Big employers. Closed networks.
Free 30-minute career mentoring across the Beaver State, from Portland, Eugene, Salem and Hillsboro 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 Oregon 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 semiconductors and hardware around Portland 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 Oregon who will say plainly what the shortlist turns on.
Career changers
Moving out of forestry and sustainability, or across to it, with a resume that still reads like the last job rather than the next one.
The fields Oregon mentees ask about most.
Matching is cross-border. A mentor in another state, or another country, is normal and often the whole point.
semiconductors and hardware
consumer brands and design
forestry and sustainability
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 Silicon Forest
The Hillsboro and Beaverton chip and hardware cluster.
PDX
Portland.
east of the Cascades
Rural Oregon, with a very different job market.
The questions we hear most here.
Asked from Portland, Eugene, Salem and Hillsboro, and from everywhere in between.
How do I get into the hardware or apparel employers here without an internal referral?
How do I explain how hardware, apparel or outdoor industry experience is read outside the state?
How do I get into semiconductors and hardware without knowing anyone already in it?
Should I stay in Oregon, 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 Oregon?
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 Oregon?
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 Oregon 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 Oregon 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 Oregon job market?
Often, yes. Where the better match sits elsewhere, the advice is still set against what you are facing here, including how hardware, apparel or outdoor industry experience is read outside the state.
Can I be matched with someone in semiconductors and hardware?
Yes. It is one of the areas Oregon mentees ask about most, and mentors in it volunteer across the network.
Get unstuck in Oregon.
Thirty minutes with someone who has already done it, whether you are in Portland or two hours from the nearest one. Free to you, always.