Become a Volunteer Career Coach and/or Mentor
Welcome to the Young Professionals Career Engagement Program!
We’re absolutely thrilled to have you on board for this exciting journey. Thank you for stepping up to guide and inspire young adults as they work toward building successful, fulfilling careers. Your willingness to volunteer your time and expertise means the world to us—and to the young adults you’ll be mentoring.
Our program is a free initiative, open to all, with no connection to BYU required for participation. It’s designed to empower young adults aged 16–35 to explore career opportunities, sharpen essential skills, and enter the workforce with confidence, commitment, and integrity.
Through one-on-one mentorship, participants gain invaluable insights directly from seasoned professionals like you—learning from your expertise and experiences as they transition from their academic years into the professional world.
For many young adults, the leap from school to career can be daunting. Even those who excel academically often find it challenging to take those first steps toward building a career. This gap can keep them from reaching their full earning potential and may delay critical life decisions like serious dating or starting a family. Your role as a mentor or coach can help bridge that gap.
How the Program Works
The Young Professionals Career Engagement Program is tailored to each participant’s specific career goals and offers two flexible options to suit their needs. You can find more details about these options and the graduation criteria on our Program Outline and Graduation Criteria page .
As a mentor or coach, your most important contributions are:
- Being a supportive and attentive listener.
- Helping young adults develop actionable plans to achieve their career goals.
- Sharing your professional experiences.
- Introducing them to your network to open doors they might not access otherwise.
Best Practices Videos:
To learn about how to be a mentor or coach, we encourage you to watch the videos below. These videos provide helpful hints for maximizing the positive mentorship impact you will have on young adults. Please note that for your reference, the script to the video is included under it.
Registration
Welcome Career Coaches
Script
Thank you for your interest in serving as a volunteer Career Coach for the Young Professionals Career Engagement Program. We are very pleased that you are willing to offer your time and efforts to assist young adults successfully transition from their academic years into their professional careers.
We are grateful for your willingness to help these young adults explore career options, improve their job searching skills, build confidence, and connect with other professionals.
Coaching Tips
Script
Eleven Tips to Help You Develop a Successful Coaching Relationship with Young Adults:
- Be a good listener. Let the young adult guide the conversation.
- Establish trust early. Keep matters confidential.
- Encourage open communication. Make sure they know they can reach out to you with questions.
- Set clear expectations.
- Provide constructive feedback that focuses on growth.
- Share your own career experiences, including both successes and failures.
- Introduce them to your professional network when appropriate.
- Help them develop actionable plans and goals.
- Be patient. Career transitions take time.
- Celebrate their successes, big or small.
- Maintain a positive, encouraging attitude.
Conducting an Informational Interview
Script
What is the purpose of an informational interview? The informational interview is truly the secret weapon for helping you explore your career interests, learn about what it takes to be successful in a career, and create a network of professionals that can help you to jumpstart a career.
An informational interview helps you to gain a better understanding of a career field, company or industry to determine if it is a good fit for you. For instance, a business student can use his or her education to pursue a career in a variety of industries. How is a student supposed to know if he or she would do well within an industry without being exposed to its virtues and challenges? The informational interview provides you with valuable information concerning the rewards and challenges of a profession, what education is needed to enter that field and best practices for succeeding in that field.
The Art of Mentoring
Script
The Art of Effective Mentorship: Empowering Growth and Success
Mentorship is more than just giving advice; it is about empowering someone to discover their own potential. A great mentor asks the right questions rather than just providing the answers. They help their mentees navigate challenges, build resilience, and develop the confidence to make their own decisions.