Hire a Veteran: 10 Organizations to Recruit From
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As companies grow their teams and continue their efforts in finding ways to reach top talent, veterans are a great pipeline of skilled individuals who are experienced in being adaptable, team-oriented, and enhance the diversity of their teams. On average, the military discharges 270,000 service members each year, which gives companies an opportunity to hire, develop, and nurture veteran talent to further the success of their teams. Need help in finding ways to connect and hire more veterans?
Here are 10 highlighted organizations and resources to connect veterans with your job opportunities:
Vets in Tech supports our current and returning veterans with re-integration services, and by connecting them to the national technology ecosystem. VIT is committed to bringing together a tech-specific network, resources, and programs for our veterans interested in Education, Entrepreneurship, and Employment.
Partnership includes: Access to member portal with resumes, job board and newsletter, quarterly employer events, and opportunity to join their yearly gala
Participating companies include: Adobe, Slack, Accenture, and Google
2. Breakline helps veterans, women, and people of color pivot into compelling careers in the tech industry.
Partnership includes: Access to member profiles and resumes, sponsorship at their annual summit, exclusive events
Participating companies include: Airtable, Facebook, First Republic Bank, and Gusto
3. Shift helps current and former members of the US Military discover careers, acquire and demonstrate new skills, and embark upon new job experiences at top companies.
Partnership includes: Access to their talent network and partnership strategy, which includes ongoing team training, Employee Resource Group (ERG) support, and employee access to their veteran mentorship platform
Participating companies include: Affirm, Okta, MLB, Better, and Snowflake
4. Hire Heroes USA provides free job search assistance to U.S. military members, veterans and their spouses, as well as supports companies with opportunities to hire.
Partnership includes: Virtual career fairs, talent sourcing, employer training, and sponsorship opportunities
Participating companies include: LinkedIn, Walmart, Boeing, and Call of Duty Endowment
5. HirePurpose provides job distribution opportunities to job seekers.
Partnership includes: Access to their Military Jobs Distribution Network, branded content, workforce engagement and training
Participating companies include: Cisco, T-Mobile, Accenture, and Intuit
6. Task & Purpose is a news and culture site geared toward the next great generation of American veterans. Contributors come from the veterans and broader military community, granting their voice to a variety of issues.
Partnership includes: Distribution of job postings in newsletters
7. Hire Veterans is a marketplace to search and find jobs for veterans.
Partnership includes: Access to their vast network of veteran resumes and job postings so organizations can efficiently and effectively hire military and veteran talent worldwide.
8. Tech for Troops is dedicated to empowering veterans with skills, computers and IT workforce training.
Partnership includes: Volunteering opportunities, training, events
9. USO strengthens America's military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation.
Partnership includes: Sponsoring a program or event, cause-related marketing, employee engagement opportunities and hiring partnerships.
Participating companies include: Boeing Company, Coursera, Google, and The Walt Disney Company
10. RallyPoint is premiere digital platform for the military community to come together and discuss military topics both socially and professionally.
Partnership includes: Network of veterans, mentorship opportunities, and access to their job board
Participating companies include: McKesson, Delta Dental, AAFMA
Now that you know of the organizations and resources above, below are strategies to connect, build relationships, and hire more veterans to your team:
Participate and/or sponsor events to connect and build your talent network with veterans across the nation - form strong connections with veterans during events and follow-up post event.
Engage and leverage veteran employees at your company Participate in Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), learn and gain more insights into their experience, push referrals, and encourage members to be part of interview process.
Educate and empower hiring teams to consider, engage, and hire military talent. Share stats if possible of high performing veterans at your company or other companies.
Train your hiring team on reviewing resumes of military talent. Educate the team on rankings, branches, transferable skill sets, and understanding gaps in experience. Check for biases.
Build and invest in training programs at your company focused on developing and nurturing skills of military veterans to help navigate transitions into the workforce.
Build your employer branding to attract veterans including employee spotlights or blog features.
Post job opportunities on veteran-focused job boards and newsletter.
ModelExpand is a diversity, equity and inclusion consulting firm focused on radically accelerating the presence of historically underrepresented people in the workforce. ModelExpand’s work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes and CultureAmp. Need support embedding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within your organization? Contact us below.
About the author
Aileen Bautista
Aileen (she/her) is part of the ModelExpand team where she works on events and programming focused on building community and inclusion. This includes our Diversity & Culture Series and Women in Tech Leadership Breakfasts. In addition, Aileen works on the University Recruiting team at Slack to help early career talent thrive in tech.
