A fully remote Fellowship offers a great opportunity to gain professional experience and develop new perspectives on global issues while serving directly with an international and diverse team focused on an important mission. However, there may be certain challenges when doing a fully remote fellowship, such as different time zones, lack of in-person interaction with coworkers, and inability to connect with other fellows at offline events. While this may lead to feelings of isolation, it’s important to focus on how you can get the most out of the remote fellowship and look at the many advantages of such an opportunity. Having completed 11 months of my Fellowship experience, here are some tips I’d like to share:
- Schedule feedback sessions with your supervisor
Arrange monthly feedback sessions where you can share challenges you face, assignments that inspire and motivate you, and what you think needs to be improved. Consider your strengths and areas of growth. These meetings have been valuable to me because they develop my leadership skills, help me adjust my professional development strategy, and give me a sense of direction for the projects I work on. They also contribute to better understanding and connection within the team and help you learn how your supervisor and other team members see you as a professional and as a person.
- Use different opportunities to connect with your coworkers
At Generation, it’s encouraged to collaborate and connect with colleagues beyond your team. You can always ask for help from someone from another department when working on a project or learn how to do something by scheduling a Zoom session. If you admire someone’s professional path and specific skills, don’t hesitate to reach out to them and ask them to mentor you if they are available. This way you can not just learn new things but connect with so many people across the organization that can be very beneficial for your professional growth. Don’t forget to connect with your coworkers on LinkedIn and take part in social/fun events.
- Join Atlas Corps community sessions
Join Atlas Corps community sessions to connect with alumni fellows and scholars and find out about new opportunities on how you can get involved in different initiatives and help. Reach out to the community when you have questions yourself or try to find someone with particular expertise. This way, I met so many inspiring social change leaders by joining those meetings!
- Take part in all breakout room sessions during the GLL
The Global Leadership Lab Immersion is another chance to connect with Atlas Corps Fellows, VLI Scholars, Alumni, Staff, and Guest Speakers. Keep your camera on, collaborate, build a relationship through the proposed activities, discuss your leadership journeys, and learn from your peers.
- Attend social and cultural events online
Check out the Atlas Corps Newsletter with social and cultural online events including networking sessions, webinars, and workshops on various social issues. This is a great alternative to offline meetings.
- Volunteer
Atlas Corps shares different initiatives you can always join. It can be an offer to join the selection process or become a peer coach. It is an excellent opportunity to meet social change leaders around the world and contribute your knowledge and skills to a particular activity.
- Connect with the VLI Scholars
During your remote Fellowship, you will be developing your project at the VLI. Attend Launch and Project calls to get inspired by other scholars and take part in group discussions. Think about it as something beyond just networking, because maybe you can give really good advice to others on their project development or get the answers you were looking for.
- Schedule regular coffee chats with other fellows
There is always an opportunity to have a coffee chat with other fellows to get some guidance from more experienced fellows or welcome new ones. I usually connect with someone interested in the same social issues as I do, and it’s always a very insightful conversation I really enjoy.
- Write articles and share on LinkedIn
Your articles are a great way to communicate whatever you find useful for the community or something you are passionate about and want to share with others. It may resonate with someone so they decide to reach out to you for further collaboration.
As you see, there are plenty of opportunities to make your remote fellowship experience full of exciting and meaningful experiences. Remember that a remote Fellowship is not just about acquiring hard skills but also about getting to know different working styles and leadership practices, discovering where your strengths lie, learning about other cultures, developing better self-awareness as a professional and a leader, and doing active networking.
I hope all the points mentioned above will help you get the most out of your remote service and enjoy it to the fullest!
Photo credit: Unsplash
About the author: Anastasia Zelenova is an Atlas Corps Fellow serving at Generation as a Global Employer Engagement Fellow
