Networking talent

Work of Honor leads the way

By J.M. Simpson on February 10, 2017

The nation's economy is only as strong as the talents of the people who work in it.

Some of those individuals are veterans.

Work of Honor, which began operations in 2015, is a community of veterans and business professionals committed to combining best business practices and military operational strategies in providing a highly trained work force to grow and enhance the economic strength of the nation.

The strength of this community lies in its abilities to leverage networking abilities.

"There is a new generation of veterans," wrote Wes O'Donnell in an article entitled, "Hiring Veterans: The Best-Kept Secret in Business."

"These men and women are smarter than every generation that's come before.  They are tech-savvy, primarily because most of them are Generation X or Millennials."

O'Donnell also believes that over the next 20 years, today's veterans will be responsible for one of the largest economic booms in American history.

Work of Honor is positioned to help this occur.

"We understand that talent acquisition and the human capital that veterans and their spouses represent today is desired by many companies," said Fred Melvin, an Army veteran and operations director.

"This is a grassroots objective as to why business should hire veterans."

The grass is growing as businesses such as Starbucks, Frito Lay, Foss Tug and others are paying attention.

Research done at the Kellogg School by Carola Frydman and Efraim Benmelech found that "firms that are run by CEOs with military experience perform better than other CEOs."

"We've partnered with over 420 companies," commented Jason Routzahn, director of account management, "and we now have three thousand-plus job opportunities on our website."

He went on to point out that Work of Honor engages with companies that have occupational categories that he then matches with the military occupational specialties, or MOSs, of the veterans who are seeking employment.

At Work of Honor, there is a straightforward process in order to get started.

"Go to our website, workofhonor.com, and create a profile," explained Melvin.  "Our team will reach out to those with profiles and help to network them with opportunities."

To aid this process, Work of Honor partners with over 20 authors who write highly informative articles on the successes and challenges veterans face in getting into companies.

"Candidates with profiles can go to a company's page and then apply to the company's website," said Melvin.

Work of Honor also hosts networking events that allows companies to briefly (30 seconds at maximum) about available positions and then let job candidates meet and talk.

The next event will be Feb. 22 at Sodo Kitchen, which is located on the 3rd floor of Starbucks Coffee Company Headquarters at 2401 Utah Ave. South in Seattle.

"Begin early and start to network," continued Melvin.

"Use all the resources you can; don't turn down any help.  Work of Honor is here to help you."

Work of Honor is located at 1901 Jefferson Ave., Suite 214 in Tacoma.  For more information, visit workofhonor.com or call 206.686.2898.