Disrupting the Veteran Employment Ecosystem by INvets’ Wes Wood

Disruption Interruption podcast host and veteran communications disruptor, KJ Helms, interviews Wes Wood, Executive Director at INvets, a nonprofit organization providing “deep dive” help for military personnel that need assistance with deciding on and preparing for civilian jobs.

According to the Department of Defense, about 200,000 servicemembers transition to civilian life each year. (1) Most people don’t realize that many veterans experience numerous challenges in that transition. These include the search for jobs in the civilian sector. During their time in the military, veterans often serve in concentrated areas, with little or no interaction or experience with the civilian side. But once they leave the military, veterans are trying to grapple what kind of job they want, whether they should go back home or relocate, and more. At the same time, many veterans lack the skills necessary for seeking job opportunities — resume writing, interviewing, and so on. The mandated transition assistance program provides a week-long workshop that teaches basic job-seeking skills. However, it is difficult to find time to attend and woefully inadequate for preparing veterans for civilian life.

But enter disruptor Wes Wood, Executive Director of INvets, who explains to KJ Helms, host of the Disruption / Interruption podcast, who says veterans still need help with their transitions to civilian jobs. In Indiana, his organization has made connections in every community throughout the state. They have leveraged other nonprofits and state agencies, thereby maximizing their reach to provide the “deep dive” help for the 20 percent of veterans that need it. For the other 80 percent of veterans seeking direction, INvets also provides a robust web-based tool for them to make job connections.

Wes explains:

1. Most people believe that there are many lucrative opportunities available. However, for veterans, the search can be challenging.
2. There are numerous challenges for individuals transitioning from military to civilian life and finding work. There is an adaptation process.
3. Some of the questions veterans contend with are: Where do they relocate to the post-military? Do they return home? Do they look at job boards for local positions, etc.?
4. Each year, between 200,000 and 300,000 veterans transition from military life to civilian life and a civilian job.
5. The majority of the people exiting the military don’t have a lot of time in the civilian sector and are often uncertain of what to do next.
6. All personnel exiting the military must go through the transition assistance program, a congressionally mandated program. It provides basic skills such as how to compose resumes.
7. As economic development has outpaced population growth in the Midwest, hiring veterans presents an excellent solution.

Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you’ll hear from today’s biggest Industry Disruptors. Learn what motivated them to bring about change and how they overcome opposition to adoption.

Quote of the show:

23:56 “One of the key things that’s plagued the veteran ecosystem for years is collaboration. So there are a lot of nonprofits, the nonprofit world is very competitive. Everyone’s going after a certain amount of dollars that are given out by veteran-focused foundations, endowments, entities. A lot of times what you see is organizations trying to elbow each other out, not collaborating. I want to count that as my win…”

About INvets:
INvets is a nonprofit public/private partnership with the state of Indiana that’s all about attracting, retaining, and cultivating our state’s veteran workforce. INvets is dedicated to matching the nation’s veteran workforce and their spouses with rewarding, lucrative career opportunities here in Indiana. INVets has all the resources veterans and their families need to find purpose and prosperity — and is here to help them every step of the way. INVets can be found online at invets.org.

About Wes Wood:
After five years in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division as an infantry noncommissioned officer, Wes moved to Indianapolis to earn his MBA at Indiana University. Wes’ work with Conexus Indiana exposed him to the high demand employers across the state have for quality talent. Wes helped found INvets to connect those employers to the veteran population. Wes can be reached at wes@invets.org.

1. U.S. Government Accountability Office. “Transitioning Servicemembers: Information on Military Employment Assistance Centers.” 17 June 2019, gao.gov/products/gao-19–438r.

And lastly, if you’re a disruptor…

I would like to chat with Karla Jo about maximizing my Disruptive Thought Leadership — contact KJ Helms.

I’d like to learn about the ROI of Anti-PR — download this ROI eBook.

I would like to apply to be a guest on Disruption Interruption.