Can You Mentor a Veteran?

A good mentor can do wonders in moving a young person’s career forward.

Now image what successful mentors can do for the thousands of young veterans having a hard time landing jobs or navigating their industries.

January is National Mentoring Month – so this is a good time for our nation’s business, civic and government leaders to get involved in mentoring and help veterans transition into civilian careers and adapt to the job market.

Our veterans need career help from people who care and know their line of work. When veterans have mentors, they are more likely to secure and excel in careers of their choice.

Can you be a mentor to a veteran? You don’t have to be a professional advisor to mentor a veteran. If you are a good listener, motivator and comfortable giving advice, you have the qualities of a mentor.

If you’re a business professional, American Corporate Partners (ACP) has a veteran mentoring program that you can be involved in. ACP’s Veteran Mentoring Program connects veteran protégés with corporate mentors from their participating institutions based on their career objectives and professional experience. You could also volunteer to be an advisor for ACP’s AdvisorNet, a free online business Q&A community for veterans and their immediate family.

Similar organizations that pair veterans one-on-one with business professionals are Veterans Resource Central and Veterans Across America’s Champion Mentoring Program. Generally, these programs expect mentors to provide career guidance, as well as assistance with resume development, possible business ownership and networking.

At Veterans Support Organization, we want to see our veterans succeed in their lives and careers. It’s hard for many veterans to go from a military work environment to the civilian job market. But when a veteran has someone like a mentor to show him or her the ropes, the transition can be a lot smoother.

Help support the work of Veterans Support Organization with a donation. Click here to invest in a better future for our nation’s veterans: http://ht.ly/h1SIC

Richard VanHouten is the founder and CEO of Veterans Support Organization.