MACV is hosting a series of recurring webinars for all job seekers through our Employment Services program. The webinars came about through feedback solicited by the MACV Employment Services team, who reached out to current and former program participants to see how they were coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feedback focused on a lack of access to two services MACV previously provided during in-office visits: the resume classes formerly held twice a week in the MACV conference room, and an orientation session held in partnership with VA Community Employment Coordinator and Army Veteran Deric Williams focused on navigating and applying to jobs on federal job website USAJobs. Veterans and staff alike also noted the increasing number of companies conducting job interviews via phone or web-based platforms.
Responding to the evolving needs of Veterans looking for work, we hosted the first of our web series in June with “Resume Development,” followed up in August with “USAJobs: Learning How to Apply for Government Jobs,” and launching the “Telephone and Video Conference Interviewing Skills and Techniques” webinar in September. Staff also introduced a virtual workshop covering how to install Zoom, conduct basic internet searches, and complete online job searches and applications in September.
The team is also collaborating with MACV’s newly created Justice Involved Veterans initiative to develop a webinar aimed at addressing justice involvement during a job interview. These webinars are possible because of the hard work and expertise of presenters Bob Anderson (MACV), Deric Williams (Department of Veterans Affairs), and Kari Elias (Cygnus Recruiting Group). Thank you for your commitment to stabilizing Veterans in need!