Did you hear about the tech start-up that is accelerating how career seekers and veteran entrepreneurs engage with the civilian sector? It is creating unprecedented opportunities for thousands of U.S. servicemembers, veterans, and military spouses looking to start a new career after military service.
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Founded by Forbes Top 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur Diana Rau and Marine veterans Daniel Rau and Thy Tang, this unique platform is sparking unlimited networking conversations between the military community and civilian business professionals already working in careers that veterans are interested in pursuing.
This platform is called Veterati. Just 2 years ago, this digital platform did not exist. For the hundreds of thousands of servicemembers preparing to leave the military each year, they now have a “force multiplier” that allows them to network and brand themselves with the best resource. That resource is people on the inside because 80% of jobs come through personal networks. Having the right mentors, connecting with the right successful professionals, is four times more effective than job boards alone.
While there are many great resources and platforms helping servicemembers such as LinkedIn, job-readiness workshops, hiring events, and hundreds of other corporate-sponsored programs, none offers the portability, empowerment, and technical ease the way Veterati does.
It is literally mentorship on the go and can be deployed at various phases during military transition while seeking a job, figuring out what university and degree to invest your GI Bill into, moving upward in your career, or seeking business growth.
Veterati was most recently recognized by the Points of Light—Civic Accelerator for being one of the most innovative start-ups helping U.S. servicemembers and military spouses today.
For the Military Community
The big question that the founders asked themselves before designing Veterati was, “How can we easily connect the military community with insiders in their dream careers to navigate their own journey leveraging the wisdom of successful professionals on the front lines of the industry today?”
In comes Veterati, leveraging algorithmic matching, automated scheduling, just-in-time text messages, and secure system-automated phone calls. This new advanced platform is literally accelerating effective networking engagements with career insiders for free.
These career insiders are people already working in jobs that veterans are trying to get into, and they volunteer their time to help the military community find answers related to employment, education, entrepreneurship, and beyond. Veterati is a fast track to speak with key influencers, donating their time as mentors, through an almost effortless process.
Eighty percent of jobs are not posted online. Veterati offers jobseekers a clever way to tap into the hidden jobs market by connecting them with grateful Americans already working in industry who want to help them succeed.
For the Civilian Community
What is most intriguing about Veterati is that it offers veteran advocates and civilian professionals a personal way to give back by simply sharing their own knowledge and expertise with our heroes.
It’s a way to say more than “thank you for your service.” It’s easy to sign up using a LinkedIn account, and you can begin mentoring before you know it. With Veterati, it’s more than mentorship—it’s gratitude in action!
For the Business Communities
Businesses can leverage Veterati as a highly effective and impactful resource that helps elevate employee engagement with the military community in a cost-effective way, at scale and user data metrics. In a 2017 Volunteer Study, it stated that employees who participated in company-sponsored volunteer programs reported the following:
- 88% of volunteers noted improved self-esteem.
- 93% of volunteers noted improvement in mood.
- 79% of volunteers reported lower stress levels.
- 94% of volunteers reported an enriched sense of purpose.
- 85% of volunteers reported a broader world view.
- 71% of employees who volunteered through their work report feeling much better about their jobs/employer.
So, while helping the military community find answers, it is also a great way for companies to source potential talent for their business and offer a great way for employees to give back in a direct and personal way.
With Veterati, companies can give veterans and military spouses a way to explore your business and culture through its own employees. Wouldn’t that be a win for veterans and a win for your company to pay it forward? Who knows—you might even end up hiring a few rockstars along the way.
 Evan Guzman is a nationally recognized leader with over two decades of experience in strategic corporate development, employment marketing and branding. As a Chief Veteran Advocate, he is highly sought-after by major companies, news media, and veteran service organizations to share leading practices in military engagement and business development.Mr. Guzman is the recipient of U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Hiring Our Heroes – Colonel Michael Endres Award. In addition, his individual efforts have been recognized by former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Michelle Obama, the White House-Joining Forces, and Department of Defense, and many other reputable establishments. He recently left the corporate sector to start The MiLBRAND PROJECT. The MiLBRAND PROJECT seeks to accelerate success for companies and start-up business who want to engage, source, hire and support the military community. As Founder and Chief Veteran Advocate, he will continue to expand his marketing efforts in a larger capacity to support, advocate, brand, raise awareness, work on special event projects and evangelize the immense value of individuals with military experience in business. Mr. Guzman has dedicated his life to assisting U.S. service members and military spouses early in his career to help them find sustainable employment and advancing corporate branding efforts through unique military engagement concepts. |