Hi all,
I am looking for a mentor on a very informal basis. Not to help with anything specific but just act as a sounding board and someone to connect with in the profession outside of the organisation I work for.
I tried to sign up via the mentoring programme a few years ago and didn’t have much luck and really just want this on a very informal basis and just a friendly face to provide some guidance every now and then :)
For context I have worked in hr for around 5 years in a few different organisations.
thanks so much in advance
Why would you not use this forum as your sounding board? Always lots of good advice with experienced people on here to help. Even if it's just confirming what you think you already know ask away and if anyone can help they will.
U201712091250372D06D [ ;) ] makes a good point. Although I would say that although this community has done an excellent job of being my hivemind mentor for the last decade, there is still something to be said for having a person-to-person, long term mentoring relationship, as a good mentorship is a two-way street, with the mentor benefiting from the perspective of the mentoree* as much as vice versa. It's a symbiotic relationship, whereas I feel like my relationship with this forum is more parasitic.
*I refuse to call it a mentee. I don't care that it's become common parlance. I will die on this hill. "Mentor" has a completely different linguistic root to "tutor".
Thanks both for your insights, agree with you Robey. I could definitely make more use of the forum but I feel I’d really benefit from having someone to chat to every now and then and on a bit more of a longer term basis. I haven’t got specific things I want advice on either it’s just the opportunity to have a chat to someone who understands the profession and some story sharing :)
Have you explored finding a mentor through your local CIPD branch Rebecca? That might also be an option. Contact the branch chair and explain what you are trying to set up. That also has the advantage of being able to meet up locally if you need to.
It might help to identify the part of the country you're in, and perhaps the sector if it's relevant - I agree that as a standalone professional, having someone to talk things through with can be really helpful. And while we're all a lot better at Teams these days, I'd still generally prefer that to be face to face, so location may be a factor.
