With the closing of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and the drawdown of troops in the military, many former service members are beginning the hard transition from the service to life out of uniform. In an effort to aid Veterans in this transition Google has built tools like the Resume Builder, to help Veteran relay their skill sets and experiences in an easy manner through Google Docs.
Organizations such as the US Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes program, the Institute for Veterans and Military Families and Hire Heroes USA have also put forth significant effort into assisting in this transition. In many ways, veteran hiring challenges are less about a lack of resources than the difficulty in identifying and accessing the many tools out there.
Now, there is a platform for all of these programs to coordinate their effort into one concentrated program. Unveiled in November, Vet Net launched under the design of Google+, pooling together the tools that contributing organizations brings to the table.
“One easy place to start”, Vet Net and its content, tools and training is up and running 24/7 for veterans and their spouses. With resume building workshops, a database of over a million veteran-preferred jobs, video chats with industry experts and advice from Veterans on their experiences starting a career. Vet Net even offers a program for the budding entrepreneur, an 8-week long college-level program on the basic concepts and principles of starting and running a business.
Vet Net and their resources are stratified into three levels; a Basic Training Track, geared towards resume building, interviewing tips and getting your foot in the door; a Career Connecting Track, which helps Veterans and their spouses get in touch with corporations looking to hire veterans specifically and get them into the workforce; and the Entrepreneur Track which through the 8-week long course and a multitude of other tools helps entrepreneurs establish and set up their businesses.
VetNet is certainly a sign of the times – with transitioning service members increasingly looking to the web for resources and assistance, VetNet is making strides in a way not done before, harnessing Google’s strengths in web categorization to create a single clearinghouse for a variety of job search information.
Troy is an Army brat and the father of combat medic. He is also a retired Infantry Senior NCO with multiple combat tours, in addition to several stateside deployments. Troy retired from the Army and has worked in Information Technology consulting and as a contractor for the U.S. Army. He serves on several task-forces and enjoys working with soldiers every day. Troy is also a recognized and multiple-award winning military blogger who writes at www.bouhammer.com, and a familiar person in many social media circles.
