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On June 6, five members of National Able Network’s Veterans Forward program joined a number of local companies at Deloitte’s Greenhouse to talk about how to help Veterans transition to civilian employment.  It was all part of Deloitte’s Global Impact Day when tens of thousands of Deloitte employees located all over the world volunteer their time to help their communities.  The Deloitte Greenhouse is a “physical and technological innovative space designed to foster ideas, opportunities, relations and sparks of new workplace culture.”  It did not disappoint.

We started the day by “walking in their shoes.”  We heard from the Veterans present, including three Veterans Forward clients who joined the discussion.  A number of themes emerged:

• In the military we value people who can get the job done, people who are willing to work hard and do whatever task is necessary to complete the mission. In the civilian world saying “I can do anything” is seen as unfocused.
• When I left the military, they dropped me at the airport in my hometown. All of a sudden my network went from my peers and coworkers in the military, to my friends from high school. They didn’t know or understand me and certainly couldn’t help me find a job.
• I apply to job after job and never hear anything. I’ve gotten interviews and never hear back. I wish I knew what I was doing wrong. No one seems to understand or care about my military service.

In the afternoon, the participants jumped in to help identify ways to help Veterans:

“We can volunteer to mentor Veterans through their job search.”

“We can help companies translate their job descriptions to attract Veterans.”

“We can engage Veterans already working for us.”

“We can work with Veterans Forward.” (My personal favorite!)

The Greenhouse facilitators jotted ideas down furiously. See the photo below to view some of the other topics covered at the Deloitte Greenhouse event.

If you or your company wants to learn more about how Veterans can help your business, click here!