Good employers. No one to ask.
Free 30-minute career mentoring across the Prairie State, from Chicago, Naperville, Peoria and Champaign 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 Illinois or on the other side of the world.
- Session length
- 30 minutes
- Cost to a mentee
- Free
- Times shown in
- CT
The people who arrive stuck.
Students and recent graduates
Applying into finance and trading around Chicago 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 Illinois who will say plainly what the shortlist turns on.
Career changers
Moving out of manufacturing, or across to it, with a resume that still reads like the last job rather than the next one.
The fields Illinois mentees ask about most.
Matching is cross-border. A mentor in another state, or another country, is normal and often the whole point.
finance and trading
professional services
manufacturing
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 CT, 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 Loop
Downtown Chicago, and the finance and law jobs in it.
the pits
Trading, even long after the floor went electronic.
downstate
Everywhere in Illinois that is not Chicago, with a different job market.
The questions we hear most here.
Asked from Chicago, Naperville, Peoria and Champaign, and from everywhere in between.
How do I get a trading or quant interview without a target school on my resume?
How do I explain whether your experience is Chicago-scale or downstate, since employers read them differently?
How do I get into finance and trading without knowing anyone already in it?
Should I stay in Illinois, 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 Illinois?
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 Illinois?
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 Illinois 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 Illinois 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 CT.
Will my mentor understand the Illinois job market?
Often, yes. Where the better match sits elsewhere, the advice is still set against what you are facing here, including whether your experience is Chicago-scale or downstate, since employers read them differently.
Can I be matched with someone in finance and trading?
Yes. It is one of the areas Illinois mentees ask about most, and mentors in it volunteer across the network.
Get unstuck in Illinois.
Thirty minutes with someone who has already done it, whether you are in Chicago or two hours from the nearest one. Free to you, always.