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Last Updated on July 10, 2023
When you have someone in your life that is special to you, and they have big dreams, their dreams for themselves can quickly become something that you want to be a part of. The most common scenario here is between parents and their children but that is not the only type of relationship where this exists. Often, aunts and uncles, teachers, and professional mentors are all great examples of those who want to help someone they love work toward the career of their dreams. If you are someone who aspires to this, below are a few great suggestions for how to go about doing so.
Support Their Education
Going to
Especially if a student plans to attend
Mentor Them on Specific Tasks
Mentorship in general is a broad term. Being someone’s mentor really means that you are a support and guide for them as they navigate a specific scenario, in this case, pursuing their dream job. However, just because you care about someone’s dreams you might not be qualified to be their main mentor. In which case you can instead mentor them on specific tasks.
Post-graduation the time will come to create their first resume. This is exciting but can quickly turn frustrating when they realize that not only are they doing something new they might feel as though they do not have enough material to create a suitable resume, but this is also where your mentorship comes in. You can help them as an objective outsider highlight all their skills and achievements as well as show them things to avoid on a resume and modern formats for their document.
Celebrate Accomplishments of All Sizes
Instead of reserving the proverbial bottle of champagne for the day they finally land their dream job, celebrate all the steps along the way. There are tons of things to give positive attention and praise to that come much before that big day. This will be a source of major encouragement and serve as motivation for them to keep pressing on even when bumps in the road momentarily set them back. A few great examples are:
- Landing their first interview
- Hitting a goal of applying to X number of jobs within a time frame
- Their first professional letdown or disappointment
- The first job they turned down
It might seem odd to include things like celebrating failures or rejected jobs, but it is important to understand that these are all individual bricks on the path toward the
Let Them Be Independent
If you are older than this person, it is only natural to take the position of older and wiser. While it is true that you have more years under your belt, and potentially more experiences as well, be careful not to project too much onto them. Letting loved ones grow as individuals is a wonderful show of not only support but trust as well. The point is to teach the importance of self-belief and be this person’s safe space to be themselves not someone they avoid for fear of having let them down.
Mentorship in general is a broad term. Being someone’s mentor really means that you are a support and guide for them as they navigate a specific scenario, in this case, pursuing their dream job.Click To TweetInstead of engaging in conversations with the narrative of ‘I think you should do this’ and ‘why aren’t you doing that instead’ use phrasing like ‘how did you arrive at that decision’ and ‘walk me through your thought process.’ These gentler lines of questioning will be met with willingness as opposed to resistance. Not to mention, there are potentially many things that you can learn from them as well. Being humble enough to understand that the career landscape has changed since you were last at this stage is a great show of empathy and emotional intelligence on your part.
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