If you are struggling to get your feet off of the ground in your search for a good career a professional mentor can help you to focus your goals and take action towards attaining your dream job. Your mentor can act as a guide as you navigate through a pathway that will lead you to a successful career. Here are some crucial tasks that a mentor can help you with:
Guidance
A mentor can help you seek out relevant information to give you a better view of what career paths you may be interested in. It may be helpful for you to talk to people to find out what jobs might be a good fit for you or to research online. Engaging in a paid internship is a great way to experience a different job before making a commitment to a more permanent role. Goal setting is very important in every step of the way towards your dream career. Mentors can help you with goal setting.
Defining Goals
It can be unclear where to start when seeking work or changing careers. Will you need job training courses or a college degree? A mentor can help you with defining your goals and can act as an accountability coach as you achieve them. In tackling any large endeavor, such as job seeking, or changing careers it is helpful to break the whole process down into manageable tasks. A mentor can help you set SMART goals for yourself - goals which are: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-sensitive.
Achieving Goals
Your mentor can act as an accountability coach to help you to achieve all of your career goals. They can provide you with encouragement, advice, confidence-boosters, information, and networking. They can be a person you can reach out to when you need assistance and when you seek answers to questions relating to your career pathway. They can keep you on track towards achieving your career goals.
Training If Necessary
When seeking a new job or career change many people may need additional training in order to achieve their goals. A mentor can help you find the right training you may need in order to explore a new career path, or gain employment in a new field. Many jobs require certification and many professions do not actually require a four year college degree. Some jobs you can begin working right away such as customer service and require only on the job training. Your mentor can help you to discover what kind of training you may need as you embark on your new career and how to obtain it.
Taking the Next Steps
Once you have decided upon a career path or a specific job you wish to pursue, your mentor can help you with making yourself marketable by offering guidance on resume writing, interviewing, how to write a cover letter and thank you notes for interviews, and even how to dress for success. Mentors can help with fostering leadership skills, self-confidence, and problem-solving abilities. Your mentor can also assist you with networking, which can play a vital role in landing your dream job and opening up doors to new opportunities.
Finding the right career can be a very challenging task. Studies have shown that using a career mentor can lead to an 80% higher success rate than navigating that pathway alone. A mentor can offer guidance, assist you with defining and achieving your goals, help connect you with training if necessary, and steer you in your next steps on your career pathway. We can match you with a mentor to help you achieve all of your career goals, one which will walk with you on your professional journey, every step of the way.
In today’s fast-paced world we need to be at the top of our game in order to succeed financially - especially with rising inflation and wages that do not reflect increases in the cost of living. And unfortunately, not all of us have the financial resources to attend a four-year university. So how can we contend with rising inflation and job insecurity? Here are some ideas:
Earn your GED: First and foremost, complete your high school education if you have not already. If you did not yet earn your high school diploma, consider attending courses or tutoring to complete your GED (General Education Development). You can take your GED online and even complete GED courses online. The GED is comprised of four subject areas: social studies, math, science, and language arts. It will cost you around $40 to take. Employers and most training programs require either a high school diploma or GED so it is vital to have this completed when you enter the job market.
Job Training: To increase both your marketability and your wages consider gaining valuable job training. Fast tracks to good careers include: CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant), truck driving, pharmacy technician, truck driving, and phlebotomy. These fields do not require a four year college degree and training can occur within a couple of months at a relatively low cost. Also consider on the job training. Learn skills, and increase both your salary and your marketability while earning an income on the job.
Internship: Consider a paid internship. Job placement with a company that will help you grow into a role with on the job training: earn while you learn. Many companies also hire interns. An internship is a great way to see if you are interested in working for a particular company, while earning on the job. Also, many companies also hire interns so it is potentially a terrific way to start out a new career.
Job Coaching: Most people know the phrase, “Dress for success,” but there is much more than having a great wardrobe that needs to happen in order to land a great job. Many people may not be sure of what career to pursue, or if they do, how to go about it. It is important to take career assessments and to use tools such as interest inventories and learn about various careers which you may find interesting.
Your resume needs to be updated and polished. You may need practice at acing an interview. Many people do not realize the importance of reaching out to social networks, or may not have a clear idea where to start. Additionally, people may not realize the power of a positive job reference. We can all use a leg up at times and a job coach is an incredible resource to increase your chances of landing that perfect job.
Mentoring: We all need someone to check in with from time to time. There are a lot of life skills which are involved in building your career from start to finish. Finding a job mentor is an excellent way of learning about the job from someone with the experience to share with you and help you to grow. Mentors can assist with learning life skills, financial planning, furthering one’s education, and embarking on a new career.
Come to AACF for all of the above. We will assist you with completing your GED and match you with job training in the area of your interests. We can place you in a paid internship where you will gain valuable job skills while you earn an income. And we can match you with a career coach and mentor in order to keep you on track to achieve all of your goals.
Contact us for more information and see if AACF is a good match for your career needs! Our services are free to those who qualify.