May 29, 2019
How to select a right career mentor for your child?
Today, we all are witnessing fast paced changes in all walks of life. Thanks to ever changing technology which is making our life better and convenient. We are living in a smart world. And we are becoming smarter day by day by adopting and adapting the changes happening around us, swiftly. As you know these changes are happening in the world of work as well. These changes have replaced many jobs, have redefined many jobs and have introduce new job opportunities. We all are witnessing it and experiencing it.
Many smart parents have, hence realized the need of career planning for children at early stage of student life. And the million dollar question that these parents have in their mind that “Who should they approach for right career decision?” This article is dedicated to such smart, alert parents who have a vision for their children and wants to prepare their children for the future world of work.
Today, every nook and corner, you will see individual professionals or small size firms or companies, ventured in to career guidance or career counselling. Everybody is sounding genuine. Projecting their knowledge on education industry. And with due respect, they have their own methodology. There are different methods that professionals follows; some uses Aptitude test, some DMIT i.e. biometric test, some use psychometric tests, etc.
So obviously with so much of wide choices available, it’s bound to create a great confusion.
However, Parents here is the quick 5 point check list for you to select right career mentor services:
1. Set the right expectations from these services
Even before you start searching for the right career mentor service, you need to be very clear with what outcome you want. You need to prepare yourself that the career mentors, being expert of their field, will follow some scientific process to arrive at his/her recommendations. You can have your list of questions and understand the rationale behind his / her recommendations. You may have expectations from you child about careers, you can open up, express your ideas about child career to the career mentor and be open or flexible for their inputs on the same.For example you want your child to become a Doctor, however Career Mentor may have a different opinion, discuss it out and understand the reason for the same. Healthy discussion with logic and explanation will make this exercise very meaningful.
2. Keep your mind open
Let’s be practical. It’s all about your child career. Your child is an independent, unique personality. As a parent you love, care and provide best of the lifestyle to your child. At the same time, you may have some expectations from your child. May be some unfulfilled desire in terms of career, which you would expect your child to fulfil. However, this is where most of us go wrong. Your desire and your child personality, if not in sync, may not be able to take up the same career. And even if your child pursue that career, what are the chances that your child would be successful and happy in the same? This misalignment in the core personality and choice of profession will certainly create a friction. Right? So be open, encourage your child to choose what s/he wants and once shortlisted the career option, support whole heartedly.
3. Price should not be the criteria to select the good service
This is one thing very typical to Indians. Negotiations/bargaining or discounts do help most of the customers buying decision. There is nothing wrong in this. Every customer seeks best value for the money they spend.
So while selecting the best career mentor service, instead of looking at the price, compare what value you will get out of it? What are the deliverables? What is the methodology? Is the mentor going to do only ‘Lip service’ or practically going to show a roadmap towards successful career? What are the commitment levels?Are they going to hand hold your child on the career path? Etc. These questions will help you ascertain the value you will derive after investing the money in career mentoring. Also, you should look at it as right kind of advice will avoid wastage of your hard earned money. For example, without any professional career mentoring help if you send your child to the stream where, after 2-3 years child says s/he not enjoying what they are doing, then what? Time, money or efforts wasted right?
4. Check the legacy, credentials and the background of the Career mentor service company
now, let’s come to the very important part. How do you evaluate the company or professional who are into the Career mentoring services. Check how long are they in the field of Career Mentoring? What is their credibility? Have they earned any recognition or awards for their contribution in this field? What is their methodology to evaluate personality? How scientific is it? What is the infrastructure they have to conduct the test? How robust it is? Are they equipped with AI and large data algorithms? What is offered in the package? And how it is offered?
5. Check the background of the Career mentor
Apart from the background of the mentoring company, it is equally important to understand the background of the Career Mentor. Finally it is your child’s future. Can you trust it with someone who is incompetent, inexperienced? Obviously not, right? So you must ask the question like what is the Mentor’s background. How much experience Mentor has in the career mentoring? How much corporate experience doe the mentor has? Is mentor equipped with the information on future of work? Is mentor equipped with the knowledge of different careers available and what is the right path to the same? How deep and how wide is the experience this mentor has?
About Dheya Career Mentors (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Dheya career Mentors (India) Pvt. Ltd is the pioneering organization in this field which has been helping parents and students for the last 12 years. Dheya is one of the most preferred psychometric partners to World Bank and United Nations, in India due to its customized psychometric tools which is developed in compliance to Indian norms.
Following are the strengths of Dheya which enhances the value and experience of career mentoring services;
- In the career mentoring services, since 2006
- Patented 7D Career development tool
- Ongoing research on careers and the future world of work. Have over 22000 occupation choices in the data system to choose from
- Robust infrastructure with artificial intelligence to handle large data
- Have completed over 2.5 lacs psychometric tests across India
- Strong network of over 1700 senior level professionals across India who have strong domain expertise in their respective fields, and trained in psychometric and career planning
- Well-structured, step by step process, that helps in hand holding the child and navigate through the career roadmap
- Strength-based methods and process
- Based on principles of positive psychology
- Personalised, one on one sessions with the child and the parents which ignites the child to aspire and achieve excellence in life., etc.
Written by Kiran Dixit,
Master Career Mentor with Dheya.
You can reach to him on kiran.dixit@dheya.in
