How to Use Mentoring For Your Onboarding9 min read

After attending dozens of interviews, selecting the right candidate and hiring them, most managers tend to slow down and relax thinking that the work is finished. Actually, it has just began. From day one, it is up to the manager and HR team to offer leadership and guidance to the new hire during the onboarding phase. One way to do this is through mentoring. Becoming a mentor isn’t as difficult as you might think. That said, the obstacle can be finding the time, in which case the task of mentoring can be assigned to someone else in the office. Mentoring not only improves performance and productivity but also self-esteem, so let’s take a closer look at how you can use it in your workplace.

Mentoring defined

A mentor in the workplace is someone who works closely with a new employee during the first few months of employment for better onboarding. The duration of the mentorship varies but usually consists of a few months. The mentor guides and advices the employee on how to develop their professionalism and how to complete assignments.

When the new employee makes mistakes, the mentor corrects and encourages them to use the right methods. More than just a teacher, a mentor helps the new employee socialize at the office. The goal is to offer guidance to ensure the new hire can feel like part of a team.

According to many companies, like Australian Writings for instance, a good mentoring program benefits both the mentor and the new employee. The mentor feels great sharing wisdom, experience and knowledge. By doing so, both the mentor and the mentee learn more about the company, the projects and the group dynamics.

The new employee benefits by having access to guidance, advice, feedback and encouragement. It’s always easier to learn new things when someone is guiding you as compared to working alone. An employee who is guided will learn faster, in part because there is no shame in asking for help when someone has been assigned to do just that: help you and answer questions.

Mentoring vs coaching

For some, mentoring is a lot like coaching, but there is huge difference between the two. As we said earlier, a mentor is someone who guides a new employee or anyone with less experience in the organization by offering knowledge, experience and advice. A mentor helps the mentee progress in their career and improve their self-esteem and confidence.

On the other hand, a coach is someone who focuses on developing specific skills and achieving goals. They break down the goals into tasks that can be easily completed within a certain period of time.

Similar to the approach to work at Uk BestEssays, coaches help organizations in clarifying their visions because most organizations encounter challenges when identifying and prioritizing their goals. Coaches analyze the strengths and challenges facing an organization and then create a plan with targets to achieve.

Here is a summary of differences between mentoring and coaching:

• Mentoring is a process that can take years so long as the mentor and the mentee are happy working together whereas coaching usually lasts a short period of time to accomplish certain objectives.
• Mentoring can be informal while coaching has to follow a well-structured and formal approach.
• A mentor must have experience to guide and assist the mentee properly. A coach does not necessarily have to be experienced in the work the organization engages in.
• The goal of the mentor is to develop the mentee’s skills. The goal of the coach is to improve the performance of the organization.

Effective mentoring is crucial during the recruitment process to accelerate learning and boost confidence of the new employee. By following the next seven tips, you will learn how to use mentoring effectively during the onboarding phase.

1.      Select a mentor

The mentor you select to guide the new guide can’t be just anyone. First, the mentor should be performing well in their own job before helping anyone else. A mentor can affect the productivity, performance and attitude of the new employee positively or negatively.

It is preferable to find a mentor who actually likes their job. It’s much easier to learn from someone who is passionate than from someone who isn’t. Furthermore, your mentor’s attitude can easily become contagious, so it is best to spread positive outlooks on work rather than negative ones.

There are some soft skills, which will help create a bond between the mentor and the mentee. Among them, we have good communication skills, patience and empathy. Effective communication will be a huge determinant of the success or failure of the mentoring program.

Patience is key because learning new things and doing them the right way takes time. Rushing the mentee will only lead to disaster. Also, having good relations with other employees will affect the new employee positively. People who don’t get along with others should not be mentors. That’s just common sense.

2.      Prepare the mentor

Being chosen to mentor someone can be an exciting experience. However, if you are chosen, you need to understand your responsibilities. You will be required to act as a guide and help the new employee familiarize themselves with a new environment. Ensure you can perform all the responsibilities effectively.

3.      Mentor effectively

According to Assignmentholic, effective mentoring involves ensuring that the new employee handles all the work assigned to them in a structured manner. To be an effective mentor you should:

• Create a connection

You need to create a connection with the mentee to understand each other and bond. You can do this by introducing yourself and sharing your expectations clearly with the mentee. Tell them about your first few weeks in the office to show you relate.

• Introduce the working tools

You should give an overview of the responsibilities. At this stage, you can introduce the tools they will be using to work. For example, if the responsibilities revolve around creating documents, filing and reporting, you can demonstrate how these activities are carried out and their sequence.

• Supervise

Take your time and observe how the employee is performing their responsibilities and if they are following the correct method. Giving an honest feedback is crucial.

• Ensure the employee masters

For any person to learn something new, they need to repeat the activities several times. You should withdraw from time to time to give the new employee space to learn while being available to answer any queries.

4.      Set clear objectives

Working without goals will slow down the mentoring process and make it inefficient. An effective mentor sets clear objectives at each stage to determine the progress of the new employee.

An example of clear objective could be: after the first two weeks, the mentee should file and report the documents easily without any serious issues.

Sharing your objectives with the new employee will help them stay on track.

5.      Let the employee know how they are progressing

After setting clear objectives and discussing them with the new employee, you should track their progress. Are they progressing or falling behind? It’s important to give honest feedback.

If the employee is not performing as expected, offer advice on how they can improve. Remember, positive feedback is just as important as negative feedback. Let your mentee know if they’re doing a good job.

6.      Give your mentee memory-aids

Learning a new activity and becoming good at it takes time. Every person is different. Some learn quickly and others are bit slower. Being patient with the new employee is the key to success. You can be patient and also accelerate the leaning process by giving them memory-aids such as a training plan.

A training plan will help the employee develop the necessary skills needed to perform tasks. Your mentee will also avoid making unnecessary mistakes along the way.

7.      Recognize the success of the employee

As a mentor, the mentee will naturally look up to you. It’s important for you to recognize the accomplishments of the new employee for them to gain confidence and strive to do better. Failure to recognize the struggles and success of the new employee may lead to dissatisfaction and a negative attitude towards work.

Plus, recognizing success will create a stronger bond between the two of you. Everyone needs praise in their lives. As the popular saying goes, children cry for it and men die for it.

Extending Mentorship

On the internet, you can find different associations to find mentors, even before starting a career. You can also become a mentor to students or workers in need of some guidance. By doing so, you can both help others and promote the company brand. Here are some mentoring platforms worth checking out:

• MyJobGlasses. In France, students can contact professionals to ask for advice and information regarding daily tasks in a given job.
• Brainly. Similarly, in Poland, people can ask questions about work on the Brainly platform and make the right choices in their own careers.
• Mavenli. Created by Sacha Nitsetska after she struggled in the male-orientated banking and finance industry, Mavenli is a mentor social network.
• Packback. This one is designed specially for students, much like MyJobGlasses. The aim is to encourage students to ask questions (and then for others to answer them).
• BinYaprak. Partnering up with Yenibris for better exposure, BinYaprak offers guidance in Turkey to those who seek it.
• Mentoring. An easy way to become a mentor is to go through a well-established association like Mentoring.org.

Conclusion

Mentoring is a skill that you develop through practice and persistence. Giving yourself enough time to gain experience and develop the necessary skills to mentor effectively is crucial before onboarding period a new employee.

At the end of the day, we’re all human. It’s important to be enthusiastic, positive and patient throughout the onboarding process. It’s easy to get tired and be judgmental especially when a new employee is not grasping things fast.

Communicate effectively and always do your best to help your mentee develop the necessary skills to become productive. In the end, if the new employee succeeds, you do too. Other employees will look up to you as a role model as well.

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We would like to thank Scott Matthews for this contribution. Scott is a professional freelance writer and editor for Paperwritingpro and Brill Assignment. He regularly contributes his inspiring ideas on business practices for the Daily Newsletter and Essay Writing Land. During his free time, you’ll find him assisting college students on Pro Essay Writing or hiking in the mountains with the love of his life.

We added the mentoring websites.