5 Ways Veterans Can Build Their Brand

  • 1 min read

This month, the military’s Hiring Our Heroes campaign introduced a new branding workshop to their job fairs. The workshop focuses on resumes, interviewing, and career transition skills. Recognizing the importance of the personal brand, the workshop will be a permanent addition to all Hiring Our Heroes job fairs.

In honor of Memorial Day, here are five tips for veterans trying to build their brand:

Get networking

Coming out of the military, you probably already have an extensive professional network. But this doesn’t mean you need to stop meeting new allies. Veteran networks provide the perfect opportunities to expand your connections. For example, Hiring Our Heroes has landed jobs for more than 18,400 veterans and military spouses since 2011. Strong networks are important for the job search because veterans want to help fellow veterans succeed.

Communicate effectively

For anyone sharpening their personal brand, communication is an essential tool. You need to make sure you’re communicating effectively and with the right people. Determine a message highlighting your strengths and share it with the world. Find people who will hire you. Use a variety of communication channels like social media and emails to reach these people.

Use online resources

Veterans have great resources online to help them amp up their brand. Online Personal Branding Resume Engine, for instance, cross-references all service military occupational specialties and Navy enlisted classification codes. The program was developed with help from Fortune 500 human resource managers. Do a search for other veteran job search resources. There are plenty.

Translate your skill set

One of the biggest challenges for veterans is translating their skills, according to Matt Giobbi, a Hiring Our Heroes associate. It’s important to take military skills and translate them into civilian skills on your resume. You have the skills for the job. Now it’s about making employers understand your skills.

Take advantage of all opportunities

There are lots of opportunities for veteran job seekers. Take advantage of the fact that you are a veteran. Many employers are committing to hiring veterans in the next few years. Capital One made a three-year commitment of $4.5 million to engage the business community in hiring 500,000 more veterans by year-end 2014. Since March 2012, more than 1,000 employers have pledged to hire 222,000 veterans and military spouses. Don’t miss out on these opportunities.

Shaping your personal brand is simple. There are more and more opportunities for veterans to learn the best job search techniques and form professional networks. Building a brand is all about taking advantage of the opportunities presented to you.

Picture of Heather R. Huhman

Heather R. Huhman

Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and founder & president ​of Come Recommended, a career and workplace education and consulting firm specializing in young professionals. She is also the author of#ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), national entry-level careers columnist forExaminer.com and blogs about career advice at HeatherHuhman.com.

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

In Denmark, a retired wind-turbine blade was cut and rebuilt as a bike shelter, turning one of the hardest-to-recycle parts of a wind farm into a roof people lock bikes under every day

In Denmark, a retired wind-turbine blade was cut and rebuilt as a bike shelter, turning one of the hardest-to-recycle parts of a wind farm into a roof people lock bikes under every day

The Vessel
Bloggers past the 10-year mark earn more than double what 5-to-10-year bloggers make each month, but a 2025 survey of 187 bloggers found their revenue per pageview is actually lower

Bloggers past the 10-year mark earn more than double what 5-to-10-year bloggers make each month, but a 2025 survey of 187 bloggers found their revenue per pageview is actually lower

The Blog Herald
Smokers who felt that quitting would make them a different person were further from thinking of themselves as ex-smokers, and in a year-long study that distance is what tracked who actually stopped

Smokers who felt that quitting would make them a different person were further from thinking of themselves as ex-smokers, and in a year-long study that distance is what tracked who actually stopped

The Vessel
HHMI Janelia and Google mapped more than 166,000 neurons and about 11,700 cell types in a male fruit fly’s brain, producing the first complete wiring diagram of a male fly central nervous system

HHMI Janelia and Google mapped more than 166,000 neurons and about 11,700 cell types in a male fruit fly’s brain, producing the first complete wiring diagram of a male fly central nervous system

The Vessel
Scientists recovered 21 ancient sheeppox genomes from parchment manuscripts spanning about 1700 BCE to early modern times, showing the livestock virus has threatened herds for at least 3,500 years

Scientists recovered 21 ancient sheeppox genomes from parchment manuscripts spanning about 1700 BCE to early modern times, showing the livestock virus has threatened herds for at least 3,500 years

The Vessel
When an older person says a plan or person “isn’t worth the energy anymore,” that’s rarely apathy talking; it’s usually a blunt but accurate description of how they’ve learned to spend a limited emotional budget

When an older person says a plan or person “isn’t worth the energy anymore,” that’s rarely apathy talking; it’s usually a blunt but accurate description of how they’ve learned to spend a limited emotional budget

Global English Editing
Load more
CATEGORIES
Explore