Staying Fit
The transition from military to civilian life may feel daunting, but several organizations help veterans ease the transformation from combat zone to conference room.
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They value your service and recognize your skills by reviewing your résumé, pairing you with mentors and networking your way through the door — all for free.
Here are five groups that help veterans land jobs.
American Corporate Partners (ACP)
Since 2008, 25,000 veterans have participated in ACP’s mentorship program. The free service pairs veterans who have served at least 180 days of active duty since 9/11 with the organization’s 100 corporate partners.
The online application process asks candidates about their goals. Then, ACP pairs mentors with applicants (4,000 pairs annually) to begin monthly conversations. The yearlong, one-on-one mentorship is tailored to each situation.
“A lot of the mentorships lead to jobs,” Colleen Deere, vice chair of ACP’s board of directors and the wife of a veteran, told AARP Veteran Report. “It’s the power of the mentor’s network — introducing someone they know, and that can lead to a job, too. Some of our applicants meet 15 to 20 new people.”
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RecruitMilitary
Veterans can set up job alerts and apply to vacancies on RecruitMilitary’s job board, and sign up for its monthly newsletters and hard copy magazines. They can attend in-person and online career fairs and bimonthly webinars covering topics such as how to create an effective elevator pitch and how to ace a career fair.
“We’re connecting my fellow veterans with meaningful employment, and that’s important because you have to have that to feel valued in your life,” said Mike Francomb, chief technology officer and an Army veteran.
The site makes 30,000 connections each month between employers and veterans — whether it’s meeting at career fairs, connections and chats on a virtual platform or job applications through the job board.
Corporate Gray
You can also apply to jobs at Corporate Gray, which helps veterans connect with employers. The site has a military-to-civilian skills translator, 18 résumé templates for a variety of jobs, and sample templates for cover letters and thank-you notes.
