Engagement: key to the veteran job search
Panelists from the Legion's Private Sector Employment Panel offer job-search advice. (Photo by Clay Lomneth)

Engagement: key to the veteran job search

It’s not enough to post a résumé on a website if you’re a veteran looking to parlay military experience into a rewarding career, private-sector employers said Aug. 29 in a panel discussion at the 97th American Legion National Convention.

“Anytime you can go to an interview that’s in a professional setting, go,” advised Vivian Greentree, senior vice president of veterans affairs for Washington-based First Data Corp. “People remember personal connection.”

Too often, panelists said, veteran employees rely only on web-based job applications and come away disappointed by the lack of response. Some companies post job openings online in an attempt to simply collect resumes with limited intention to quickly fill openings. In addition to online services, panelists said, the career search must be augmented with job-fair participation, résumé-writing workshops and face-to-face interaction.

The American Legion’s Employment and Education Commission is hitting on all of those cylinders at the convention this year, hearing from private and federal employers, conducting a veterans employment workshop Aug. 31 from 9 a.m.–11 a.m.; hosting a Department of Labor federal résumé-writing workshop from 9 a.m.–11 a.m.; running a Boots to Business entrepreneurship course Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 from 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; and a career fair Sept. 1 from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.

“Every opportunity to get face time is a win,” explained Tim O’Reilly of CitiBank Corp., one of the panelists.

Employers also can benefit by making personal contact with veterans through The American Legion, especially at the local level, the panelists agreed at the end of the session. “There are definitely positions we can do a better job marketing," O'Reilly said. "Fellowship with groups like you (The American Legion) help.”

Kevin Garvey, a human resources manager with UPS, said one key to success in veteran hiring and retention is connecting veteran applicants with current veteran employees. “I think what veterans want to do is speak with other veterans at UPS, those who know the company,” he said.

Kevin Barber, a Legionnaire and chairman of the board of Lone Star Veterans Association in Texas, said his association produces a job fair a month, peer-to-peer networking, social events and more to help veterans get personally connected and active among others. “We engage every day,” Barber said.

The American Legion Employment and Education Division conducts hundreds of career fairs, business workshops and special events a year to help veterans and their families get and keep rewarding careers. Click here for more information.