Hire Heroes USA

Alumni Spotlight: Robert

Alumni Profile: Robert

Each quarter, we highlight a different member of our alumni community. We want to celebrate your victories and contribute to your long term career success. We served together in the military and we continue to root for our brothers and sisters’ achievements after service. Read on to meet Robert and learn more about his military experience and where he is today.

Military Background: Robert retired from the Navy after 20 years of service. During his time in uniform, he was an IT professional focusing on cybersecurity and project management. As a Naval Officer, he participated in the hiring process. As he prepared for life after retirement, Robert used Hire Heroes USA as a resource in his job search, obtaining his current position through a Hire Heroes referral in December of 2019.

Career Background : I’ve volunteered with local libraries and museums as part of a local club, have advised fellow IVMF/O2O on preparing for certification exams, (while not volunteer work) I have mentored junior officers on military careers for the past 10 years

Current Position: I am the Director of Navy’s Blue Team. My current role is a federal position and I’m responsible for conducting vulnerability assessments, cyber hardening, analyzing advanced cyber threats, and continuously monitoring the Navy’s networks in order to reduce risk to the Department of Defense Information Networks.

Experience with Hire Heroes USA: My Transition Specialist, James, was the most helpful. I did mock interviews and got the right resume. My wife is currently working with Hire Heroes and she noticed an immediate difference in her job search once she started working with a Transition Specialist.

Alumni Involvement: I’ve gotten involved as a volunteer, mentoring other veterans in their career transition. I enjoyed mentoring in the service and after going through Hire Heroes services as a client, I was excited to volunteer and mentor others. I’ve kept up with webinars and newsletters, too. Outside of Hire Heroes, I’ve volunteered with local libraries and museums as part of a local club. I’ve also advised fellow IVMF/O2O chort members preparing for certification exams.

Most Important Career Advice: Don’t be complacent. Continue to learn and grow professionally, even if you are in your dream job.

What I’ve Learned: Personally, I enjoyed mentoring while in uniform, especially being able to help others make progress in their career and see their success. I considered this a need of my own during my career transition. I participated in a volunteer session while I was a client and I really benefited from the session, so I wanted to pay it forward.

I have actually learned a lot being a volunteer and connecting with people across the different branches and with different levels of civilian experience. Each conversation has helped me learn and understand where my expertise and knowledge can make a difference.

If you’re a Hire Heroes Alumnus and you’d like to learn more about additional services, volunteer or share your story, learn more by visiting the Alumni page and email Matt Kohler to get started: mkohler@hireheroesusa.org.

Volunteer Spotlight: Jack

Hire Heroes clients come to us during a time of uncertainty in their lives. As they approach the start of a new career, seeking a new purpose, the prospect of transitioning into the civilian workforce can feel overwhelming and intimidating. That’s why Hire Heroes USA Volunteer Jack Echevarria offers such a valuable perspective to the individuals he mentors.

“My approach is always to establish a good rapport which allows me to share my personal experiences wherever I find it to be relevant and useful,” Jack explained.

Jack completed a successful transition of his own after serving in the Air Force and the Army National Guard. He now works as a Technical Training Instructor with GP Strategies Corporation, specializing in aircraft maintenance. Jack has worked with numerous veterans and military spouses, spending more than 39 hours speaking with Hire Heroes clients since March 2020.

Hire Heroes USA Volunteer Jack Echevarria

“My goal is to instill in them a confidence that will carry them throughout the whole career search process,” Jack said.

Jack enjoys getting to know Hire Heroes USA clients, and he often takes something new from each phone call. During a recent conversation, Jack met a client who had trouble moving past the interview stage of his job search because employers consistently told him he was overqualified.

“We engaged in a brainstorming session together and were able to come up with what seemed like a workable plan to overcome that obstacle,” Jack said. “We shared a genuine expression of thankfulness and respect for one another, and this left me feeling humbled for having had the opportunity to engage with him.”

In a unique situation, Jack took a collaborative approach to help. It’s one of several reasons why he enjoys volunteering with Hire Heroes USA.

“Hire Heroes USA has been a pleasure and a privilege to be a part of,” Jack said. “Volunteering for an organization of this caliber has allowed me to grow in a professional manner, while also enriching my enjoyment of life in giving.”

If you would like to make a difference in the lives of veterans and military spouses, please click here to learn more about volunteering with Hire Heroes USA.

Hire Heroes USA and Coursera Renew Partnership to Benefit Veterans and Military Spouses

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Veterans nonprofit Hire Heroes USA has reached an agreement with Coursera to offer its virtual classes to our veteran and military spouse clients at no cost through February 2022. Through this partnership, veterans and their spouses gain access to life-changing education in business, technology, healthcare and more.

Coursera offers more than 4,600 courses taught by instructors from leading universities and companies. This barrier-breaking opportunity allows our clients to learn in a convenient way, complementing the lifestyles of transitioning service members or their families.

“Coursera is one of our most popular training program partners,” said Sandy Kaider, Hire Heroes USA Referral & Training Partners Program Manager. “Having access to free, high-quality training contributed greatly to the success of many Hire Heroes clients.”

Since our partnership began in March 2020, Coursera has offered free courses to 459 veterans and 180 military spouses. Together, those 639 Hire Heroes USA clients have taken 3,268 courses, completed 19,874 lessons and devoted 14,723 hours to acquire industry-specific knowledge and learn new skills.

“Over the last year, I’m proud of how Coursera has helped hundreds of veterans learn job-relevant skills that they need to re-enter the workforce,” said Chief Enterprise Officer, Leah Belsky. “We are honored to continue our partnership with Hire Heroes USA to offer transitioning service members and their spouses free access to high-quality online learning.”

To get started, transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses are invited to sign up with Hire Heroes USA by visiting this link. After being matched with a Transition Specialist to work one-on-one on your career goals, clients should mention that they’d like to enroll in courses on Coursera.

About Hire Heroes USA

Hire Heroes USA is a national nonprofit organization that empowers US military members, veterans and spouses to succeed in the civilian workforce. We offer personalized one-on-one coaching, professionally revised resumes, mentoring, workshops, a job board, career fairs and more, to tens of thousands of job-seeking veterans and military spouses annually. Funded exclusively through public donations and private grants, we provide our services at no cost to clients.

In 2020, 11,580 Hire Heroes USA clients found success in their job search. Since Hire Heroes USA’s founding, more than 52,000 clients began new careers after working with us.

All Hire Heroes services are being offered online or over the phone during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes our volunteer services, which allow professionals to mentor and guide clients during their job search. Hire Heroes USA prioritizes transparency, earning a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and the GuideStar Platinum Seal. For more information about our organization, visit hireheroesusa.org.

About Coursera

Coursera was founded by Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng with a vision of providing life-transforming learning experiences to anyone, anywhere. It is now a leading online learning platform for higher education, where more than 77 million learners from around the world have come to learn skills of the future.

Women in the Workforce: COVID-19 & Women’s History Month

A guest blog by Freedom Learning Group, a Hire Heroes USA Employment Partner

Women’s history month provides a platform to reflect on women, both throughout history and in our own personal lives, who have succeeded or forged their own paths when faced tremendous adversity. When women’s history is written for 2020 – 2021, the women of today will stand among warriors for the setbacks they’ve faced.

COVID-19 has forced women to leave the workforce in record numbers as, historically, employers are not positioned to offer competitive career opportunities that also allow women to support their families from home. There were 2.2 million fewer women in the labor force in October 2020 compared to October 2019. It is feared that this mass exodus from the workforce will set women back generations. Women with children are seeing the steepest drop of any population as children are in virtual school needing a parent to facilitate and employers are not equipped to provide flexible remote work.

The military spouse population is 92% female. In addition, an estimated 10% of veterans are female. As many female veterans also identify as a military spouse, oftentimes when female veterans leave the service they find themselves confined to the limitations of military family life. Military spouses and female veterans are searching for employers who offer career positions (not just jobs) that allow a flexible schedule to fit the unique lifestyle required of a military family.

Following a PCS to Germany, a Marine Corps spouse saw her successful real estate career disintegrate. This family started a company to shatter the military spouse unemployment cycle and become the employer they were searching for. Freedom Learning Group (FLG) is the leading educational courseware, content and services provider powered by a global remote workforce of military spouses and veterans. FLG’s business model is intentionally designed to fit the needs of military spouses and veterans while keeping them relevant in their respective professional fields with flexible and virtual career possibilities.

FLG provides military spouses and veterans with subject matter expertise the opportunity to reskill and upskill with meaningful employment opportunities wherever in the world they live.

I am a retired Naval Officer and a Military Spouse. As we moved to support my husband’s career, I often had to trade meaningful work for a job while starting at the bottom of a company again and again. With FLG, I am able to stay competitive in my field of expertise even living in a spot with very limited job opportunities. My absolute favorite reason for working with FLG is the flexibility. It allows me to set a strong example for my daughters, as I can strike a work-life balance while supporting my family’s needs.
-Jenna, Veteran, Military Spouse and FLG Subject Matter Expert

The brick and mortar-less company offers career opportunities for every phase of a military spouse or veteran’s career, regardless of where their home office is located. Hired as subject matter experts (SMEs) to support various educational courseware projects for clients in the publishing, education and corporate sectors, SMEs have the freedom to start their own businesses and self-brand as respected masters of their field. Since 2017, FLG has paid out over $4.5 million dollars to military spouses and Veterans.

The stars aligned when I first discovered FLG, as education rings true in my heart. FLG looks for accomplished individuals to provide eLearning curriculum development and my academic leadership background was a perfect match for their needs. I just relocated from Louisiana to Japan without skipping a beat in managing a few teams in content development and accuracy review. I doubt I will ever go back to brick-and-mortar positions because of how perfect FLG fits my lifestyle.
-Stephanie, Military Spouse and FLG Project Manager

As millions of women dropped out of the workforce, FLG continued to grow its workforce based on a model that was specifically built to employ a population that is 92% female through flexible and remote work opportunities while providing quality services to our clients.

FLG is blazing the trail as an industry leader proving that a company can experience tremendous growth and profit while keeping a social mission at the forefront. FLG is challenging other companies to use the experience of going virtual due to COVID-19 as a viable option for their employees moving forward, continuing to provide flexible, portable career opportunities to professional women in the military spouse and veteran communities. Companies, both big and small, need to address the issue of women dropping out of the workforce at unprecedented rates. By creating flexible and remote jobs, employers can break the cycle.

Women’s history is inundated with strong, courageous, resilient and adaptable women. When history books are written about today’s military spouses and female veterans, they will be no exception.

To learn more about FLG or to join the team, please visit freedomlearninggroup.com.

Top Jobs & Training Programs for March 2021

Every month, Hire Heroes USA selects several job openings from our job board to highlight. These job openings are posted by partnered employers who are looking to hire veteran and military spouse talent.

View jobs from our featured employer this month, Amerisave Mortgage Corporation. Also, be sure to check out several training partners by downloading the document below.

Click here to download the newsletter .

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