The Parallels Between Mentoring and Learning Design
I’ve had a few great mentors in my life and when I think of what they all had in common it was that they were able to give me honest feedback while simultaneously giving me a boost of confidence to take the next step. While I consider myself to have many great qualities and lots of career experience, I hadn’t considered myself as someone who could step into the shoes of a mentor – especially at the moment an opportunity from The City Tutors came across my desk.
I had been laid off a few weeks earlier and though I had many resumes floating in the ATS ether, it would be another month before my first contract came in. Despite my track record of impactful volunteer experience and a nearly 15-year career, I wondered what I could bring to the table for a prospective mentee. My natural inclination is to take on new challenges, especially those that involve a human connection, so trepidations be damned, I applied to the mentor program. I was quickly paired with a recent graduate, Ryan, and we started by identifying some goals for our work together, polishing his resume, and preparing for interviews.
Much to my surprise mentoring isn’t all that different from my role as a learning designer. When I thought about bridging these two worlds, the daunting responsibility of mentoring became yet another collaborative effort in my career journey. Here are just a few ways my two worlds crossed over:
Questions over answers: I had to remember that I was here to guide, not be some omniscient god. For example, when Ryan brought his website to me for review, my first inclination was to act as a heavy-handed content editor. But my real role was to step back and ask the right questions, “What are you trying to convey here?” “What do you want people to know about you?” “What about this project represents your skills?” Armed with the answers, he could go back and revise on his own, which led to a more authentic voice and representation of himself. Just like when I work with stakeholders who’ve come to me with a training idea, I don’t just set off to start designing, I take time to ask a lot of questions to ensure we’re on the same page about what problem we’re solving and aligned on the intended outcomes.
Empathy is key: As many of us know, the process of looking for a job can be brutal. It’s exhausting, can make one question their self-worth, and often feels isolating. Assuring him that his job search experience was not unique helped him feel less alone and take some of the rejection less personally. We discussed the current job market, my experience, and the experiences of those in my close circle. In the end, Ryan wasn’t asking for me to wave a magic wand, he was asking for empathy and guidance. Empathy has served me throughout my career as a learning designer because I’ve been able to deeply understand problems without judgment and offer a safe space to share ideas.
Become the SME: One of my favorite parts of being a learning designer is the deep research I get to do to write about a topic I previously knew little about. I did the same when helping Ryan prep for interviews in a field in which I wasn’t versed. I used my research skills and network—as well as a little generative AI—to help me craft quality interview questions and know what to listen for in his responses. He said my questions were tough, but he was better prepared and more confident as a result.
This experience as a mentor has been more than just an opportunity to give back—it’s been a reminder of the value of lifelong learning and adaptability, continuously placing me in the seat of the student.
Curious to learn more about my track record of embracing new challenges and how my collaborative approach can benefit your learning design needs?
Ryan has been one of my favorite “stakeholders” to work with! He has been a model of resilience, always coming to our meetings with optimism, ideas, and drive. After a year of working together remotely, Ryan and I had the chance to meet in person.
