Using Helmets to Hardhats New Veteran Career Network

By Ted Wadsworth, Helmets to Hardhats Marketing Coordinator 

Finding a job through career networking has been around for a long time because it is one of the more effective tactics one can employ. According to a 2005 article in U.S. News and World Report titled How To Find That Perfect Job, as many as 60 percent of jobs are found through networking. With numbers like these, it's only smart to make networking an integral part of your career search.

In October, Helmets to Hardhats brought online a powerful new career network for veterans interested in a career in the building and construction industry. The new veteran career network enables veterans to connect with other veterans to provide advice, support and most importantly, leads and references for career openings.

To access the Helmets to Hardhats Career Network, you must login to the Helmets to Hardhats website. If you are not already a member, simply click on the Create Account button and follow the instructions. It only takes a few minutes.

Once you're logged in, place your mouse over the "Military Account" tab until a dropdown menu appears. Click on the My Career Network link at the bottom of the dropdown menu. You are now in the Career Network.

The first thing you might notice at the top of the page are tools that will help you edit your profile, view messages sent to you by others, conduct searches and manage your contact. Let's take a closer look at these tools.

Click on the Edit Profile link. Here you can review and edit your profile. To make changes to your profile, click the "edit" links to the right, make necessary changes and click "Update Account" to save your changes. To return to the Career Network page, click the "Career Network" link at the top of the page.

The Message Center is where you go to view messages you have received and sent to  others. From here you can also go to "My Contact" to view or manage names in your network. To add people to your network, you must first communicate with them. So, let's do a search.

Click on the Search link. Notice this takes you back to the Career Network page.  The Career Network enables you to find people with whom you might want to communicate using a variety of search options. You can search by first and/or last name, branch of service, trade/skill set, skill level and location. Let's do a search.

Let's say you want to find apprentice carpenters in Virginia. Leave the First and Last Name and Brach of Service fields blank. In the Trade/Skill Set field, select Carpenter. In the Skill Level field, select Apprentice. In the Location field, select Virginia. Click the green "Search" button. A list of apprentice carpenters in Virginia currently registered on the Helmets to Hardhats site appears. Click on my name, Ted Wadsworth.

You will see my profile along with all of my contacts. To connect with me, click on the "Connect" button. The "Send a Message" page will appear. Just enter a message in the appropriate fields. While you are trying this out, I'd enjoy hearing from you so send me a connection invitation. I will respond to you shortly. Click the "Send" button to send your connections invitation.

By clicking on the "Message Center" link, you can view the invitations and messages you have sent and, more importantly, view and respond to invitations and messages sent to you by others. You should make it a practice to routinely check your message center to ensure you respond to invitation requests from others.

Once you build your network, you will find it a powerful, supportive group that are on your side. Just like in the military, it's great to know someone has your back.

What's the work like? What will I be doing and how much will I earn? Browse the full list of trade unions for these details. Or, select one from the menu below: