As part of its ongoing efforts to help veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars gain meaningful employment as civilians, The American Legion hosted an employment roundtable Aug.
As part of its ongoing efforts to help veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars gain meaningful employment as civilians, The American Legion hosted an employment roundtable Aug. 26 during its National Convention in Minneapolis that featured representatives from the private sector and the federal government.
Presenters from the federal departments of Labor and Agriculture, L-3 Stratis and Avue Technologies were on hand to assist young veterans - especially those with serious injuries from active duty - in translating their military training and experience into resume-savvy language that can be easily understood by human resources (HR) specialists in the civilian world.
L-3 Stratis provides intelligence and cybersecurity services to the Department of Defense, government agencies, the intelligence community and international customers. Avue Technologies provides the public sector with integrated technology and service solutions to increase visibility, management effectiveness, workforce productivity and manager/worker satisfaction.
Joe Sharpe, the Legion's economic director, said the employment roundtable "helps our younger veterans understand what HR staff in the government or private sector are looking for in their resumes, and that they should be highlighting key skills they developed on active duty: leadership, team environment, reliability, focus on mission - many of the qualities that businesses look for among potential workers."
The roundtable also functions as an excellent way for veterans to prepare for career fairs, such as the one being hosted today by the Legion in Minneapolis. Presenters will explain to veterans and their families exactly what kind of qualifications are being sought, and the specific job positions that are available - before they are advertised at the career fair.
"These kinds of roundtables allow veterans returning from overseas to get some one-on-one time with these presenters from the private sector and federal government," said Steve Gonzalez, assistant director of the Legion's Economic Division. "These meetings help unemployed veterans start their networking efforts in a more private, exclusive setting, instead of being surrounded by other job seekers at a career fair."
After presenters provide guidance on how to market military training and expertise in the civilian market, they offer to critique veterans' resumes and suggest improvements. Gonzalez said those resumes are also added to a database administered by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
"After contacts have been made at career fairs, potential employers can follow up by going into the Chamber of Commerce resume database. And they can evaluate other resumes of those who couldn't make it to the career fair. This gives businesses an even larger pool of qualified candidates to choose from to fill their hiring needs," Gonzalez said.
In a larger sense, Sharpe said that employment roundtables are a key components to The American Legion's overall goal of getting more jobs for veterans, as well as National Guard and reserve members. "To do that effectively, we need to interact with these fine young men and women who have served our country so honorably in wartime. We need to get firsthand knowledge of their situations and how difficult it has been for them to get a job. And we need to know why. What kind of obstacles are they encountering in their particular states that keeps them unemployed?"
Employment roundtables helps the Legion gauge and redirect its resources for an even more effective initiative to reduce veterans unemployment, currently more than 13 percent nationwide and more than 20 percent in Michigan, Indiana and Minnesota.
"We need to know what works and what doesn't, and apply that knowledge to future Legion activities that focus on getting jobs for veterans. We're the only veteran's service organization that has programs like this, that address what's really going on with our young veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who are trying to earn a living," Sharpe said.
Besides today's career fair, The American Legion is also hosting an Aug. 30-31 development workshop in Minneapolis for veteran-owned small businesses during the Legion's 93rd annual National Convention.
- Press Release