BTU #267 - Hiring our Heroes (Anna Christen)

When I first transitioned, I was applying to any and every job. The second time around I did it a little differently – I was more intentional about what jobs would be a good fit for me.
— Anna Christen

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Why Listen:
Anna helps run the Military Spouse Program at Hiring our Heroes. In this interview we talk about the 1,00 career summits Hiring our Heroes has conducted, and lessons for Veterans and their spouses. We talk about a Corporate Fellowship program that every Veteran and their family members should know about. We talk about a whole host of resources relevant to any military Veteran.

About Anna:
Anna Christen is the Deputy Director-Military Spouse Program, Hiring Our Heroes. Hiring our Heroes is a nationwide initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find meaningful employment. Anna started out at West Point, after which she served in the Army for over five years as a Human Resources Officer, and is currently serving in the Reserves. She is in the process of obtaining her MBA at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

Our Sponsor: 

  • StoryBox- People trust each other more than advertising. StoryBox provides the tools and supports businesses need to take the best things customers say about them, and use them to drive more sales and referrals. StoryBox offers a 10% discount to companies employing veterans of the US Armed Forces.

  • Audible is offering one FREE audio book to Beyond the Uniform listeners. You can claim this offer here, and see a list of books recommended by my guests at BeyondTheUniform.io/books

Selected Resources: 

  • Related Episodes

  • Resources

    • Service Academy Career Conference (SACC) - this is how Anna found and prepared for her first job. She went two years in a row

    • In Gear Career - focus of connecting career minded military spouse with fulfilling career paths. [now the military spouse professional network]

    • Hiring our Heroes Career Summit - have done over 1,100 summits, and go straight to the service member to bring companies on base who are looking to hire members of the military community.

    • Corporate Fellowship program - companies who are actively hiring military veterans take people on active duty for a 12-month fellowship. After the fellowship, the service member and company can desire whether or not to move forward. https://www.hiringourheroes.org/fellowships/. She recommends starting the application process 9-12 months prior to separation. military spouse professional network with HoH

    • Amplify - 2-day career intensives. If you’re a spouse just entering or re-entering the workforce (or interested in entrepreneurship) you can go to an Amplify conference and get a Mastermind match for 2-days of intense career and professional development.

  • Books

    • Grit - the one intrinsic quality that defines why some people succeed and persevere. It examines what it is and why some people may do better than others because of it.

  • Podcasts
    * The JJ Redick podcast

Transcript & Time Stamps: