Legionnaires learn ways to help transitioning servicemembers
The American Legion’s Veterans Employment and Education Commission members heard from respresentatives from the public and private sector about helping transitioning servicemembers as well as veterans find jobs.

Legionnaires learn ways to help transitioning servicemembers

The best way to help transitioning servicemembers and veterans find jobs in the federal sector is to take a proactive approach, identify ways to engage them with government agencies, said federal sector executives during The American Legion’s Veterans Employment and Education Commission meeting Aug. 29 at the Legion’s 97th National Convention in Baltimore.

Commission members heard also heard from executives and employers in the private sector.

The panel – moderated by Col. Adam Rocke, director of the Army’s Soldier for Life Program – featured speakers from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Mint, the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Energy and the Transportation Security Administration.

Chock-full of vital information, the session equipped the Legionnaires with useful tools to benefit the job seekers they interact with on a daily basis.

“Our job as commission members is to go back to our departments and spread this information,” said Denise Rohan, chairman of the Legion’s Veterans Employment and Education Commission.

Topic discussed during the panel included:

  • Initiatives in rapidly growing industries like energy

  • Recruitment practices

  • The recent freeze on federal clearances

  • How to buy back military time

  • Ways government agencies are using social media to attract applicants

Rohan urged Legionnaires to use the knowledge they are armed with to benefit veterans and servicemembers transitioning to the next stage of their careers. “There are servicemembers coming home that think no one cares about them,” she said. "They are no longer getting up every morning putting their uniforms on. They have no job to do. Unfortunately for some of them, they did not have the opportunity to go through transition programs. They don’t know what they are supposed to do. It is up to us – the veterans and stakeholders in their communities – to make them feel welcome at home and guide them to the resources they need.”

Job seekers are encouraged to visit the Legion's Employment and Education Division’s online resource center which provides links to resources for job seekers. Click here for more information.