Mentoring involves an experienced professional guiding and advising a newcomer in a field, sharing their experience and offering support beyond the initial orientation period. Mentors teach, advise and provide guidance on unusual situations. It requires knowledge, communication skills, and patience, but can be rewarding.
In many professions, it’s not uncommon for a newcomer to the field to be placed under the care of an established and seasoned professional. This professional is often tasked with helping train, advise, and share hands-on experience with the new person in the organization. This process is commonly known as mentoring, and the professional responsible for caring for and caring for the newcomer is referred to as a mentor. Here are some examples of how a mentor provides support.
One of the most important roles of a mentor is to teach beginners. Mentors share their body of experience, relating what they have learned in ways that will connect with the newcomer. The range of experience often includes valuable information such as industry basics, some hard facts about how society works, the applications of the goods and services the company produces, and tips on how to carry out individual job responsibilities. Along with this type of official mentorship, the mentor can also act as an unofficial advisor on issues such as which company employees should be closely watched and who tends to be trustworthy.
Mentors don’t take the new employee through a basic orientation and then leave them on their own. The mentor’s work will continue well after the employee has passed the normal ninety-day probationary period for employment. This is because the mentor also acts as an advisor to the new employee. When there is frustration about a workplace incident, or an issue arises that requires a different approach, the employee may wish to sit down with the mentor and talk about the situation. As advisors to new employees, tutors help beginners draw by not only drawing on past experience for answers, but also help beginners discover a new way to apply older principles.
Finally, tutors function as advisors. While counseling involves helping the novice discover answers, counseling the mentor in the position to provide a course of action that is feasible and relevant to the situation. For example, if the newbie is completely baffled by handling a collections issue with a client who is about to go bankrupt, the mentor can likely give the new employee a step-by-step process of what needs to be done. Offering advice when unusual situations arise is a common part of the mentor’s job.
Being a mentor is not for the faint of heart. The responsibility requires knowledge, solid communication skills and a lot of patience. At the same time, being a mentor can be extremely rewarding, as there is great satisfaction in watching your previous positions grow in prestige and proficiency over the years.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
