Mentoring: Check in with your Mentees

mentoring - networking tips for beginners

If you haven’t already the current pandemic, is a good time to reach out to your mentees (or even your past mentees) to check that everyone is okay, and provide/offer support where you can. Even a friendly hi I’m thinking of you can be a simple way of showing support. Reach out and check in with them and see if they would like to have a catch up via video or phone. Let your mentee decide whether they want to take up the offer.

Whether you typically meet with your mentee in-person on a regular basis or haven’t spoken in a while, the current situation can be an opportunity to reach out to your mentees. Don’t be afraid of picking up those relationships online via video conferencing or email. It still works. Mentoring via real-time videoconferencing yields equivalent outcomes to in-person mentoring. While email, chats, and text messaging allow for an opportunity to simply keep in contact.

While mentoring is often focused on Career Development, it can also provide other forms of support. You can be there to listen and help someone acknowledge the challenges they are facing. It is also an opportunity to share and be authentic. Not everyone is thinking about their career right now and their priorities may have changed but they might still need some additional support.

I’ve also seen a lot more mentoring schemes being launched at the moment, with opportunities for mentoring through a virtual environment which can lead to strong beneficial relationships. So if you are not in a mentoring relationship right now, you might want to consider signing up for one.