SAN FRANCISCO — Leading employers and human resources professionals from a cross section of industries have banded together with a shared mission of increasing the representation of veterans and their spouses in the workforce. As part of Project Legion, a newly formed consortium, a group of committed employers and HR technology platforms, is working together to improve the chances that veteran candidates are considered and hired for open positions.
Approximately 200,000 veterans enter civilian life each year, according to the Department of Defense, yet they remain an often overlooked and underrepresented group in today’s workforce, despite possessing the experience and skills setting them up for success. Project Legion members share the belief the recruiting and hiring process should be more inclusive to veteran candidates and provide them with exposure to job opportunities they might not have otherwise.
“The hard truth is veterans simply do not have equal footing in the job search process, and that can impede their career potential and have far-reaching effects on workforce diversity,” said Hari Kolam, CEO of Findem, an AI-driven recruiting company that founded Project Legion and provides the enabling technology. “We wanted to provide more than just lip service to this pervasive issue and, in collaboration with like-minded companies, think we can make a tangible difference.”
Companies currently committed to the Project Legion consortium include Celanese, Equinix, Findem, Glider AI, Guardant Health, Intuitive Surgical, Omnicell, RingCentral and The HireKey. Other interested companies can apply to get involved here.
How It Works
Project Legion provides participating companies with a continuous pipeline of veteran candidates, and connects candidates to top companies with the types of open roles they’re seeking.
How the process works:
- Companies and candidates can apply online for free to be a part of Project Legion
- Companies list their openings in five high-volume and in-demand roles: HR generalist, business development representative, customer success manager, front-end engineer and support engineer
- Using Findem’s platform, which includes a massive database of nearly 4 million veteran candidates, Project Legion builds a candidate pipeline for each of the select roles by searching for candidates based on the “veteran” attribute in combination with other attributes
- A team of Luminaries—featuring respected veterans, such as Randy Biskeborn and Chris Galy–reach out to candidates for each role on Project Legion’s behalf
- Interested candidates are screened through Glider AI and given the opportunity to interview with employer companies
- Interested and vetted candidates are introduced to the employer companies who proceed with the interviews and hiring process
- The first company to have an offer accepted by the candidate makes the hire
“I’ve seen firsthand the unique set of challenges that veterans must overcome when entering or navigating their way through the civilian workforce, whether it’s translating their military experience into business competencies, finding the right opportunities or being equitably included in the recruiting and hiring process,” said Biskeborn, a 21-year veteran of both the US Navy and Air National Guard. “I joined this initiative because I want to help veterans pave a path toward better opportunities and realize the world is their oyster when it comes to the types of roles and industries where they can excel.”
Added Jason Cameron from Work for Warriors, “Project Legion is exactly what’s needed to help propel veteran representation in the workforce in a truly meaningful and intentional way!”
Member Support:
“I am honored that Glider AI can commit its Screening Platform to make hiring equitable for veterans,” shares Satish Kumar, CEO of Glider AI. He continues, “Most importantly, this will enable veterans to showcase their strengths that employers often overlook and help them land their dream job faster.”
“We place enormous value on the contributions that veterans bring to Guardant Health. As a veteran myself, I know firsthand that those transitioning from active duty can use extra support as they pursue new career opportunities,” said Chris Freeman, CCO of Guardant Health. “Project Legion aligns with our ‘Stronger Together’ company value. Through this consortium, we are excited to put more allied power behind veteran hiring and to help veteran hires chart successful career paths.”
“As a U.S. Army veteran, I know it’s important to support our military service members with career and job support. At RingCentral, it’s a big part of what we stand for and it’s why we provide mentorship, job training, and career opportunities. Project Legion is a great way for RingCentral to continue to show up for all members of our country’s military,” said Abby Hyde, RingCentral’s University Recruitment & DEI Manager.
“As a mission-driven company, employees with military experience at Omnicell have been invaluable to our company’s success,” said Maximo Rocha, VP of Talent Acquisition & Corporate HR at Omnicell. “Project Legion is a big step in the right direction to unlock more opportunities for veterans as they enter civilian life. We are honored to participate in the initiative and the opportunity to employ veterans and their spouses.”
“We at The HireKey have been supporting veterans through Travis Air Force Base job fairs for years,” said The HireKey Co-founder Andrew Gardiner. “Project Legion is a far reaching and cutting-edge solution, and I can’t say enough good things about it. Huge fan.”
About Project Legion
Project Legion, powered by Findem, is a consortium of committed employers and HR technology solution vendors working together to hire veterans and their spouses for a range of roles, with a mission of increasing veteran representation in the workplace. Project Legion supports the career goals of veteran candidates currently in the workforce, in addition to mapping veteran skills to corporate job skills to help those transitioning into the civilian labor force. Visit us at www.projectlegion.org to participate as an employer member or veteran candidate.
