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November 4, 2024
GREEN BAY – A new hiring portal is encouraging regional businesses to reinforce their ranks with military service members.
New North, Inc. – a regional economic development nonprofit – has partnered with Mission: Workforce Alliance to develop the Military Hiring Portal to better connect transitioning service members (TSMs) and veterans with potential employers.
Rebecca Deschane, vice president of talent development at New North, said the online recruitment tool – which launched earlier this fall – fosters a “talent pipeline here to Northeast Wisconsin.”
“It’s really a full spectrum of skills that they’re bringing into our workforce,” Deschane said of TSMs. “Being able to connect them with (employment) opportunities is really quite spectacular.”
Per the U.S. Department of Labor, approximately 200,000 service members transition to civilian life each year.
Deschane said New North works closely with Semper Forward/Mission Wisconsin, collaborating as part of the New North Hires Heroes initiative, attending hiring events for TSMs held at military installations and adding candidates to the portal who have indicated interest.
The portal, she said, further aids the unique transition process for service members, while helping area businesses bolster their teams with TSMs’ talents, soft skills and exceptional work ethic and – as part of the broader goal of New North – strengthen the economy and sense of community in Northeast Wisconsin.
“It’s going to put (businesses) in touch with some individuals who have already expressed either a desire to come back to the State of Wisconsin or that they’re open to relocation and willing to have a conversation about what that opportunity might be with that company,” Deschane said.
How it works
Deschane said regional businesses are encouraged to sign up – free of charge – to use the Military Hiring Portal through New North’s website (thenewnorth.com).
“The portal is really designed for the business community,” she said. “I’ve kind of described it as similar to how LinkedIn Recruiter works. Businesses who sign up and are connected into the portal are going to have access to the candidate profiles that are in a two-week to 90-day hiring window.”
Deschane said new candidates are added all the time, as more and more individuals who are in the pipeline reach that hiring window.
“(Meaning) they’re at that stage in their military transition, or they’re looking for those jobs where they want to get that employment secured, so they can work through those next steps of relocation, finding a house and getting connected into a community,” she said.
Deschane said this type of recruitment tool can be especially beneficial for small- and mid-sized businesses that may not have the resources to support such specialized talent acquisition.
As a complimentary resource, she said Semper Forward/Mission Wisconsin works with interested TSMs to craft resumes, provide coaching and mock interviews and create profiles for the portal indicating their skills and preferred civilian career fields, such as:
- Business development
- Data analysis
- Engineering
- Logistics
- Project management
- Manufacturing
- Information technology
- Human resources
- Construction
- Various trades
“(Businesses) have an opportunity now to go in and review candidates from all different backgrounds,” Deschane said. “The businesses can begin that outreach to the candidates where they can talk to them and say, ‘I’ve seen your profile and your resume, and would like to talk more with you about an employment opportunity at XYZ company,’ and begin that dialogue.”
New North and Mission: Workforce Alliance also help to support businesses’ veteran readiness, she said – with technical assistance and training, respectively, beyond the hiring process.
“We’re working with our business community to help them understand the policies, the procedures and the action steps that they can have in place to be able to connect specifically with the transitioning service member talent pipeline, but really for all of their veterans (they employ),” Deschane said. “(We help them) create that veteran-ready workplace culture where veterans know they are welcome, where they can thrive and where they can have that connectivity with their fellow service members as well.”
Welcome in Wisconsin
Due to several factors impacting TSMs, Deschane said, “transition is hard.”
“People maybe don’t understand all of the different parameters and the things that are happening for a service member and their family as they’re working to transition,” she said. “(As a TSM), you’re leaving the only job (you know), you’re leaving your friends and your comrades, you’re leaving your team and your unit and you’re packing up one job while you’re trying to look for a new job. There are a lot of things in flux, and then just being able to translate all of the skill sets that you have – that are known in the military community – into civilian workforce terminology, there can be a lot of angst that goes along with it.”
Per its current reports, since 2020, New North Hires Heroes has helped recruit 86 TSMs and their families (comprising 213 dependents, including 52 spouses) to transition to civilian work and life in the region – with an annual economic impact of more than $8.5 million.
“When you talk about trying to have ‘brain gain’ and attract new talent into our region, that’s just a great testament to the skills that they’re bringing in to be part of our workforce, but more importantly, the families that are coming in to be part of our communities,” Deschane said.
She said it’s common for TSMs to consider relocating following their service, and Wisconsin is a particularly attractive destination, not only ranked No. 1 for veterans’ benefits but also with a cost of living 19% below the national average and commute times among the country’s best.
With the advantages the region provides and scores of service members constantly transitioning to civilian careers, Deschane said the success of the Military Hiring Portal will primarily rely on the continued participation of area businesses.
As part of her outreach and work with the Department of Workforce Development and the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce, Deschane said she will be in regular contact with the business community with updates regarding the portal, new candidates, hiring practices, success stories and generally promoting the portal’s benefits.
“The more (businesses) use it, the more they’re going to be familiar with it and the more they’re going to be able to do that outreach,” she said. “Hopefully, we can begin to start seeing some of those matches made and those opportunities for individuals to relocate here.”
Deschane said she has relished the opportunity to assist veterans via the New North, as well as in her previous work at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
“I am just a strong supporter of our military community,” she said. “I did not serve – but this is a way for me to give back to those who did serve our country. This is a passion area for me. It’s exciting to be able to create opportunities.”
Often, when others learn about the nature of her work, Deschane said people regularly share anecdotes with her regarding the difficulties of transitioning from military service, further adding to her inspiration.
“It just reinforces that need for us to be able to work with our business community so that as these service members are making that transition, they’re landing in a strong spot,” she said. “We can work with (veterans) to make sure that they’re able to find that opportunity that’s going to help them thrive.”
