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Education and Learning

Get Ready To Get Mentoring Before embarking on a mentoring relationship there are a few things to consider to determine if it is the right
path for you.

When should you seek a career mentor?

Although any time can be a good time to enter a mentoring relationship, it becomes more meaningful when
One of the great tools that you can access as a member of the you have a career goal in mind and/or want to pursue a career challenge or opportunity. Career goals can
Security Institute is our mentoring program. include many things; overcoming knowledge or skills gaps, clarifying career choices, or simply to achieve a
better work-life balance.
What is mentoring?
Our mentoring platform contains several tools to help you identify your key needs and set achievable goals.
The primary role of a mentor is to use the experience and Once you identify your motivation(s), you will feel more prepared to enter and progress in a mentoring
knowledge they have gained in their career to help guide a mentee relationship.
towards their future career ambitions.
Purpose
A good mentor should be unconnected with a mentee’s day-to- The first thing to consider is why do you want to be a mentor/mentee and what specific skills can you offer/
day work, in order to provide objectivity and a bring a focus on the do you need? The more carefully you consider what skills and experience you are looking for/can give then the
future and the mentee’s personal development. better the mentoring match will be.
You are never too young or too old to be mentored. A good mentor During the first stage of the mentoring process, you will be asked to complete a profile that will be used for
can help keep a career challenging and fulfilling, even for those in matching and as part of this you will need to be clear on what skills, knowledge, and expertise you are looking
the later stages of their career. for/can offer.

No matter where you are in your career, there is always someone Mentoring is like any journey, if you don’t know where you want to end up when you start the journey how will
who knows more than you, who can help you gain a better you ever know if you have arrived? For this reason, it is important that you consider what it is you are looking
understanding of yourself and improve your skills. to achieve from the mentoring relationship.

The art of passing knowledge and expertise from one person to Being clear on your purpose will help you to find a mentor who is best placed to help you. Once you have
another through a mentoring relationship is not new, it’s a long- done that, the next stage is to clearly define the challenge(s) you are facing.
established tradition.
Where are You Now?
A mentor can be of benefit in many situations, including helping Within our mentoring platform we have inbuilt needs analysis tools that you can use ahead of your first
move to the next career level or overcome challenges in an existing mentoring conversation:
role, helping discuss different alternatives, ideas, and plans. They The SWOT tool will help you identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
may just be able to suggest different options and give a different The GSTAR tool will help you identify goals, the situation you are currently facing, current thinking, actions you
perspective that may not have been considered. The mentee is the are considering and the results you are expecting.
final decision-maker but having a mentor to consult with can give
more confidence in making decisions. Where Do You Want To Be?
Once you have completed your needs analysis you can work with your mentor/mentee to set Specific,
Working with a mentor is a chance to: Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timebound (SMART) goals, which will help you to give a real purpose to your
• Make time for personal learning with someone more mentoring relationship and help you get real results. Our mentoring platform has a goal setting tool that will
experienced help you to set SMART goals.
• Work on career progression
• Gain impartial advice and an alternative perspective So how does our mentoring platform support your mentoring journey?
• Have a non-judgemental sounding board for ideas The mentoring platform has been designed to make finding, connecting and communicating with a mentor as
• Focus on overcoming challenges and developing new skills easy as possible.
and knowledge
Alongside the tools to help you define and set your mentoring goals, the platform allows the mentee to search
And the benefits for mentors… for mentors who would be the best match for them in terms of the skills and experience they are looking for.

People often think mentoring is only one way, but don’t Mentors can choose to accept or decline requests from mentees and can switch their availability for
underestimate the valuable insights a mentor can gain while helping mentoring on and off.
a mentee find their path and the opportunity to learn from them.
The platform has an inbuilt meeting tool that allows you to arrange meetings, set agendas, record meeting
Here are a few of the many benefits for those considering becoming notes, and action points and a video chat tool to enable you to conduct virtual meetings from within the
a mentor: platform.
• Being able to pass on personal knowledge and experience in
order to see others grow. Finally, the platform is packed with videos, guides, and checklists to guide you through your mentoring journey.
• Having the chance to “give something back” and to provide
support to others If you would like to find out more or to join our program, simply click HERE
• Gain the chance to work on new and exciting challenges

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