human, and as humans, mentors come with their own biases - this is why finding a few mentors that suit this stage of your career is important.
Set goals
Once you have a direction, that can definitely take much of the overwhelm away. But there is still an endless list of things you can do to aid your change jobs journey. This is where clear, measurable, and realistic goals come in.
A mentor can be great person to help you form these goals, or someone to help keep you accountable. You can share your goals with your mentor and ask them to check in with you on how you are progressing towards these in regular meetings.
Connect you
Again, this is wearing choosing mentors strategically can mean your mentor can support you better in this journey. Networks are extremely important in job searches, but even more so when you're moving into a new industry or area. Your vast networks within your current field of expertise, are unlikely to serve you in this transition. So having mentors that have networks that span your new job areas of interest, can help you form those new connections and begin expanding your network.
Translate skills
A mentor outside of your field of expertise or career thus far can act as your own personal translator or language tutor.
One example is the language used by academics to communicate strengths and successes is extremely different to that of someone outside of the academic world. Learning how to speak the language of job-market selling yourself can be somewhat uncomfortable. See our other post on translating technical specific language and careers wins to more generic language that any HR hirer or recruiter can understand.
Pick you up
The process of changing jobs is hard. It is exhausting. There are sure to be a lot of set backs and rejections, as you learn how best to sell yourself, and where you best fit. A good mentor can lend a kind ear during this process. They can help pick you up when you're down, and help you see the value you have to add to a new workplace. Lean on them!