A good mentor can be an invaluable tool in the workplace, helping to explain the unwritten rules of a culture, explaining how to set and meet goals, and helping the protégé to navigate office politics. In the best mentoring relationships, learning takes place on both sides of the table. To make sure that their employees have the best shot at these relationships, many companies are turning to technology. Innovations include web sites that link mentors and protégés with profiling software and "virtual" mentoring that takes place entirely online.

Intel launched its automated mentoring web site for all 100,000 of their employees in 2003. An employee who would like a mentor enters three skills they are looking to develop and they are given a list of potential mentors who meet their requirements. Pairs are then given the option to discuss the match over e-mail. The program's basic guidelines are that mentors should be one to three grades above their protégés and in another department. The mentor should also be more experienced. Protégés need only to express the desire to be in the program. Pairs decide how much time they will spend together, the average is about one hour a month. The suggested length of time for the relationship is six months. The program has been very successful, with all levels of employees participating, up through senior management.

KPMG LLP, a New York-based tax and audit firm also uses an online mentoring database. Similar to the Intel program, their program uses keywords like "negotiation" or "boardroom skills" to link participants with suitable mentors. So far, about 6,000 mentoring relationships have been formed. A participant in the program credits it with higher employee satisfaction, lower turnover, and helping people feel like they are part of the team.

Some employers are even using online mentoring to share experience with those who have not entered the workforce yet. The MentorNet program pairs people in industry with students in mentoring relationships. The students gain real-world application for the material that they are studying and mentors claim to get as much satisfaction out of the program as the protégés. Mentors report getting a different perspective on the organization, feeling good about giving back and enjoying helping someone manage his or her career. The true benefit of mentoring comes when both people end up learning and growing from the experience.