Big employers. Closed networks.
Free 30-minute career mentoring across the Golden State, from Los Angeles, the Bay Area, San Diego, Sacramento and the Central Valley to the smallest town on the map. Tell us what you are stuck on, and we match you with a working professional who has already done the job you are aiming at, whether they sit in California or on the other side of the world.
- Session length
- 30 minutes
- Cost to a mentee
- Free
- Times shown in
- PT
The people who arrive stuck.
Students and recent graduates
Applying into technology and software around Los Angeles with nobody at home who can explain how the hiring actually works.
Job seekers
Strong on paper, stalling at interview, and with no one in California who will say plainly what the shortlist turns on.
Career changers
Moving out of life sciences, or across to it, with a resume that still reads like the last job rather than the next one.
The fields California mentees ask about most.
Matching is cross-border. A mentor in another state, or another country, is normal and often the whole point.
technology and software
entertainment and media
life sciences
Public sector and non-profit
Startups and small business
Four steps, one half hour.
- 01
Tell us what you are stuck on
A short sign-up: where you are, what you want next, and the one thing blocking it.
- 02
We match you
You are matched with a mentor doing the job you are aiming at.
- 03
Pick a time that suits you
Times are shown in PT, so a mentor elsewhere never means an awkward hour for you.
- 04
Thirty minutes on video
In English, free to you, with a written summary of what to do next.
Local shorthand, and what it means.
the Bay
San Francisco and the peninsula, shorthand for the tech job market.
the 405
A commute measured in hours, not miles.
the Valley
Silicon Valley in the north, the Central Valley in the middle. They are very different job markets.
The questions we hear most here.
Asked from Los Angeles, the Bay Area, San Diego, Sacramento and the Central Valley, and from everywhere in between.
How do I break into tech from a part of California that is not the Bay?
How do I explain that being in Fresno or Bakersfield is not being in San Jose, and salary bands know it?
How do I get into technology and software without knowing anyone already in it?
Should I stay in California, move for the job, or work remotely for an employer elsewhere?
What does a strong application look like when the reader has never been to California?
Who pays for this.
Employers running Give, so their people mentor outside the business
Colleges and universities buying career access for their students
Charities and foundations widening opportunity for the people they serve
Employers running Redirect for the candidates they turn down
Ready to start in California?
Book a free 30-minute session, or tell us what you need and we will match you with a mentor who does the job you are aiming at.
The things people ask first.
Do I have to live in California to book?
No. Anyone can book. This page exists because the questions we hear here repeat.
Is it really free?
Free to you. Sessions are funded by our employer, university and public-sector partners.
Will my mentor be local?
Sometimes. We match on the job you are aiming at first, so your mentor may work in California or on the other side of the world.
How long until I am matched?
Most people are matched within a few days, then pick a slot in PT.
Will my mentor understand the California job market?
Often, yes. Where the better match sits elsewhere, the advice is still set against what you are facing here, including that being in Fresno or Bakersfield is not being in San Jose, and salary bands know it.
Can I be matched with someone in technology and software?
Yes. It is one of the areas California mentees ask about most, and mentors in it volunteer across the network.
Get unstuck in California.
Thirty minutes with someone who has already done it, whether you are in Los Angeles or two hours from the nearest one. Free to you, always.