Working from home poses many challenges. Technology helps us get things done, but how to reproduce the most human aspects of work, like finding a mentor, in the virtual workplace? These four guidelines will help you do just that.
Review your Personal Contacts
The first thing to do when you are looking for mentorship is to take a look at your personal network of contacts. Maybe your mentor is hiding in plain sight, within just a couple of degrees of separation from you. For example, it may be the friend of a friend or a relative of one of your acquaintances. This is the alternative for you if you have trouble initiating contact, or if you simply would like to get help with an introduction to your potential mentor.
Use Social Media
Social media has substantially expanded the potential to make professional contacts. Getting In touch with leading figures from your industry has never been this easy. Most importantly, as you look for a potential mentor online, don’t forget that social media is more than Facebook. For example, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and even YouTube can be useful places to look for advice.
Take Advantage of Your Local Chamber of Commerce
No doubt, innovative solutions are great to find a mentor. But there are also tried-and-true methods that are just as effective, if not more. Finding high-quality mentorship can be as simple as joining your local chamber of commerce. Networking is one of the basic functions of these institutions, so it makes sense to take advantage of them to make significant professional connections.
Take a Virtual Workshop
The COVID-19 pandemic has favored the rise of virtual workshops and webinars. Since they are more interactive than a webinar, virtual workshops are particularly useful to find a mentor. Above all, this kind of virtual setting gives you the ideal opportunity to get useful ideas, ask questions, make new contacts, and find the mentorship you need to move your business forward.
If you are interested in taking a webinar, look no further than Business Without Boundaries, a series of 10 free virtual workshops organized by the Greater Riverside Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to help you become a better business owner.
Business Without Boundaries is a virtual workshop of Southern California Edison’s EDGE (Entrepreneurial, Development, Growth, and Education) Program, an initiative that aims to provide business education opportunities to businesses of all sizes. The sessions take place every Wednesday. Follow this link to register today!
More Resources to Navigate the Virtual Workplace
These are some previous posts where you will find more tips and ideas you can start applying today.
- 4 Time-saving G-Mail and Google Docs hacks
- How to manage frustration in the virtual workplace
- How to deal with transitions during COVID-19
- Learning to take it easy on yourself at work
At the Greater Riverside Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, our mission is supporting small businesses and economic development with advocacy, business referrals, marketing opportunities, training programs, student internships, and scholarships.
Contact us by email at info@grhcc.com, telephone (951-965-9115), through our social media accounts, or click here to join and start enjoying the benefits of membership today!