The jobs are growing. The introductions are not.
Free 30-minute career mentoring across the Old Dominion, from Northern Virginia, Richmond, Norfolk and Charlottesville 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 Virginia or on the other side of the world.
- Session length
- 30 minutes
- Cost to a mentee
- Free
- Times shown in
- ET
The people who arrive stuck.
Students and recent graduates
Applying into government contracting around Northern Virginia 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 Virginia who will say plainly what the shortlist turns on.
Career changers
Moving out of defence and aerospace, or across to it, with a resume that still reads like the last job rather than the next one.
The fields Virginia mentees ask about most.
Matching is cross-border. A mentor in another state, or another country, is normal and often the whole point.
government contracting
cybersecurity and data centres
defence and aerospace
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 ET, 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.
NoVa
Northern Virginia, the government contracting and data centre belt.
clearance
The thing that decides which jobs are even open to you.
Hampton Roads
The naval and shipbuilding region around Norfolk.
The questions we hear most here.
Asked from Northern Virginia, Richmond, Norfolk and Charlottesville, and from everywhere in between.
How do I move from contracting or the military into a commercial role?
How do I explain what cleared or military experience means in a commercial interview?
How do I get into government contracting without knowing anyone already in it?
Should I stay in Virginia, 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 Virginia?
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 Virginia?
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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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 ET.
Will my mentor understand the Virginia job market?
Often, yes. Where the better match sits elsewhere, the advice is still set against what you are facing here, including what cleared or military experience means in a commercial interview.
Can I be matched with someone in government contracting?
Yes. It is one of the areas Virginia mentees ask about most, and mentors in it volunteer across the network.
Get unstuck in Virginia.
Thirty minutes with someone who has already done it, whether you are in Northern Virginia or two hours from the nearest one. Free to you, always.