5 Reasons Why You Should Be a Mentor
Mentors can impact the trajectory of someone's career. Trailblazer Mentorship matches experienced Trailblazers with mentees looking to skill up and find Salesforce career opportunities in the ecosystem.
- Get ready to change lives!
- 1. Level-up your skills in coaching and management
- 2. Give your communication skills a boost
- 3. Have fun while sharing something you’re passionate about
- 4. Pay it forward and give back
- 5. Use your real-life experiences to help develop new talent in the Salesforce ecosystem
- Get started now!
When Solange Che came to the U.S. in 2015 she was ready for a new beginning. While in Germany studying for her Ph.D. in linguistics, outside circumstances prompted a move to the U.S. Excited to forge a new career path, Solange eagerly began exploring the opportunities available to her with Salesforce.
Solange had excellent self-study skills, was eager to learn on Trailhead – Salesforce’s free gamified learning platform — and was passionate about the new career opportunities she sensed just around the corner, however she didn’t land a new role immediately.
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But all that changed when Solange decided to join Salesforce’s Trailblazer Mentorship.
“I had always struggled with the ‘Tell me about yourself’ question in interviews. I had an ‘aha’ moment when talking to Pat [my mentor]. He helped me realize my inner self and boosted my confidence.”
Four months after joining the program, Solange had not only landed a new job — it was a job she loved. Trailblazer Mentorship was a game-changer because it boosted her confidence while offering the coaching and networking help she needed.
Get ready to change lives!
More than one thousand mentees just like Solange have taken advantage of the benefits of the Trailblazer Mentorship program.
A Trailblazer Mentorship is set up as a 30-day, one-to-one mentor match. It’s perfect for new Trailblazers seeking guidance and coaching, as well as experienced Trailblazers who want to use their advanced skill sets to give back and help others.
Trailblazer Mentorship is a part of Trailblazer Connect, which guides Trailblazers to new opportunities within the Salesforce ecosystem. The program comes with a library of resources to support mentors and aid mentees in developing the skills they need to land their next career opportunity.
If you’ve been looking for ways to give back, or have thought of being a mentor, apply and get set up to work with your mentee virtually. You don’t need to be an expert in all things Salesforce, and you won’t have to commit to a large amount of time. Simply sharing your experience will be valuable to those starting their Salesforce career journey.
What is Trailblazer Mentorship?
Trailblazer Mentorship empowers mentees to connect to opportunities to land their dream job in the Salesforce ecosystem.
If you still need convincing, we’ve collected five great reasons to participate in this career-boosting program. Hear straight from the source — all program participants whose only regret was not starting sooner!
1. Level-up your skills in coaching and management
Trailblazer Mentorship doesn’t only benefit mentees. Working with a variety of personalities will help you develop your coaching and management skills, and help you be a better listener and advisor. Trailblazer mentor David Carnes said the program has helped him diversify his management skills.
“Not barging into the mentee/mentor relationship without some expectations of what their needs are is important.” There are many ways to develop a mentor-mentee relationship. Trailblazer Connect gives you all the resources you need to get started, but how the relationship develops is up to you and your mentee.
Trailhead Module: Coaching and Feedback
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2. Give your communication skills a boost
How long has it been since you’ve refreshed your “Tell me a little about yourself” intro?
Trailblazer Mentorships expose you to a brand new audience and can help you articulate your work history and value. You will have the opportunity to brush up on your personal brand and build confidence in conveying it to a wider range of people.
And whether you routinely interview job applicants or not, mock interviews will help you build and polish your interviewing skills, so they’re ready the next time you need them to assess a potential candidate.
Trailhead Module: Interview Strategies
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3. Have fun while sharing something you’re passionate about
As a mentor, you will support your mentee in finding a job they love, share your Trailblazer Community network, promote the overall Salesforce ecosystem, and have fun while doing it.
David shared, “We have to help mentees figure out what they love and then define and pursue a path toward that.” This program is all about relationship building. Many participants keep in touch long after the official mentorship period concludes.
Trailblazer mentor Amber Boaz said she and her mentee even still “text each other silly memes.”
4. Pay it forward and give back
Trailblazer Mentorship allows you to use your established skills and experience to help new Trailblazers get their footing within the Salesforce ecosystem. Within a rapidly changing employment landscape, support and guidance from established professionals are fantastic resources for those just starting out.
Many of the mentors in this program also had mentors early in their career journeys, and now want to use their skills to make the same kind of impact in a mentee’s life.
David, for example, still keeps in touch with his mentor of 19 years. “I realized he doesn’t ever tell me what to do, but he shares relevant experiences, talks through issues, and asks lots of open-ended questions. Often, he leads me on the path to finding my own answer to something. It’s one of the most important relationships of my life.”
And as Amber put it, “[This program was important to me] just as a human being able to give back to those who could benefit from my experience. It’s up to us who are already in the Salesforce ecosystem to reach out a hand to those who could use it.”
5. Use your real-life experiences to help develop new talent in the Salesforce ecosystem
Our Trailblazer Community is packed with experienced and talented Trailblazers. The things you’ve learned over the course of your Salesforce journey are invaluable to those just starting out.
You’ve gained lots of general business knowledge over the course of your career — many things that probably seem like common sense to you now.
But sharing those hard-earned experiences could be just the boost a mentee needs to find success. Also, having access to your extensive contact network could create a career-defining connection for them.
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“It’s not just about helping mentees find a job,” said Stacey Cogswell Whitaker, Trailblazer mentor, and Salesforce MVP, “It’s about how I can help them to be the best members of the Salesforce Community. And that includes their learning path, certification path, job, and career path — as well as their own giving back path.”
“We need more talent in the marketplace — more folks who can understand, make good decisions, and implement great systems,” said David.
Being a mentor also encourages you to keep your skills fresh, stay current on new product releases, and explore new ideas and perspectives. There’s a lot in it for you, too!
Get Started Now!
There are few things more satisfying than using your life and business experience to help a new Trailblazer find a career they will love.
Head over to Trailhead LIVE and check out the Trailblazer Mentorship-Empower Future Trailblazers Virtually session, where you will hear from mentors themselves about how the program has impacted their lives.
Apply to be a mentor today. We can’t wait to see lives you’ll change once you’ve made your mentor-mentee match.
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