It was fantastic! I enjoyed talking with [mentor] a lot. He helped me feel more confident about my [job]. Would love to continue to talk in the future.

My connection with [my mentor] was very successful! Through him I got to meet with three program leads at the National Academy of Sciences. Including the head of the new Climate Change program they are trying to set up. They said that I might be able to find a position open over this summer, and if that happens then I have a good chance to land it since I got my foot in the door way ahead of time. Thanks so much for the connection.

I loved having the opportunity to meet with [my seeker].  She was so open, warm, and eager to learn about how I had navigated my career path and about some of the choices I made along the way.  While it became clear fairly early in our discussion that our career paths were not likely to be very similar, I felt that we connected and both benefitted from considering questions we posed to one another, including, for example, what we see as our greatest personal skills and gifts that we would hope to utilize in the workplace.  [The seeker] commented to me that she felt that was a good question that she had never really fully considered in that way.  After [the seeker] thoughtfully responded to this question, I’d like to think that she had a bit more clarify and direction that could prove helpful as she considers various job opportunities and her career path.  In the end, I walked away with much to think about myself and, if the truth be told, I likely benefitted from the meeting as much, if not more, than [the seeker], who is a truly remarkable person.

In tracing back over my career path with my seeker, interesting threads of connection emerged within the different jobs that I've had over the years that I don't think I saw at the time as I transitioned from one job to the next. That clarity cued up some perspective in my seeker that, despite confusion and overwhelm in contemplating career paths, if they allowed inner guidance to prevail in steering them towards first jobs, seeds of growth would be sown that could be cultivated from one job to the next, each position with potential to amplify their innate talents and gifts.   I saw that I had stayed true to my deep interests and passions and that I was able to flourish in positions that at first glance didn't seem to be the perfect fit.

I had such a dynamic exchange with the seeker I met with. Their energy and commitment really inspired me.