We have all heard the advice, "you should find a mentor". Whether you are a job-seeker or currently working, you will find that this mantra probably resonates.
Most of us have tried to find a mentor at one time or another, whether it be in sport, a hobby or in our working lives. Maybe you've even had a successful mentoring relationship; we have all probably asked the opinion of someone else to help guide us through a difficult situation or career decision.
There is almost always an assumption that these mentors should elder-statesman-type characters; someone who is older and more worldly wise then the mentee. But I have a proposal that departs from this cliche. I think that, in the context of job-seeking, this relationship could, and should, be switched. Graduate job-seekers should be offering advice to experienced hires.
Here's why. Having worked with job-seekers for more than 15 years, it is crazy to think that when I first started in recruitment the latest advancement in technology was to send CVs via fax. I even remember a colleague at the time showing off a portable fax machine – it was going to revolutionise his working life.
Technology advances and early adoption of new means of engagement within the recruitment market is phenomenal – for recruiters and job seekers alike. Who would have believed that computers would be shortlisting CVs, or that organisations would be trying to entice a candidates with 140-character snippets via a social network? Trying to stay abreast of the latest developments can be a full-time job.
It was thinking about these hard-to-keep-up-with advances in technology and a recent visit to a work club that gave me the idea about graduates as mentors.
I realised that there is a huge unspoken barrier around mentoring. Who says that a mentor has to be someone older than you?
Why is it always more mature people, who are quite far removed from the labour market, offering advice, when actually younger job-seekers use technology and engage more effectively in the modern job market?
Anyone could run a work club, for example. These are a new, voluntary government scheme. You could set one up in your front room and start receiving referrals from your local job centre of individuals that need help. You do not need any formal qualifications to run one.
OK, so what can you offer?
Just for starters you probably know how to use Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and are no doubt using a piece of technology to manage your job search. This may be second nature to you, but many more experienced workers have never had to use these tools, or don't know how to effectively. Some will be unaware that companies use social media as a means of recruitment. You can share the power of technology with other job-seekers and show them new ways to approach and manage their job search.
Plus, it's worth noting that, particularly at large companies, the person who reads CVs and shortlists candidates for roles is quite likely to be a recent HR graduate. As that is your peer group, you probably have a better idea of what is going to appeal in terms of format and style. If you were to work together on a CV with a more experienced job-seeker, you could probably create the perfect document together.
You have energy to offer too. I have found that people who are newer to the workforce tend to be more enthusiastic. Enthusiasm rubs off. You could re-energise a more experienced job-seeker's work search and be someone to share experiences with who views the world a different way.
Plus, working with another person will increase the size of your network; teaming up with someone of a different age group will introduce you to a whole new network of people, which could lead to a crucial connection in your own job-seeking. A mentorship – or management experience from running a work club – would look fantastic on your own CV too.
Do not undersell the knowledge and power that you have from growing up in such a rich media age.
Tor Macleod is founder of Macleod Associates and Career Plan 4 Me.
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