This week, IIRSM was delighted to launch a brilliant digital platform for mentoring as a brand new member benefit.

We couldn’t be more excited because when we talk to those of you on our mentoring scheme, it’s clear just how positive an impact mentoring can have on your career and opportunities to network.

In such a fast-changing world or work, mentoring relationships are a really effective way to meet new people in your profession and share experiences, knowledge and advice. And now, from this week, we have a portal that’s going to make building these relationships so much easier.

It’s easy to focus on the benefits to the mentee, who gets to engage and learn from a fellow member of the safety and risk profession. One of our mentees, for example, told us, ‘Discussing career challenges with an experienced, impartial person outside of your organisation broadens your horizons and offers you a different perspective to any challenges faced.’

There are so many benefits, including

• Develop communication and listening skills
• Boost your confidence
• Enhance your technical and business skills and competencies
• Support and maintain your CPD
• Build relationships and network with like-minded professionals

But our mentors get so much from it too. One of our mentors said, ‘I want to help people realise their potential and to be the best version of themselves.’ It’s a wonderful sentiment and we know it’s one shared by so many of our mentors.

Benefits of mentoring to the mentor include

• Positively impact the performance and career development of someone else 
• Build and improve your skills in developing others 
• Gain new insights from mentees 
• Grow your network 

So yes, there’s so much to gain from mentoring. And your new platform has a host of tools to help you find a suitable mentoring match, manage your mentoring relationships and schedule goals and track progress, whether you’re a mentor or mentee.

It makes mentoring easy, efficient and enjoyable, so my advice is to check it out and consider a mentoring relationship as part of your career development and networking.

Visit this page to find out more.  

Sophie Williams

Director of Professional Development, IIRSM