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EXCLUSIVE: After decades of service, many veterans return home to find the hardest battle isn’t on the field — it’s in the job market.

From résumés lost in translation to hiring systems that overlook real experience, even the most decorated candidates can be passed over. This Veterans Day, RedBalloon and MilitaryHire are partnering to change that — helping veterans find not just any job, but the right mission after the uniform.

“We see hiring as a distinctly human activity, and we wanna make hiring human again. And when it comes to the veteran community, these are people who really need that,” RedBalloon CEO Andrew Crapuchettes told Fox News Digital.

“Following two decades of wartime after 9/11, the biggest misconception, I still think, is that we perceive the veteran experience to be very similar across all veterans. We think of veterans as that wartime soldier — whether you are an airman, Marine or guardian — and that just couldn’t be further from the truth for most of us,” MilitaryHire CEO Craig Robbins said.

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“It really is about understanding each unique individual and the fact that our experiences are very relevant to private industry, but we just have a difficult time matching where those experiences best belong.”

America’s “non-woke” job board, RedBalloon, recently acquired MilitaryHire, expanding its technology to support the 200,000 service members who transition to civilian life each year — as well as the 700,000 members of the Guard and Reserve — connecting them with patriotic employment opportunities.

The new recruiting software, dubbed “Fill in the Gaps,” combines artificial intelligence (AI) with in-platform tools that let veteran job candidates and employers discuss potential skills gaps, align values and find the best cultural fit. It addresses a major concern among veterans that overly automated systems can screen out qualified talent.

Early findings have shown “phenomenal” success in the platform’s trial phases, according to the CEOs. Of 1,500 applicants, the technology identified only 7% of résumés as “perfect,” with others missing critical skills or applicable language in the job description. “Fill in the Gaps” then returns suggested fixes or reconsiderations, giving applicants a “second chance.”

“It has definitely been a little unusual in learning how to navigate the way that employers look at value in their potential employees and their candidates,” Brian McGarry, an Army colonel who retired less than two weeks ago and just secured a new job, told Fox News Digital. “A lot of employers are looking for, what can this individual help me with in the next three to six months? Not in two to three years. So that’s been a bit of a mindset shift.”

“Anytime I talk to a hiring manager and present somebody from the military, I try to, number one, educate, but also advocate,” Army Maj. Kelly Spisak, who also works in recruiting and talent management, said. “I’ve been in tech at Google and Meta and Twitch … And what I’ve really recognized is there’s a large gap between the education around what the military does and how the roles translate over.”

“I always have to take this back to the Air Force core values of integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do. And so those core values have really shaped who I am, both personally and professionally. So I’ve always looked for opportunities that represented those values,” said Air Force veteran Tasha Beckford, who recently landed her dream job in aerospace engineering, “that I can contribute to a mission that’s bigger than myself.”

“They have learned skills, knowledge and abilities that honestly are hard to get in any other context. And so when an employer is focused on merit, when they’re focused on hiring the best person for the job, not someone who is checking just boxes, but actually has the work ethic, the drive, the desire and the grit to be successful, that you’re often gonna find that in the veteran community,” Crapuchettes said. “It’s not a mercy hire, it’s a meritocratic hire.”

While veterans McGarry, Spisak and Beckford are at different points in their civilian careers, they share similar stories of breaking through barriers and stigmas associated with hiring former service members.

“There’s been a label that’s been placed on the military that we’re so different and there’s so much going on that is so unique to us, and not to them. And what I would love for people to understand is, the only difference is that they’re putting on a military uniform with literally camouflage and they’re still doing a job, right?” Spisak said. “Sometimes, it looks a little bit different because you’re in some kind of high-stakes environment, but that just means that you’re able to work under pressure … and if anything, that is something that is really valuable to employees and other employers.”

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“Military leaders and military members, at large, have to be very adaptable. We have to improvise, we have to change how we think about things on a regular basis. So our ability to pick up new skills and to change the way that we do things is very high,” McGarry said. “We’re okay with change, we thrive on it. It’s the ability to keep adapting and keep moving forward and get the job done no matter what it takes. And I think that’s one of those strengths that veterans have that it’d be nice if employers could see it from that perspective a little bit more.”

“I’ve learned to focus more on the impact and not necessarily the job title,” Beckford noted. “Instead of over-relying on military or government jargon, really focusing on how I’ve led large-scale teams or drove efficiencies or improved performance in certain areas, and then most importantly, delivered results under impact … that’s really helped me to land these opportunities.”

Knowing there are many more job-seeking veterans like them, RedBalloon and MilitaryHire hope their new technology can restore humanity and purpose to hiring — helping employees and employers connect beyond algorithms and jargon.

“AI is not good at quantifying work ethic or desire or grit, or all these things that we know make great employees. And so this is this kind of pinch point that veterans are feeling and AI is responsible for a lot of it,” Crapuchettes argued. “Our [applicant tracking system] actually brings the humans together – gives a human experience to the job seeker, gives a humane experience to their recruiter, but uses AI to bring efficiency to both of them.”

“Integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do.”

– Tasha Beckford

“What we’re doing together is trying to bring humans back to the center of hiring,” Robbins chimed in. “And the feedback I always get from the veteran community with all of the AI … is a process that felt a little bit cold and distant and has become even less human. And people are really struggling with that.”

Speaking directly to veterans who may be struggling to find their place in today’s workforce, Beckford, McGarry and Spisak encouraged perseverance while redefining success after service.

“There’s a network that you have within the military that is so valuable that you need to continue to stay connected with, but also your civilian network – you need to really tap into that and do take the risks,” Spisak advised. “Even if it is a little bit less money or if it’s not exactly what you wanna do, sometimes getting in the door is really valuable and it’ll get you to that next position.”

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“The military trained us to be resilient. We are not new to new or challenging environments. We’ve learned to adapt and overcome. And so I would offer to extend yourselves in grace during this time of transition and acclimating to a new environment,” Beckford said, “but this is definitely something that you can achieve successfully.”

“Everyone says that networking is so important and that’s absolutely true,” McGarry said. “It doesn’t mean that you have to already have the certifications or be in the business that you wanna be in, you just have to start getting to know those folks so you can start to learn what’s important to them … and let’s be honest, a lot of us haven’t done the civilian job search in quite a while, so we’re a little out of practice at it … Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. There’s tons of people out there that are willing to help if you just ask them.”

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