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We need your help to continue our great work. Veterans Forward offers giving levels for any budget. If you are interested in supporting our programs and services, contact us today. For more information about donating to National Able Network, please contact Bridget Altenburg at baltenburg@nationalable.org or call 312.994.4213.

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Mission Forward Blog

Google Makes it Easier for Veterans to Search for Jobs

Vets October 11, 2018

Many veterans find it difficult to search for jobs in the civilian workforce once their time in the military comes to an end. Some...

Many veterans find it difficult to search for jobs in the civilian workforce once their time in the military comes to an end. Some of the biggest hurdles are knowing which companies are veteran friendly or are led by veterans. Another big challenge is finding employment opportunities that match their military background and use the skills they learned during their service. Fortunately, Google has made it easier for veterans who are searching for civilian employment. Google recently implemented two new tools specific to veterans. One tool is an icon that appears on the business’ Google+ page that denotes it as “Veteran-Led.” According to Forbes, the icon will let users know if a business is owned, led, or founded by a veteran. The other tool is extremely useful for finding job postings. Veterans can use the search term “jobs for veterans” followed by their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC), and Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) codes, according to Forbes. Google will return search results with job postings that are location-specific and match with a veteran’s service experience. These new tools are easy to use and can help ease the transition back to civilian life. If you are a veteran looking to transition from the military to a civilian career, click here or call 312.994.8308 to learn more about Veterans Forward at National Able Network.

“Able” To Find Her Perfect Career!

Megan Hammond May 31, 2018

Did you know that May is Older Americans Month? This year’s Older Americans Month celebration was highlighted with the theme of “Engage at Every...

Did you know that May is Older Americans Month? This year’s Older Americans Month celebration was highlighted with the theme of “Engage at Every Age” and encouraged everyone, young and old, to take part in activities that help to enrich your life physically, mentally and emotionally. At National Able Network, we shared how our amazing Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) participants make a difference everyday in our communities through their community service work. As we close out this Older Americans Month, I would like to take the opportunity to highlight one of our most spectacular seniors, Wendy Harris! Wendy enrolled with National Able Network’s SCSEP in 2014. At that time she had been out of the workforce for about six years and was feeling frustrated and disillusioned with her job search. She recognized that she needed additional skill development but did not know where to start. Wendy’s first training placement was in the National Able Network Customer Contact Center where, despite her limited computer skills, she quickly picked up the new tasks, demonstrated an enthusiasm to learn and quickly became the “go-to person” for her fellow SCSEP participants in the Contact Center who had questions. Recognizing these leadership skills, Wendy was transitioned into the Senior Ambassador Program with SCSEP where she used her blossoming computer skills to help with the structured training of other SCSEP participants. As a Senior Ambassador, and under the guidance of the National Able Network Training Department, Wendy assisted her fellow participants with their training in Microsoft Office Suite. She proctored their remote online training classes, followed-up with their homework assignments and provided one-on-one mentoring so that they could achieve their learning goals. Wendy was a smashing success! Following this experience as a Senior Ambassador, Wendy moved into the Program Aide training placement where she provided support to Illinois SCSEP Career Coach, Jacqueline Owens, with the management of Jackie’s caseload. As a Program Aide, Wendy had the opportunity to train other SCSEP participants on basic internet and computer skills. She has also honed her public speaking skills by conducting weekly SCSEP Information Sessions for program applicants. During her experience with National Able Network’s SCSEP, Wendy said that she would love to be hired by National Able Network. Wendy found her “perfect fit” as a Workforce Coordinator with our Veterans Forward team! Now Wendy is applying all of her amazing customer service and computer skills that she has developed through her different SCSEP training placements to veterans. “I am thankful that National Able Network gave me the opportunity to be all that I could be and let me find my place in life,” said Wendy. “I went from being a timid person to being a strong and self-sufficient person that I am today. I am honored and look forward to being on the Veterans Forward team. Thank you to National Able Network for the opportunities to change my career!” We are so happy to see Wendy shine in this new position and wish her the best in her future as an employee of National Able Network! Congrats, Wendy! Pictured above (left to right): Illinois Director of Senior Services Jenna Holzberg, Veterans Forward Program Manager Kat Schaeffer, Workforce Coordinator Wendy Harris and Illinois SCSEP Career Coach Jacqueline Owens

Technology Professional Installs New Skills and Connects to a New Career!

Megan Hammond April 15, 2018

Gerald Minzey, a United States Army veteran with 15 years of experience in Information Technology and 10 years of experience in Project Management, found...

Gerald Minzey, a United States Army veteran with 15 years of experience in Information Technology and 10 years of experience in Project Management, found himself out of work with nowhere to turn.

He came to National Able Network looking for job search assistance to get back into the workforce. Gerald enrolled in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and BACK TO WORK 50+ and began taking the steps necessary to find his next career! “It was a great program and there are a lot of classes you go through,” said Gerald, “I haven’t put out a resume in years and years, so the automatic tracking system kicked me out. Everything I was doing was wrong!” Gerald attended National Able Network’s JUMPSTART workshops, which focused on resume development, LinkedIn training and interview preparation to develop his job search skills. He worked with National Able Network Career Coach, Shawn MacKenzie, to revise his resume and start getting in front of prospective employers. They also worked together on interview training. “Shawn was fantastic, down to earth and straight forward. It’s nice to have someone who enjoys what they’re doing, and clearly shows it,” says Gerald. In addition to providing him with the tools and resources to acquire updated job search skills, Gerald said National Able Network gave him the right career connections. In fact, the connections Gerald made through National Able Network led him to land his next career as a Vice President at JPMorgan Chase! “The recruiters and contacts National Able Network has is what really got me this position. My original resume was not formatted that well, and Shawn and (Account Manager) Jonathan [Kimmel] worked with me and sent it out to some of their contacts,” Gerald said. “National Able Network updated what I needed to know. The game has changed, and everything had to be updated. The classes there put you on the right track and the people do as well.” Congratulations, Gerald! Are you looking to start your next career? National Able Network can help! Click here or call 855-994-8300 today to learn more.

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