Coaching or Mentoring? Understand the Key Difference

Coaching and mentoring are often confused, so it’s important to clarify the difference to make the right decision for your career growth. More importantly, as professional coaches, it's our ethical responsibility to understand this distinction and clearly communicate it to those seeking support.

Simply put, a mentor gives advice, but a professional coach does not. As the coaching relationship is a partnership between equals, a coach is not an expert or an authority figure who gives guidance — instead, they see the client as the expert of their own life and help them uncover the answers within. In contrast, a mentor is someone with expertise in a specific field who shares their knowledge and experience to guide the mentee.

Let’s clarify this distinction with an example. Imagine you graduated in engineering but feel uncertain about which career path suits you best. In this case, working with a professional coach can help you gain self-awareness, explore your strengths, skills, and values, reflect on your options, and make an informed decision. Let’s say that, through high-quality coaching, you realize that your skills, experiences, and values align well with becoming a Production Engineer, and you decide to pursue this path. You might also realize, again through coaching, that it would be helpful to have a mentor in this area. After making your decision, you can then turn to a mentor to ask practical questions like: “What skills should I develop to become a Production Engineer?”, “Which courses or training programs should I take?”, “How should I approach the job search in this field?”

Coaching and mentoring can also be used together, depending on your needs. What matters is knowing what to expect from each service.

I hope this explanation brings clarity! If you have any questions, feel free to share them in the comments. 🌻