Why Corporate Mentoring Programs are Not Enough

Posted on June 21, 2018

Why Corporate Mentoring Programs are Not Enough

Lots of corporations have in-house mentoring programs, and while the idea behind them is honorable, in the long run, they’re more beneficial for the organization than the actual individuals being mentored.

The company gets free training for up-and-coming employees, and they don’t have to look outside their organization for new hires or promotions.

But the mentees? They get shortchanged. They’re fed the same internal information as the next participant, and it’s all designed to benefit the company at large – not the person’s unique, individual career path.

Corporate mentoring programs are also:

Limiting

In a corporate program, you only meet people in your company, only learn things approved by your company and can only go so far in the program. After all, they don’t want to give you all this knowledge and see you head off to a competitor.

They want to keep you around – whether it’s good for your career or not. Conflicts of interest, confidentiality issues and nepotism all come into play.

Forced and Inorganic

Most corporate programs auto-assign mentors with mentees. There’s very little personalization, and rarely are mentors the ideal fit for what a professional is actually looking for or in need of.

In the end, this results in a very uncomfortable and inefficient mentoring relationship. It takes more work, neither party gets what they need and it’s a waste of time for both participants.

Just not Enough

You’ve heard of that saying “it takes a village,” right? Well, the same is true in mentoring. One single mentor in one single department isn’t enough to get you where you need to go – especially if they’re already in the same organization as you.

In the long run, you’re best served by several mentors, spread across different companies, industries and positions. That will give you the most well-rounded training and education to further your career.

The iConnectX platform serves as an alternative to ineffective corporate mentoring programs, offering you more control, more choice and more power as a mentee. Sort through our directory of mentors to find the best fit for your needs and preferences, and then connect with a mentor through our digital bridge – no tedious appointments or lunch meetings, no dealing with HR to schedule your sessions. Just mentoring when and where you need it.

And the best part? Your mentoring fees go straight to the charity of your mentor’s choice. So not only are you helping your career by using iConnectX, you’re also helping the world at large. What corporate mentoring program can say that? Sign up and browse the platform today to see the charities we serve.