Reps/SOPs/Mentoring/Orientation/Call

Warning: With effect from 1st September 2023, the Mozilla Reps program was closed and activities ended.

Mozilla Reps Orientation Calls are scheduled by the mentor approx 2 weeks (no later than 1 month) after a Rep has been officially accepted to the program.

An orientation call is an opportunity to help your mentee set goals, clarify communication preferences and to ask questions.

The following topics should be covered in the orientation call:

Rep Responsibilities

As your mentee takes the first steps to becoming a Rep, chances are they have skimmed over some of the finer details of Rep Responsibilities. This is an opportunity to bring some of the more important criteria to their attention, but also an opportunity for them to ask questions.

• Tools Not all Reps know there's a Discourse for instance, a Reps Matrix room, or the information the Community portal provides. Share these and any other tools you use to be successful as a Rep.
• Reporting Cover the importance of reporting, 'how' to report on the Community Portal and using the reporting form. Ensure they understand the program benefits from their diligence as metrics help raise the profile of the good work we do within all of Mozilla. See if they have questions.
• Budgets & Swag Starting 2017, the new rep wouldn't have access to budget and swag form unless they take the Rep Resources training. They need to reach out the the nearest [1] to ask for help with their budget/swag request. Explain to them some of the basics about budgets, based on your experiences that make budgets successful. What you as a mentor find easiest when reviewing bugs so they are armed with advice in the beginning. Also, it is important to encourage them to find donations and partnerships wherever possible to lower the cost of budgets. See if they have questions.

Communication

Communication is one of the most important components of the mentoring relationship, and so discussion about what will work best for BOTH Of you is very important. Here are some topic suggestions:

• Discuss the preferred regularity of communication. Generally, it should be no less than once a month but can be as frequent as needed. In discussions we've found that some Reps like to hear from their mentor regularly, while others are happy with less frequent, but predictable check-ins.

• Discuss your preferred methods of communication. For example, one mentor has created a Telegram group for her mentees which works for their communication, another uses FaceBook messenger - while many stick to email. The point being that connecting on preferred platforms will improve the likelihood of your success communicating.

• Present yourself as a trusted ally for your new mentee; You are here to ensure they have the support needed to succeed. Encourage them to reach out at any time.

Set Goals

The Reps program is as much about the goals of individual Reps, as it is about the goals of the program. Understanding your mentee's goals, will lend to their success as a Rep, your success as a mentor, and to the overall success of the program (no pressure :))

• Ask your mentee about their Mozilla Rep goals for the next 6 months. These could be running an event, hosting a booth, or presenting at a conference.
• Ask your mentee if they have any personal goals. These could be getting better at speaking in public, contributing code to FFOS, or obtaining recognition in some way (badge, certificate).
• Ask your mentee if there is any specific training or support they feel they need to be successful.

Set yourself a goals in helping your mentee reach their potential. This could be by flagging opportunities to attend events specific to their goals, introducing them to people who may be working in sponsorship or just publicly celebrating their success as they reach milestones. Remember, you also have a mentor and can reach out for help if you need ideas.

Finally, a suggestion is that you document these decisions together, so you can revisit and update them again in 6 months or a year.