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I mentored with a life coach who was just helping me out after graduating with her sessions. (I paid for this coach’s sessions)
Anyways it ended 2 months ago. I now found a job as a marketing assistant for a wellness coach who’s pretty well known in their industry. I told my mentor I finally found a job through email and after she congratulated. Then she emailed again and she (nicely) asked me where this coach is advertising her events so that she could also do it. I felt REALLY uncomfortable reading that, it seems like this personal work information and she’s trying to get that information out of me. Has this happened to anyone, or is this just a normal question?
Also both coaches are in the exact same niche. So I just felt like really weird that my mentor even asked me that question, it felt like she was trying to get an "in" into what the person im working for is doing, since my employer is extremely successful.
Just say you signed an NDA 😁
I would just tell her that it’s a conflict of interest and you can’t disclose per the terms of your employment.
Be careful here, depending on the company this could potentially get you fired if you are found out disclosing intellectual property to external parties.
I say it's crossing a line for her to ask that. She needs to do her own market research and NOT treat you like you "work for her" in a sense.
That mindset of "no harm in asking, they can always say 'no,'' doesn't factor in that she is trying to use her connection with you to learn more about a competitor. Not cool.
She knows you may have a sense of loyalty or gratitude to her and so she asks.
Would she just come out and ask someone in your new role she didn't know the same question? Probably not. This is not networking, it's what gives networking a bad name
An easy way to give an answer is to do a quick Google and see what websites pop up for your current company, then tell the mentor those sites. Like "where do you advertise?" ...."Instagram" It answers the question with nothing she couldn't have found herself
hmmmm.. on the one hand its a bit icky. You could respond with something like you are bound by confidentiality agreement by your employer and you can't divulge work info (if that is true). If it's harmless to share, and you want to, then share. Or you could just say you don't feel comfortable.