Veterans have been held back for far too long when it comes to getting hired for civilian jobs, and they are too often overlooked when companies look to optimize their recruitment strategy and hire more diverse talent. So, given that WayUp has been the #1 platform for recruiting top, diverse early career talent since 2014, we decided to take action and provide a solution — for both employers and veterans.

As of September 2020, the veteran unemployment rate in the United States was at 6.8%. This group of candidates has historically been left behind in recruitment because of the perception that their skills on the field don’t always translate to their skills in a civilian workforce — and that’s where companies go wrong... by using rigid and old-fashioned hiring practices or criteria that hold them back from attracting and hiring minority groups like veterans. 

At WayUp, we know that military veterans are a great asset to companies and possess scores of unique talents and vital leadership skills. It’s for these reasons (and so many more) that we’re thrilled to announce that WayUp is partnering with the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) and Veterans on Wall Street (VOWS) to help more veteran candidates get hired.

Through our new partnership, BWF and VOWS will be encouraging all of their veteran members, who are still early in their careers, to the WayUp platform to create profiles and search for job opportunities. Conversely, employers on WayUp — like Nasdaq, Citi, Unilever, Under Armour, and more — will be able to easily search for and proactively message veteran candidates on the platform. 

We believe this partnership is not only beneficial for the WayUp community and veterans, but it’s also a great opportunity for employers because veterans are such a crucial part of a diverse workforce (and research shows that employers do better with more diversity). Not to mention, we constantly hear that employers want to hire people who have faced adversity, and we’d argue that fighting for our country certainly fits that bill.

We couldn’t imagine better partners for this impactful initiative. Since their founding in 2006, the BWF has led an enduring call to action for people to stand up for heroes and meet the emerging and long-term needs of today’s veterans. To date, BWF has invested nearly $70 million to Find, Fund and Shape™ programs that have empowered impacted veterans, service members, and their family members across the nation. 

Meanwhile, VOWS is a consortium of more than 100 firms dedicated to honoring former and current military personnel by facilitating career and business opportunities since 2010. Collectively, we know that finding job opportunities for veteran candidates is just one way to help meet the long-term needs of today’s veterans, and we’re incredibly proud to be partnering with BWF and VOWS to help make that happen. 

To get started:

• Employers can email WayUp (engage@wayup.com) for more information on the partnership or utilize WayUp to recruit veterans. (A portion of proceeds related to this partnership will be donated to the Bob Woodruff Foundation.) Furthermore, employers can look out for webinar content that will help them learn how to improve their hiring practices for recruiting veterans.
  

• Veterans can create a free WayUp profile that highlights their unique skill set. From there, our platform will match veteran candidates with open roles at top employers across the country — while assisting them throughout the entire recruitment process. (In collaboration with VOWS, we’re also going to be releasing more content aimed at veterans to help them with the job search and interview process.) We also encourage you to RSVP to the VOWS Symposium, being held virtually on November 9, 2020, where you’ll hear directly from leaders across industries (including General Joseph Dunford, Michael Corbat, the CEO at Citi, and Bob Woodruff himself) who will share words of wisdom and advice, along with resume workshops -- all completely for free.
  

We truly couldn’t be more excited about this partnership with BWF and VOWS, and we look forward to seeing the impact we can create together.