How to Mentor Someone Who Doesn’t Know What Their Career Goals Should Be

“Tell me about your career goals.” How often have you said this to a person you’re managing or mentoring, only to get a blank stare in return? In this situation, it’s tough to know how to help them. Usually, the problem lives not in a lack of career opportunities but rather in the very concept of a career. We are all suffering from the career myth — a delusional belief in the outdated idea of linear career progression. So first, tell the person that it is fine and even preferable not to have a concrete career path in mind. Focus instead on developing transferrable skills. Ask them what they’d like to learn. Then create milestones so that they can see that they’re making progress (or not). And encourage them to try small experiments to learn more about what they like to do and where they need to develop.