ACP Mentoring Program Highlighted in Army Regent's Newsletter
ACP’s Veteran Mentoring Program connects Veteran Protégés with Corporate Mentors for a yearlong mentorship. Paired based on their career objectives and professional experience, Mentors and Protégés define the goals of their mentorship together and focus on a successful transition from the military to the civilian workforce. Mentors have a wide variety of professional expertise, including defense, education, finance, insurance, information technology, logistics, management, manufacturing, marketing and retail.
Over the course of the year, all matched pairs should have at least 12 significant discussions regarding the Protégé’s career objectives. These discussions can focus on topics ranging from résumé building and interview skills to networking and small business development. Mentors may participate in all of the discussions personally or arrange for colleagues to meet with their Protégé.
ACP has developed two program options in order to offer mentorships to veterans across the country:
National: ACP's National Program supports remote mentorships between participants who share similar career interests, but do not live within local proximity. We ask Mentors and Protégés to be flexible regarding the location of their mentorship. Participants in long-distance mentorships communicate by phone, e-mail, and/or videoconference.
Local: ACP's Local Programs operate in cities with high densities of participants. Because we aim to connect you with someone whose career objectives and professional experience aligns with yours, we may not always have an ideal candidate in your area. If your location lends itself to a local mentorship, we will do our best to pair you with a participant nearby.
Personal Military Experience Vignette – by MSG Jason Alexander
Mentorship benefits soldiers throughout their career, and it can be just as valuable as we transition out of the military into life in the private sector, government or retirement. Numerous Veteran mentorship programs available in academic, private sector or through the military have been developed in the last few years to assist with the need for veterans to educate themselves, prepare, and compete for different career opportunities. To prepare for my personal career transition, I started early (3 years from my intended retirement) and selected the American Corporate Partner's Nationwide Mentoring Program because their model connects Veterans to Corporate Mentors in a formal agreement between the mentee and mentor. Over the course of a year, my mentor and I met monthly to discuss a variety of topics that have enabled me to tailor the last years of my career toward enhancing skills and experience that my mentor believes are valuable in the private sector. As a part of our monthly interaction, we shared peer-reviewed articles, conducted personality tests to identify strengths and weaknesses, worked through the ACP Mentorship Handbook and developed a resume. I also visited Partners Health in Boston and met my mentor and other healthcare executives to learn about the values of their organization. Participating in this program helped me feel more confident about my plans to transition out of the Army. I am more cognizant of how my experience serving in the AMEDD has made me marketable to other healthcare organizations, and with my mentor, I have built a network of healthcare leaders--and prospective employers--in the New England area. If any of our members are considering or have already decided to exit military service, I'd highly encourage them to participate in a Veteran Mentorship Program.
