StreetWise Partners helps under-represented job seekers find great jobs by giving them one-on-one mentorship for 13 weeks and using the CliftonStrengths test to find what they’re good at. Many people start out feeling like they have no useful skills, but by the end, over 70% find jobs, sometimes at big companies like NASA. Their starting pay jumps from about $12,000 to over $60,000 a year. The program also helps build strong networks and keeps supporting alumni for years. Everyone involved, even staff, uses the same strengths-based approach to work better together.
How does mentorship at StreetWise Partners transform the careers of under-represented job seekers?
Through a structured 13-week program combining one-to-one mentorship and the CliftonStrengths assessment, StreetWise Partners helps under-represented job seekers identify and amplify their strengths, leading to over 70% employment rates and average starting salaries rising from $12k to over $60k.
Every week, hundreds of under-represented job seekers walk into StreetWise Partners thinking, “I have no marketable skills.” Eighteen months later, 70 % of them are employed, many of them at NASA, Blackstone or Mizuho. The difference? Twenty-six hours of one-to-one mentorship and a single assessment most Fortune-500 companies also use – CliftonStrengths.
How the process works
| Stage | What happens | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| *Intake * | Participants complete the CliftonStrengths 34 online assessment and receive their top-five signature themes. | Week 1 |
| *Pairing * | Each mentee is matched with a professional mentor; together they run a 13-week curriculum delivered in person or virtually. | Weeks 2-14 |
| *Translation * | Strengths are translated into résumé bullets, 30-second pitches, LinkedIn headlines and interview stories. | Ongoing |
| *Support * | Alumni retain access to the network for two full years, including mock interviews and job leads. | Months 15-36 |
From “no skills” to $60 k in 13 weeks
- Average starting income of new participants: $12 k-$15 k
- Average first salary after graduation: >$60 k
- Typical salary jump: $10 k to $55 k
- Network growth: from 0 to 100 professional contacts
The program’s latest impact report shows that every $1 invested returns $3 in first-year wage gains while adding $92 million in collective first-year wages to local economies.
Why CliftonStrengths works here
Unlike generic personality tests, CliftonStrengths provides a common vocabulary that mentors and mentees speak fluently from day one. Instead of fixing weaknesses, the pair spends 40 hours amplifying what already works. Gallup studies – echoed in UC Berkeley’s career curriculum – show individuals who focus on strengths daily are six times more engaged and three times more likely to report excellent quality of life.
When a mentee discovers “Empathy” or “Strategic” in her top five, she immediately reframes years of informal caregiving or chess-club leadership into transferable assets that land her a project-coordinator role.
Not just participants – the staff drink their own champagne
- Annual StreetWise staff retreats* start with teammates sharing CliftonStrengths reports on the big screen. Knowing that the fundraising director leads with “Activator” while the program lead is high in “Deliberative” has improved hand-offs, reduced e-mail back-and-forth and cut planning meeting time by 20 %.
How to get involved today
- Potential mentees: apply on the StreetWise mentee page. No fee.
- Working professionals: volunteer as a mentor (40-hour commitment over 13 weeks).
- Corporations : sponsor cohorts and provide interview panels – Gallup, Blackstone and Mizuho already do.
StreetWise Partners currently operates in New York, Washington DC and Detroit, with expansion talks underway in Chicago for late 2025.
How does the StreetWise Partners program turn raw talent into high-impact careers?
Participants start by taking Gallup’s CliftonStrengths assessment, discover their top five natural talents, and then spend 13 weeks in 40-plus hours of one-on-one mentorship. The result: 85 % graduate from the program and 70 % land jobs within a year. Even more striking, average annual income jumps from $12-15 k on entry to more than $60 k after graduation, with salary gains ranging from $10 k to $55 k.
What makes the mentorship model different from traditional career coaching?
StreetWise pairs each job seeker with a professional mentor who guides them through resume building, mock interviews, networking, and salary negotiation. The relationship does not end at graduation – alumni receive up to two years of ongoing job-search support and access to a professional network that grows from zero contacts to over 100. This long-term, strengths-based coaching is credited by graduates for roles at NASA, Blackstone, and other top employers.
Can CliftonStrengths really replace “I have no skills” with confident self-branding?
Yes. The assessment gives participants a shared vocabulary to describe what they do best. StreetWise then trains them to weave these strengths into elevator pitches, LinkedIn profiles and interviews. Gallup’s own 2025 data show people who use CliftonStrengths are six times more likely to agree they “do what they do best every day” and three times more likely to report an excellent quality of life.
How strong is the evidence that this strengths-based approach works?
- 1,900 new jobs launched for participants in recent cohorts
- $92 million in first-year wages collectively earned by graduates
- Every $1 invested yields $3 in wage gains for job seekers
These outcomes come from StreetWise’s 2023-2025 impact reports, validated by Gallup’s Strengths Engineering series, which features StreetWise as a global best-practice case.
Who can join, and how can readers get involved?
The program serves underrepresented and first-generation professionals in multiple U.S. cities. Volunteers are always needed as mentors, mock-interviewers, or guest speakers. If you are a professional looking to pay it forward – or know a job seeker who could benefit – visit streetwisepartners.org/mentees for eligibility details and application links.
