USO Launches Career Mentorship Offering

The United Service Organizations (USO) is partnering with Veterati, a digital mentorship platform for the military community, to launch the USO Career Mentorship offering. This new resource will connect transitioning service members and military spouses with professionals in their industry of interest and help them navigate meaningful career paths.

Transitioning service members and military spouses face employment challenges constantly. Military families move an average of eight to 12 times in the span of a 20-year military career. This makes it difficult for some military spouses to keep long-term jobs and maintain a steady stream of income.

Additionally, employers and service members are not always aware of how military skills translate to civilian careers. The military lifestyle can make personal connections with civilian employers and professionals difficult to come by. More than 200,000 service members transition from the military to civilian life each year, and currently, more than 650,000 military spouses are in a state of transition.

Given how few jobs are publicly listed, it is no surprise that at least 80 percent of new jobs come from a personal connection. It is crucial to have access to a network of professionals who are already in the workforce and know of jobs that could be unlisted or upcoming.

The power of personal connection is what inspired the USO and Veterati to facilitate meaningful conversations between experienced mentors and those in the military community who are striving to fulfill career goals during various points of service.

“Military life teaches discipline, a strong work ethic, teamwork, communication skills and adaptability—all of which are highly valued by employers,” said Christopher Plamp, Senior Vice President of Operations, Programs, and Entertainment at the USO. “By partnering with Veterati, the USO will continue to stand by our service members and military spouses as they leverage critical skills developed during deployment and foster the relationships critical to career success.”

The Veterati Platform offers participants the opportunity to choose one or several volunteer mentors who can provide advice on career paths, interviewing skills, personal branding, and other job-related topics.

In addition to offering the Veterati Platform, the USO supports professional development within the military community through webinars and live workshops as well as the USO Pathfinder® Transition Program.

The USO Pathfinder® Transition Program extends the USO experience to active-duty, Reserve, National Guard, and their spouses. It offers professional development services throughout the duration of the service member or military spouse’s career, as well as when they transition out of the military and settle into their new communities. USO Transition Specialists can help develop a Personalized Action Plan and help service members and military spouses take full advantage of services and resources that are the best fit for them.

Service members and military spouses attend career-focused workshops where they learn how to improve their LinkedIn pages, build out professional resumes, plan for higher education, develop better financial habits, and more.

The USO Pathfinder Transition Program features Transition Specialists who work with service members, and their spouses, to create an individualized plan focusing on employment, education, financial readiness, mentorship, and increased access to relevant veterans’ benefits in their communities.

The USO invites everyone to give more than thanks to transitioning service members and military spouses by volunteering as a Veterati mentor through LinkedIn. Visit uso.org/mentorship to learn more.

Visit www.USO.org/morethanthanks to learn about additional ways to give back to the military community.