Making the transition from actively serving to returning to civilian life is often jarring and overwhelming for many veterans, but it can be especially challenging for women veterans hoping to reenter the workforce. It’s already difficult enough for women to make careers for themselves, but it is often even more difficult for women who have spent a portion of their life serving.

One way communities can help women veterans during this transition is through community-based veteran mentoring programs. These are programs that match veterans with individuals in the community who help them settle into their life as a civilian, and having them in place provides numerous benefits to the people they are trying to help.

The different ways veteran mentoring programs help women.

Mentors can provide career guidance to veterans.

Far too often, veterans who are returning back to civilian life believe that their experiences while serving won’t transition well to more traditional jobs. However, the skills and characteristics accrued while serving are typically not only applicable to ordinary jobs but also the same things that employers look for in new recruits.

The key is finding the ideal job for each veterans’ unique skillset, ambition, and passion. This is where a veteran mentoring program can help. The mentor gets to know the veteran on a deeper level, and they can help the veteran figure out what they want to get out of their professional career and what type of jobs will be fulfilling based on those goals.

Veteran mentoring programs provide valuable connections.

One of the biggest benefits of creating a mentoring program that is community-based is that the mentors within the program have an embedded relationship with other members of that community. That means that they can help introduce the veterans to people within their network who can help facilitate the transition back to civilian life.

So beyond just helping a veteran understand what they want to do after serving, they can also help make it a reality. Whether it’s getting the veteran in front of job recruiters, introducing them to a network of connected individuals, or bringing them on within their own organization, these types of mentoring programs are hugely beneficial to getting veterans hired.

The program serves as an emotional support system.

When transitioning from active military to civilian life, there are bound to be hurdles along the way. Whether it’s family matters, missing out on a job opportunity, or just readjusting to life outside of the military, this stage of a veteran’s life is often quite tumultuous.

That’s why many mentors don’t just serve as career counselors. They form a genuine connection with the mentees in the program and get to know each mentee on a personal level. That allows them to provide emotional support and guidance to help the mentees work through these challenges and find a balanced and fulfilling life after serving.

Are you searching for a veteran mentoring program in Atlanta?

Then reach out to the team of professionals at Women Veteran Social Justice Network Inc. As an Atlanta-based 5013C nonprofit organization, we are focused on women’s experiences during military service and assisting in their transition to their post-military civilian life.

As part of that mission, Women Veteran Social Justice Network Inc. has established a successful mentoring and coaching program that creates leadership development goals and helps women transform into the next level of superior leaders. Learn more about our programs, or visit our helpful library of free resources to learn how you can maximize your potential after serving.