In today’s era students need to keep a constant focus and balance to keep pace with the whirlwind of alternatives, dynamics and competition.
We have always heard that every person needs a mentor. We meet them through our teachers, elders, and even our peers. However, when it comes to choosing a career, no one can guide students better than a professional mentor / counselor who invests deeply in the impact you want to make in high school, college or professional life. Career choice is something that can make or break someone’s early life. Therefore, it is always wise to seek professional advice.
In today’s era students need to keep a constant focus and balance to keep pace with the whirlwind of alternatives, dynamics and competition. Students may be overwhelmed by the excitement of setting future paths, evaluating college options, and preparing for application.
Having a trusted, knowledgeable, experienced and investor mentor / trainer to guide us through this process can make things easier and clearer for students and professionals. It is clear that students backed up with professional mentors succeed in shaping themselves and their careers. A strong mentor-student relationship is really valuable for a person’s life.
People are always biting their nails for counselors and the right guide. Here is the formula to find the ideal mentor for students.
Mentoring skills which can have a great impact on the development of students
- Practical and Skills Oriented Consultant: A mentor should always try and put pressure on students to acquire knowledge and skills in a practical way. Internships, debates, webinars, experiments, research aids, shadowing of field leaders / important people in the target area will enhance the practical knowledge of the students.
- Creating a roadmap for success: Creating a roadmap with daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals helps in achieving long term goals. What, who and how action requires accountability. Time should be reflected and course-correct.
- Provide constructive and helpful criticism: Providing timely feedback on assignments, taking breaks as well as setting aside time for criticism, holding one session after another, and having a clear vision will build trust and confidence among students for a mentor.
- Build a network of multiple consultants: Connecting students with seniors, alumni, other faculty, working professionals will increase their perseverance and interest and give them more clarity about the real situation they will face after college.
- Looking for areas of interest: Aligning responses and options with student interest will make students more likely to achieve their goals
- Contact line open and active listening: Good advice includes communicating with students and listening to their questions and finding solutions for research, course options, assessments, and more.
- Have an optimistic attitude: Finding an alternative B or loss control solution during a student’s bad days and helping them stick to their action plan helps students become more consistent and resilient.
- Practicing Reflective Empathy: To make the interaction more engaging and comprehensive, students should have open discussion instead of being asked questions by mentors. Students should remember that counselors understand where they are coming from and rely on them to get solutions from them.
Knowledge-Base / Wisdom-Base should be a mentor
No degree is required for training / mentoring but a professional should be well read and informed about the developments in each sector. They should be able to provide relevant insights whenever needed. A mentor should draw knowledge from their own life. Industry experience can help mentors give more accurate advice.
Official training or courses in specialist fields such as career counseling, student psychology, social work, management courses, etc. can help to create a good knowledge-based as well as an entry-level job as a consultant. Some options that the National Consultant Training and Certification Program may consider by NAESP, Certified Career Analyst (CCA), NCDA (National Career Development Association) and CDA (Career Development Association) programs.
All students should be asked before choosing a mentor
- Are they well informed about the possibilities and requirements of the course?
- Do you have enough resources to help students prepare for the entrance exams for their specific area even while studying abroad?
- Have they worked with different sets of students?
- Are they aware of non-academic criteria as well as classes and extra curricula that will make students competent candidates?
- Will they help the student balance additional coursework such as academic coursework, advanced placement tests, extracurriculars, etc.?