Heroes Linked Bridges the Veteran-Employer Knowledge Gap

Despite each branch of the military having a transition assistance program, studies show that among the 10 factors that hamper service members’ transition to public and private sector employment, the inability to translate military skills and experience into the civilian business world figures prominently.  The MVAT Foundation’s Heroes Linked program is an essential tool that allows veterans to build professional networks, open doors, and market themselves appropriately to the public and private sectors.

At present, 200,000 service members leave active duty each year. These veterans enter an environment in which 500,000 veterans are have not succeeded in finding stable employment, while an unknown number are underemployed. The MVAT Foundation has long understood that veterans tend to possess skills and qualities that would make them valuable contributors in the private sector: strong and disciplined work ethic, leadership experience, and the ability to work within a team to meet an objective, for instance.  

In his most recent article, “Improving Military Talent Management: Set Up Military Members for Post-Service Employment,” Kevin Bemel, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander and Chaplain, cited the information in this article’s opening sentence.

In his article, Bemel, a frequent writer on transition and post military employment issues, noted that the inability of veterans and employers to understand each other is a significant factor in 44 percent of enlisted people leaving their first post-military job during the first 12 months.

Unfortunately, most civilian hiring managers have little if any military experience and are, consequently, unable to understand and interpret a service member’s qualifications. As a result, they cannot adequately match veterans to available positions. Further hampering a veteran’s chances for a successful transition is their own lack of knowledge of about private sector options and lexicon, which limits the utility of even the best online or automated military skills translator. It is precisely in these two areas where Heroes Linked is most impactful.

Heroes Linked, the MVAT Foundation’s lead program, allows veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses to gain first-hand intelligence and guidance from persons operating in desired fields and preferred companies. How they choose to invest their time prior to applying for a job directly impacts the time it will take to successfully attain that job. Talking with people who secured jobs, professions, and careers in desired industries and sectors learning from their experiences, will make the veteran stand out to recruiters and become a better potential hire.

A free user-friendly platform, Heroes Linked connects veterans with private sector professionals via Voice Over IP phone calls managed through a secure web app. Veterans can leverage a network of industry diverse and geographically dispersed individuals who are volunteering their time and career knowledge to inform and better prepare veterans for successful and fulfilling post-military careers. In short, Heroes Linked allows veterans to build their own professional network.

Through their conversations with Heroes Linked advisors, veterans can to learn how to tailor a resume, identify business priorities, inquire about specific positions, and understand corporate culture from the very people who may one day be their colleagues. Such access can produce a veteran or military spouse who is well positioned to present themselves not as another resume in the pile, but as an indispensable potential employee not to be overlooked.

To learn more about the MVAT Foundation, visit MVAT.org.

To learn more about Heroes Linked, visit heroeslinked.org.

To Read Lieutenant Commander Bemel’s article in its entirety, click here.