Veterans Corner April 2020

Heroes Linked Provides Professional Growth for Veterans

Heroes Linked provides professional development resources for veterans, military spouses and transitioning service members. By offering mentoring and other support, its goal is to enhance professional networks, promote professional growth and potentially expand career opportunities.
Résumé advice, networking tips and assistance with finding veteran-friendly jobs are a few of the professional development tools the non-profit gives to those enrolled in the no-cost program. Other services include assistance with medical accommodation in the workplace and post-military security clearance.
Heroes Linked seeks to create digitally accessible mentoring programs for transitioning military members seeking post-service careers and pointing them toward available opportunities based on their skill sets.
All transitioning service members, separated or retired veterans, military spouses, or Gold Star family members (family of a fallen soldier) are eligible to utilize Heroes Linked resources. All eligible individuals, called advisees, will have access to personal, digital and phone-based professional development mentoring with private sector expert advisors. Advisees will be given guidance for every action that is performed on the Heroes Linked platform.
To apply for the program, interested individuals must register as an “advisee” on the Heroes Linked application page https://tinyurl.com/yd2aozag. Advisees and advisors will complete their profile, which identifies their expertise, areas of interest, goals, experience and desired outcomes. A matching algorithm recommends individuals of interest and initiates dialogue.
Advisors or advisees can start a conversation by sending an in-platform message to an individual. Once the message is received and accepted, the advisee can submit various times and dates for a phone call. The advisor will then approve a call time, then schedule it in the Heroes Linked platform. Both parties will then receive an email confirmation for the appointment, as well as an offer to sync to the individual’s personal calendar.
For more on the Heroes Linked Program, visit https://heroeslinked.org.

Written by Sarah Concepcion and editor Michaela Yesis, student interns working for VA’s Digital Media Engagement team.
Submitted by Blake HYFIELD