When do you know it’s time to invest in a mentorship program

"Unfortunately, we will not be moving forward with your candidacy. We wish you the best in your future endeavours."

The dreaded rejection email. 😣

Let's be honest, we all have received such an email at least once in our lifetime.

It is normal to get rejected as part of the job hunt process.

But what if this is the only kind of email you are receiving over and over again? 

You think that the interview went well, but still keep getting bad news in your email.

Where did you go wrong? 🤔

Many times, the rejection reasons are vague, without any constructive feedback, and therefore, not something you can work on. 

This leads to a lot of self-doubt and questions like, 👇

• “Is my resume not good enough?”
• “What skills am I lacking?”
• “Was I not presentable enough?”
• “What are the areas to improve?”
• “Is this role even right for me?”

These are the times when you realise what would have been the outcome if you had someone to guide you.

With the right guidance, instead of rejection, your inbox will be adorned with,

‍"Congratulations! you have been selected for this position at our company." 🎉

This is where mentorship comes into the picture. 

In this article, I will explain how you can spell interview and career success with the right mentorship program and the guidance of a professional mentor.

Why go for a mentorship program for interview preparation?

A mentor is someone who doesn’t stop guiding you until you’ve achieved your goals. 

As stated by Steven Spielberg,

‍“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.”

Keep reading this article if you are looking to grow and invest in yourself. ✔️

Let's take a look at the common problems you might face while preparing for interviews and how having a mentor by your side can help you. 👇

🟠 Not sure how to start the interview preparation

How to start? Where to begin?

This is the first problem that needs to be tackled. 

With your qualifications, you may have selected a few job roles that you would like to apply to.

Should you optimise your resume first?

Or practise the common interview questions asked or look for profile-based questions. 

This confusion is due to a lack of clarity and structure.

Taking the first step is usually more difficult than the journey itself.

With the help of a mentor, you can get help creating an interview plan and structure. 🌟

People who have been in your place and have done things that you wish to do, naturally possess the wisdom that you seek.

Therefore, they can give you clarity on what you should begin with. 

With any sort of preparation, a plan is needed. It makes tracking the whole process much easier. 

A professional mentor would assess your current situation and will help devise a plan based on that. 

🟠 Not able to clear interviews

You may have your preparation strategy at hand but what if you are not able to clear the interview rounds?

Most of the time, candidates are not even aware of their weaknesses. 

It is hard to pinpoint a single thing from rejection emails or messages. 

A lot of candidates find it difficult to clear the technical rounds despite having the required technical skill sets. 

Aside from the technical know-how, being good at communication and clear thought process remain the biggest hurdles. 

A lack of confidence also leads to candidates making blunders in the interview. 

But if you're connected with a mentor you can practise interview skills or ask your mentor to conduct mock interviews. 

Getting feedback based on your performance in mock interviews with real-life interviewers will help you to enhance your skill sets and improve. ✔️

This increases your chances of clearing the interview rounds.

An added bonus is that many mentors are real-life interviewers as well.

🟠 Not motivated enough to complete the preparation

What do you think holds you back from going beyond your limits? 

Is it procrastination? Distractions? Poor time management? Or just simply the lack of motivation to keep pushing? 👀

Waking up every day with the same enthusiasm is not easy.

Especially when all you hear are success stories around you.

Sometimes they can bog you down. 😔

One of the best ways to deal with a lack of motivation is by sharing this with someone who will acknowledge your efforts.

🌱 Mentors motivate you. 

🌱 They help become your most confident self. 

🌱 They make your small wins count.

Rome was not built in a day. You cannot achieve success in one day.

You need perseverance and dedication to reach the end.

And with mentors acting as your biggest supporting pillars, they won't let the light of motivation be put out by the upcoming challenges.

🟠 Confused about choosing the right study resources

Thanks to the internet, all the study and prep resources are just a few clicks away.

There are tons of free and paid resources to help you learn a new skill and prepare for interviews.

But how will you know which resources to learn from? 

For example, if you want to apply for a fresher software engineering role and want to practise coding, you will search it on Google.

You cannot just practice on the thousands of platforms that will show up on the result pages.

Because they’re generic.

Google is neither aware of your current preparation level, nor your upskill needs.

• Which platforms will be the best for coding practice for your preparation level?
• How can you optimise your resume to get shortlisted at your dream company?
• What are the tips to remember while preparing for a certain role?
• What exact technical knowledge do you need to fit the criteria?

The answers to all these and more such questions won’t be there on the Google search engine. 

Your mentor can answer such questions in a breeze for you once they evaluate your preparation level and skill sets.

They can enlighten you with the exact resources that YOU need to study from.

They can narrow down the list by keeping in mind the subject area and interview process.

So, instead of wasting your time, money and energy on purchasing courses that are not even valuable in your case, you can focus on what is in front of you - second-hand experience of someone who’s an expert in your domain. 🌟

Not to mention credible study resources that even they have been relying on for years. 

This way, interview success at your dream company doesn’t seem so far-fetched.

🟠 Not sure about your progress

You might solve a lot of questions, get your fundamentals strong and also be prepared for the interview questions. 

But still do not feel confident enough to sit for live interviews. It all boils down to your progress. 

Getting yourself enrolled in a good mentorship program such as long-term mentorship at Preplaced  would be more feasible than you tracking yourself. 

Most of the time, a fresh perspective can help you consider different angles - the ones that you haven't touched upon yet.

Mentors not only help you with the preparation, but they also track your progress and give valuable feedback.

Until and unless you work on the feedback, it is hard to get ahead of the competition.

With constant evaluation, you can assess where you stand and be realistic about your goals.

🟠 Unclear about the interview process at your target company

Be it across MAANG or any other top-tier tech companies, the interview process varies from one to another. 

Some companies focus rigorously on the technical rounds.

Some base their judgement upon the overall attitude and behavioural skills reflected in your performance.

Before applying at your target company, it is highly recommended to understand the interview processes. 

Usually, the processes are mentioned on the company's website.

But even after that, you may not be clear about what goes inside.

An overview is fine but a detailed explanation will help you visualise it better.

For example, for a similar role, after clearing all the technical interview rounds at Google, you would have a Googleyness round.

But what goes on in that specific interview?

Similarly, Amazon evaluates a candidate on the 16 leadership principles.

But how many ways are there to understand what questions are asked in that leadership principles round? 

Hence, if your target company is Amazon then connecting with a mentor from Amazon will make the process much clearer for you.

Moreover, you will learn what happens along the way in each round, each step. 

We all learn from experiences. Be it ours or someone else's. 🌱

Mentors share their experiences and what it was like for them. 

🟠 Not sure about the level of preparation

Preparing without knowing your level of preparation is like shooting in the dark.

The level of preparation not only depends on the position but also companies. 

For example, what other skills do you require for a software engineering role apart from coding if you’re applying at Apple?

Imagine, you have practised high-level system codes and are sitting in the interview.

You’re sure that you’re going to crack this interview because you know you’re great at DSA.

But the questions are related to fundamentals that you probably studied at the beginning of your bachelor's degree like C++ or Arrays. 

You remember these topics but aren’t confident enough to discuss them in detail in front of the interviewer. 

What are the chances of you succeeding?

The mentors who are interviewers at these companies already know what a specific company is looking for in their ideal employee and what kind of questions you might be asked in an interview. 

They can save you a lot of time by pointing out your preparation level accurately and guiding you step-by-step to meet your preparation goals.

When you’re preparing with a mentor, there is no room for delusions. ✨

🟠 Looking to change roles but not sure about the roadmap

Apart from all these problems, mentorship programs are ideal also for those of you looking to add a little plot twist to your careers!

To tackle the challenges while switching between service-based and product-based companies or simply switching domains, even more methodical preparation is required.

Mentors can guide you to assess your current career goals and tell you how ready you are to make the change.

🟠 Fear of communicating or a lack of soft skills

A common thing we notice among the candidates in our community is how they fail to express themselves effectively in front of the interviewers. 

99% of the time, they know the answers and possess the required skill sets. But struggle to put forward their views in front of the recruiter. 

In any job, effective communication is one of the key deciding factors. 

Poor communication or a lack of soft skills can label you as someone who’s unsure of yourself. It can result in a great loss of opportunities. 

Both verbal and non-verbal communication are evaluated during the interview.

Even if you clear your technical rounds, improper and ineffective communication can hold you back from getting your dream job.

With the help of professional HR and behavioural mentors, you can practise your communication skills.

They can give amazing actionable advice on your overall abilities as a communicator and help you improve your spoken skills and body language. 

Now you know why you need a mentor to prepare better and gear up for interview success. 

But it’s an uphill battle to search for a mentor who would be the perfect match for you, isn’t it?

Not at all. It doesn’t have to be.

We’ve got just what you need - a mentorship platform that is truly customisable and prioritises YOUR learning needs according to your career goals. 👇

Long Term Mentorship at Preplaced: One-stop solution for your Interview Preparation / Career needs

Some of the benefits of preparing with Preplaced mentors: 👇

✅ Personalised and curated depending upon your skill sets

✅ Self-paced with flexible schedules

✅ Industry experts and real-life interviewers as mentors

✅ Live 1:1 mentoring sessions where you get all that you need to success - mock interviews, resume and portfolio review sessions, targeted upskilling, career guidance, unlimited mentor support and more

✅ Real-time skill evaluation with actionable insights 

✅ 100% dedication and commitment from both Preplaced and the mentors to help you reach your goals.

With the right mentorship program, you can leave your planning woes to the experts.

Instead, you can focus on practising, developing your skills and continuously working on the feedback till you are absolutely, a 101% interview-ready. 🌟

Start with a FREE 1:1 Trial Call with your selected mentor!

Checkout these mentee success stories: 👇

How Sai Went from Being Rejected 1300 Times to Landing His Dream Job in the US

Balancing Motherhood and Career: How Shriza Cracked her Dream Role at BCG

From Jobless to Data Scientist: How Ann Mary Made a Successful Career Switch