September is National Suicide Prevention Month. While we are more than halfway through the month, and well on our way to October, Veterans ASCEND knows that Suicide Prevention within the Military Community is a subject that is deeply personal for many of us. In support of this mission, we want to remind you that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
ALONE & ADRIFT
So, you prepared yourself for the next adventure, mapping it out in your Transition Assistance classes, you built your network of support, and with DD-214 in hand you, launch into the Civilian Sea only to find yourself alone and adrift “in the real world.” Each week you cast your net of endless resumes and applications and have not received even a nibble, much less caught the career of your dreams. But why? You are following the maps for success that you were given.
THE EMOTIONAL SHARKS
Multiple times a week we hear from Veterans that sound defeated, and even angry that the process is not working for them like they were promised. The longer we suffer the frustration of radio silence from employers, the more of an emotional toll it takes on us. Our once strong sails of hope and enthusiasm begin to yellow and look more tattered each time they survive storms of rejection. Then the emotional sharks begin to lurk, coming slowly at first: fear, loneliness, failure and anger. As they aggressively circle closer, more sharks join them and we start to feel overwhelmed by a feeding frenzy of emotions we can no longer control.
TAKE THE FIRST STEP AND SEND UP THOSE FLARES
We understand and want you to know that you are NOT ALONE. There are 1000’s of people in the same boat as us, but we cannot see each other in the fog of unemployment. We are taught that flares should be used when we are in distress, so others see us and come to our aid. SEND UP YOUR FLARES! Reach out to the contacts you made while networking and dust off your LinkedIn profile. Use it for additional networking and feel free to start posting about your transition experience; using it as a tool to market yourself. You will quickly be swimming in a tsunami of support and opportunities once again. It is incredible to witness the responses from fellow Veterans and MilSpouses from around the world that want to lift you up and share both their experiences and employment resources.
Feeling like LinkedIn may not be enough or not the type of support you are looking for at the moment? Start researching the Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) within your area…trust us, they are there. They exist to support people just like you and are always looking to connect with and hear from military “family.”
A BEACON OF LIGHT GUIDING YOU OUT OF THE FOG
Robyn Grable, Founder and CEO of Veterans ASCEND, witnessed the employment struggles of many members of the Military Community as they transitioned into civilian life. She identified that the largest hurdle to employment was (and still is) the resume because they are very subjective and can be misinterpreted far too easily. So, she deep-sixed resumes completely when she created Veterans ASCEND, an Artificial Intelligence-powered platform that matches your skills and experiences to open positions with employers who are actively seeking Military Talent.
Let Veterans ASCEND be your lighthouse in the employment fog. It is 100% FREE for Active-Duty, Veterans (of all eras), MilSpouses, and VetSpouses. If you would like to learn more, reserve your spot for a FREE LIVE Walkthrough of the platform and discover how Veterans ASCEND is leading the #FutureofHiring. No Resumes. No Job Applications. No Job Boards.
YOU WANT HELP OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS STRUGGLING, PLEASE CALL 988
If you or a Veteran you know needs support, visit VA.gov/REACH