Below are some common mistakes to avoid when requesting help from a Notary mentor:
1. Don’t take your Notary mentor’s time for granted.
Selecia Young-Jones said it’s important to remember that a volunteer mentor has their own work to do. “You have to realize they may be busy, too, and ask yourself: ‘Do I really need to bother them?’”
2. Don’t expect your Notary mentor to provide you with free business contacts.
A mentor can provide invaluable help in learning proper notarization procedures — but don’t assume they will hand business to you on a silver platter. A mentor is not obligated to share their customer contacts with you or guarantee you paid Notary appointments. Their guidance will help you launch your business, but it’s your responsibility to find your customers and assignments.
3. Do not ask to accompany your Notary mentor on loan-signing assignments.
While this is a common request, it is not an appropriate one because allowing a mentee to see a signer’s loan documents is a potential violation of the signer’s privacy.
“Allowing someone to ride along for a signing is a huge no-no,” said Mark Wills of Loan Signing System. “Signing Agents sometimes forget about issues like a trainee seeing the borrower’s Social Security number or other private data.”
A more appropriate way is to for the mentor and mentee to meet in person and go through mock signings using sample documents that do not include genuine customer information.