Got 15 Minutes? Help a Veteran Figure Out What’s Next

This Veterans Day, we’re asking professionals in every industry for 15 minutes of their time. That’s enough for one mentoring conversation with a veteran, transitioning service member, military spouse, or student.

Every November 11, the "thank you for our service" sentiments pour in. Companies post. Teams share stories. People shake hands with veterans they know. All of it matters.

As a civilian, I've always felt a bit awkward around Veteran's Day because my words feel hollow somehow. I really believe that so many Everyday Americans want to actually do something meaningful - we just don't know what that something is. - Kandi Tillman, Managing Co-Founder, 50strong

On November 12, though, the job search is still there. The questions are still there. Plenty of veterans and military spouses are still trying to figure out how to break into a field where they don’t know anyone yet.

That’s why we’re launching Got 15 Minutes? a new campaign to bring more professionals into 50strong Mentor. The ask is simple. Give one military-connected jobseeker 15 minutes of your time, one-on-one, and help them with their next move.

The conversations are already happening

Since launching last year, 50strong Mentor, our on-demand mentoring platform, has connected military-connected talent directly with professionals across civilian industry.

So far, more than 500 professionals have joined as mentors, and together they’ve made more than 2,000 career conversations possible. Our mentors are recruiters, hiring managers, engineers, nurses, project managers, veterans, military spouses, and civilians. Each of them decided their experience was worth sharing.

Got 15 Minutes? is our invitation to grow that network so even more people can find the right conversation.

Why one conversation goes a long way

A job board can tell you what’s open. It can’t tell you what the job is really like, how your military experience translates, or what the hiring manager actually cares about.

A person can.

Someone getting out after 20 years wonders how to explain leading a platoon to a civilian recruiter. A military spouse on her third PCS move wants to know whether her field even exists in her new city. A student veteran is weighing two career paths and wants to talk to someone who’s walked one of them.

Through 50strong Mentor, they can book time with someone who’s been there. They might talk about resumes, interviews, industry expectations, or a single question that’s been nagging them for weeks. Sometimes that one answer gets them unstuck.

You don’t have to be a veteran to help

We hear this a lot: “I didn’t serve. What do I have to offer?”

You have more than you think.

If you’re a recruiter, you know what makes a resume stand out and what gets one passed over. If you’re a hiring manager, you know how interviews really work. If you’ve built a career in any industry, you can explain what your day looks like, how you got there, and what you wish someone had told you at the start.

Whatever stage you’re at in your career, your experience can help someone else. You set your own availability, and a lot of conversations wrap up in about 15 minutes.

Veterans Day is one day. Career transition happens all year.

Leaving the military, landing a civilian job, and building a professional network from scratch don’t happen on a schedule. Every day, someone in our community is making a big career decision and hoping to talk it through with someone who understands it.

Every day, there are professionals who could help.

50strong Mentor brings those two groups together year-round, one conversation at a time. This Veterans Day, we’re asking you to be part of it.

Got 15 minutes? Here’s how to get involved

Professionals: Join 50strong Mentor and open up a few slots on your calendar. Whether you’re a recruiter, hiring manager, industry pro, veteran, military spouse, or civilian, someone out there needs exactly what you know. Join us as a 50strong Mentor.

Military-connected jobseekers and students: Find a mentor in the field you’re curious about and book a conversation. Connect through 50strong Mentor.

This year, go further than saying thanks. Share your time and help someone take their next step.

Got 15 minutes? Join us.