Supporting Women Veterans in Career Transition
Background
Every year, thousands of women transition out of military service, bringing with them a wealth of leadership experience, discipline, and mission-driven focus. Despite these strengths, many face challenges in translating military experience into the civilian workforce, navigating career options, and building networks. Women veterans, in particular, often lack tailored resources that address both gender and service-related transition hurdles.
Objective
To create a focused WBC initiative that empowers women veterans and transitioning service members with the tools, mentorship, and professional networks necessary for a successful career transition into business and leadership roles.
Proposed Initiative : WBC Vets Lead
WBC Vets Lead will be a multi-pronged program under the Women Business Collaborative umbrella focused on the following goals:
- Career Readiness & Rebranding
- Provide workshops on resume translation, LinkedIn optimization, and interview skills tailored to military-to-civilian career shifts.
- Offer storytelling and branding training to help veterans articulate their unique value.
- Technical training in areas like AI, cyber, entrepreneurship, business certification, and board readiness.
- Mentorship & Sponsorship
- Match women veterans with WBC’s established network of senior women leaders and executives for structured mentorship.
- Create sponsor relationships to open doors to high-impact roles.
- Networking & Community
- Host regular virtual and in-person networking events featuring panels with successful women veteran leaders in business.
- Create a dedicated WBC community channel for peer support and resource sharing.
- Employer Engagement
- Partner with businesses and corporate leaders to create pipelines and inclusive hiring practices for women veterans.
- Highlight companies that are championing veteran hiring through WBC recognition programs.
Expected Impact
- Increase career placement rates and upward mobility of women veterans.
- Bridge the civilian-military employment gap with tailored leadership pathways.
- Build a sustainable support network that lasts well beyond the initial transition.
