FutureMentors Validated · Free · FutureMentors editorial guide · 12 September 2026
Validated here means checked for purpose, clarity and practical boundaries. It does not mean independently proven outcomes or professional accreditation.
Try this
- Write one question you need to answer, such as whether you enjoy explaining technical trade-offs to clients. Read the role intelligence first and separate what you know from what you assume.
- Ask someone with relevant experience for 20 minutes. Explain your question and make it easy to decline. Do not ask for confidential customer or employer information.
- Ask them to describe a recent ordinary week. What took most of their attention? Which decisions needed judgement? What was less enjoyable than outsiders expect?
- Explore entry evidence: what helped them become credible, which skills they actually use, and what they would practise if starting now. Ask how tools, including AI, have changed their work.
- Reflect back what you heard and check that you understood. Ask for one small task you could try independently. Thank them without implying an ongoing mentoring commitment.
Evidence to keep
- Your original assumption and the example that supported or challenged it.
- What may be specific to this person or organisation.
- One small experiment, a review date and the question it will answer.
Keep the boundaries clear
One account is a perspective, not a representative market finding. Obtain permission before recording, quoting or sharing. Keep your private notes anonymous unless identification is genuinely necessary.
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