On April 18th, Hope For The Warriors teamed up with John Rose and SourceAmerica to host a webinar/workshop. The SourceAmerica Veterans Program connects veterans with disabilities to their nationwide network of nonprofit agencies looking for talented employees with specialized skills and a proven dedication to duty.
Special guest Veteran Policy Analyst John Rose hosted the virtual event. The mission for SourceAmerica is simple: increase the employment of people with disabilities by building strong partnerships with the federal government and engaging a network of nonprofit agencies and experts.
SourceAmerica is building a bridge to connect non-profit agencies with veterans with disabilities and veterans looking to serve in leadership roles. SourceAmerica has about 450 non-profit agencies in its network, employing over 5,000 veterans. Their goal is to continue building this number by building new job boards and partnerships like Hope For The Warriors.
#ICYMI, here are some questions from the event, with answers from John Rose.
Do you offer any connections to vendors or contracting opportunities?
“That’s all we do is government contracts. We’re always looking for people in contracting, always looking for account managers. Yes, yes to all. That’s not just SourceAmerica, That’s within our non-profit agencies also because they’re the ones building those relationships with local bases, DOD, labor, and education.”
What type of training do you provide in the opportunities that military skills are not applicable in the civilian world?
“I would disagree with that. Everything you do in the military is transferrable to a civilian sector job. You’re going through leadership. You’re going through strategic thinking. I would discourage anybody from thinking that their military career doesn’t translate. For anything you need to do that needs training, SourceAmerica offers tuition assistance after your first year of employment. If you’re a person with disabilities that needs adaptive equipment, we’ll send engineers down to that non-profit agency to re-engineer your work area so you can [do your] best work.”
I just want to beat a dead horse and say everything you did in the military is translatable.
Where is the best place to post resumes when looking for new types of opportunities?
“One thing I did not realize is that if you submit your resume, that hiring manager or recruiter is going to bounce that off LinkedIn. The biggest thing is to get your resume together and link it to your LinkedIn. Make those the same.”
Are all positions short, and long-term contracts? Are there any remote positions?
“Yes, yes, and yes. A lot of our non-profit leadership might have remote [opportunities], so there are a lot of different opportunities out there. Most of our contracts are 1+4 years, so it’s at least five years.”
How do veterans overcome places or employers that say they are overqualified due to being prior military?
“I would say talk to that recruiter. Don’t be shy to talk to that employer about your goals. If your goals are to be a manager or not to be a manager, you must leave that door open with that employer.”
Where should I send my resume?
You can head over to the website: https://www.sourceamerica.org/
If you’re moving somewhere that you want to find gainful employment, stable jobs, let me know. Our starting wage is $16.20. Depending on where you’re moving to, I can connect you to that local non-profit and get it going.”
Contact John Rose for more information: JRose@sourceamerica.org
Here is the full video: