3 yrs ago

Mentoring is more important than ever. For mentees, gleaning insights and information from the experiences of others is proven to help in jumpstarting and advancing their own careers. For mentors, being able to share one’s wisdom and lived experiences is vital to gaining leadership skills, growing professional connections, and expanding horizons. For companies, mentoring leads to retaining top talents, fostering inclusive work environments, and a higher chance at winning the loyalty of those employed there. Given the numerous benefits that can be derived from mentoring, more and more people and companies are investing considerably in this activity.

One of the most rewarding aspects of mentoring is the genuine personal connection that it helps form and support. Through it, two or more people can engage in in-depth meaningful conversations, promoting communication, collaboration, and growth. Yet, even if mentors and mentees would prefer to meet in person for their mentoring, there are situations where that is not possible or advisable. Currently, for instance, the pandemic has necessitated social distancing, changing the way how things are done, including mentoring. With physical interactions restricted, mentors and mentees cannot do face-to-face engagements, disrupting scheduled discussions and work. 

Fortunately, just as technology has permitted greater flexibility in classrooms and workplaces, it has also made it possible for mentors and mentees to stay connected. From messaging systems to video conferencing platforms, there are plenty of tools that can be used to facilitate mentoring. And if you aspire to be a mentor, the availability of different online mentoring platforms makes it easier to realise your goal and even earn from it. 

Being a mentor online

Mentoring platforms are a technology platform that allows for the facilitation of effective mentoring in an online environment. Majority of these platforms follow a marketplace model where mentees can browse from a roster of seasoned experts of diverse backgrounds and areas of specialisation (e.g. web development and design, cybersecurity, business, finance, marketing, business analysis, etc.) and book the person they want to become their mentor.  

Some mentoring platforms offer free mentoring, while others let mentors decide the rate they want to charge for their service. In exchange, the mentors offer their time and expertise to mentees by providing advice and feedback, assigning challenging projects for skills and experience building, making networking introductions, and consistently supporting mentees in achieving their career aspirations. 

Depending on the needs of a mentee, the mentoring relationship in these platforms can either be short or long-term. For instance, if the mentee needs immediate assistance in a particular area of concern, they may engage in a short-term mentoring that may run from 30-minutes to a day or a week. For a more serious agenda--skills and experience development, career guidance, etc.--that will demand comprehensive discussions and more investment of time, a mentee may opt for long-term mentoring that can last for a couple of weeks to a few months. 

If you are an aspiring or new mentor, joining an online mentoring platform should be easy. The application process is also done online, so your physical presence will not be needed to get started. You may have to complete an application form, which usually asks for information regarding your academic and professional background. Depending on the platform you are joining, you may also be asked to submit certain requirements to validate your qualifications. In some cases, an interview is part of the hiring process for the mentoring platforms to assess your fit for the role and your capability to provide mentoring. 

Once you get accepted into the platform, you will have your own dedicated profile where you can provide information about yourself, including the services you can provide to mentees and the expectations you have in a mentoring relationship. You may also provide details about your skills and availability, which can help mentees decide if you are the right mentor for them.

Why mentor online?

If you have a sincere desire to be professionally involved with another person to help them grow and reach their goals, becoming a mentor is the way to go. If an in-person meetup is not doable for you for whatever reason, taking your mentoring service online is the best route you can take, and there are good reasons for that.

• Grow your income stream. As mentioned earlier, some mentoring platforms offer paid mentoring and allow mentors to decide on their service rate. If you are able to join a mentoring platform like that, you will be able to have an extra source of income that you can do without leaving your full-time job.

• Flexible interactions. Since you do not have to travel to a meeting location, you can easily squeeze in your mentoring at any time your schedule would permit. With online mentoring, you can simply connect with your mentee via email, messaging system, phone call or video call. This flexibility will also let you connect and interact with more mentees without being restricted by geographic location.

• Access to more mentees. Unlike the traditional approach to mentoring where you would have to wait for the relationship to form more organically, online mentoring gives you access to a wide variety of participants from different backgrounds and locations. This gives you more opportunities to work with a diverse range of people, exposing you to new ideas, insights, and culture. 

• Be part of a community. A number of mentoring platforms run mentor introductions and activities that mentors can participate in. These opportunities will help you build rapport with other professionals within and outside your field, helping expand your network and allowing you to be part of a community of experts.

Making online mentoring work

As with traditional mentoring, mentoring online comes with its own share of challenges. That includes issues with communication as a result of constraints from understanding body language and facial expressions, leading to difficulty in building connection and trust. Another challenge would be differences in time zones, which can result in unproductive conversations and wasted time and effort for both participants. Other notable challenges of online mentoring include technology disruption, unrealistic expectations, and the occasional lack of focus and dedication.

There are various ways to overcome the above mentioned challenges to create and sustain a successful online mentoring relationship. You can adopt some of the simple best practices below.

• Provide clear expectations. You should be clear about your roles as a mentor and the responsibilities they entail. By the same token, your mentee should know what they should and should not do throughout the mentoring so both of you can enjoy a healthy and purposeful relationship. You should also make it a point to be clear about the purpose of the mentoring to know how things should move along during the process.

• Have a structure in place. Before any work gets underway, sit down with your mentee and discuss how the mentoring would be structured. Both of you should have a shared understanding of the process so you know how the relationship should work. That means touching on matters like schedule of meetings and response times, level of confidentiality, goals and accountability, and activities that will be carried out. 

• Take the time to know each other. The most successful online mentoring relationships are those where the mentor and mentee understand and trust each other.  To do that, it is a must that both parties make the effort to know one another as a person. Spend the first meetings building rapport by asking questions about their interests, background, and experiences instead of diving head first into solving problems, assigning tasks, and advising.

• Work on one area at a time. You cannot possibly dump everything you know to your mentee and expect them to accept and absorb it.  That is why you have put a structure in the first place to work on an area of improvement at a time and offer small, actionable advice, feedback, and recommendations. The last thing you want is to overwhelm your mentee, which may make them decide to put off continuing their mentoring relationship with you.

• Reflect and assess. It is important to look back into every few meetings that you had to understand if they were helpful and if there are areas that both of you need to focus on. Doing so will do wonders in keeping the relationship moving in the right direction.

• Have a good closure. The process of transitioning or concluding a relationship is a natural part of the mentoring process. Just like how you have started the mentoring relationship on the right foot, you should also put as much care in the process of closure to affirm your mentee. Both of you should take the time to reflect which areas of the mentoring you find rewarding, valuable, and are most grateful for. It is also a good idea that you ask your mentee what they have learned and gained from the experience and which area they think could be improved upon.