Coaches and mentors both provide valuable services when you want to elevate your career. Coaches typically provide guidance in the moment or teach you how to overcome a specific challenge. They may give you assignments or projects to work on and then discuss with you later. Mentors, on the other hand, often create longer-term relationships with their mentees. These relationships may last years or even decades and tend to involve more informal interactions.

Wondering whether you may benefit more from a coach or a mentor? Writer Tamara Franklin has provided some guidance, which we share in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.

When To Work With A Coach

• If you want to develop a specific skill. Maybe you want to get better at public speaking or working with international clients. A coach could help you grow these skills and work with you over a determined period of time.

• If you don’t know what you don’t know. Knowing that you need help is one thing, Franklin says, but knowing exactly what you lack is another. A coach can help identify areas where you need improvement, set goals and create action plans.

• If you need someone to help you stay accountable. When you work with a coach, you’ll have someone not only guiding you, but also checking in with you to review your progress and obstacles.

When To Work With A Mentor

• If you’re just starting out. A mentor can provide advice and connect you with resources and contacts, Franklin says. This is especially helpful for recent college graduates or professionals starting a new role.

• If you’re trying to scale. Own a business and want to take it to the next level? A mentor can help you get there. Look for someone who has had success in what you want to achieve and let them be your inspiration.

• If you need a sounding board. A mentor can also provide some perspective. Consider, for example, that you and your co-founder disagree on things. A mentor can be a listening ear and share insight on how they navigate difficult business situations, Franklin says.

• If you’re facing a particular challenge. A coach can help you refine your skills with hands-on help, but a mentor can help you with bigger-picture challenges, like whether you need to seek funding.

Sometimes, you can benefit from working with a coach and a mentor simultaneously. For example, you could work with a coach to help you set goals in your current career or teach you how to hone different skills for a new job. You may work with a mentor at the same time to define your brand voice or map out your career path. Working with a mentor can help you think of scenarios you haven’t considered in the past and help you avoid problems before they start, Franklin says.

Whether you decide to go with coaching or mentoring — or take advantage of both — you’ll benefit from having a helpful support system and personalized attention.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Tamara Franklin is a writer who helps tech brands drive organic traffic and increase conversions through customer-driven content marketing.