Leaving the military for civilian life can be daunting. From transitioning careers, to supporting military spouses who are uprooting their own careers and lives, Hire Heroes USA provides a lifeline for all service members.
“Hire Heroes USA gave me the confidence and tools to return to the workforce. After six years out of the workforce, three years battling cancer, I didn't know how to navigate job searches and resume writing,” said Samantha Bell, a U.S. Navy veteran who works as a clinical instructor in ABA therapy. “The coaching, friendship, and resources were invaluable as someone who felt lost and alone.”
Roughly 60 percent of the estimated 150,000 U.S. active-duty service members who transition from the military each year earn less during their first year after being discharged versus what they earned during active duty, according to a recent McKinsey article.
The nonprofit has a particularly strong impact on junior enlisted personnel—who make up the core set of veterans—who may have served somewhere between three to six years, who may not have a college degree or a specialized skill, and who may not even know where to start when it comes to a post-military career.
“[Hire Heroes] is supporting those service members who absolutely need it the most,” said McKinsey partner Steve Janco, a former Naval Officer who served on a range of combat and diplomatic missions around the world. “Oftentimes, as service members transition, they go through a process set by the military, which is a bit [outdated]. Hire Heroes is building a relationship with so many high performing companies and then being that bridge between, not just coaching [but] helping our veterans make the full transition into that next high-impact opportunity.”
Hire Heroes started seeing a downshift in companies’ veteran recruiting efforts, and an uptick in service members seeking earlier career transition planning, alongside lagging support for military spouses.
“We recognized that the marketplace in veterans’ issues and veteran employment was really changing a lot over the last few years, and we didn’t have a comprehensive strategic plan in place,” said Hire Heroes CEO Ross Dickman, who served 12 years in the U.S. Army. “We knew we needed help, and we knew [McKinsey] had worked with other organizations.”
McKinsey’s commitment to serving veterans is built into the fabric of our firm. WWI veteran James O. McKinsey founded his eponymous consultancy in 1926 after witnessing inefficiencies in military suppliers. Many of our colleagues are veterans who have a deep understanding of the challenges facing service members after they leave the military.
“Better job transitions lead to better long-term life outcomes,” said McKinsey partner Charlie Lewis, who served 13-1/2 years in active duty after graduating West Point. “It saves lives. It gives purpose. It keeps people going.”
Equipping veterans with the tools for a successful career transition
Hire Heroes’ work aligns closely with McKinsey’s commitment to close the opportunity gap and advance economic inclusion by helping create opportunities for everyone to thrive in the workforce, regardless of background or education.
“Hire Heroes has played a key role,” said Charlie. “They have a scale that some of the other veteran nonprofits don’t have right now in how they’re able to provide, develop, and maintain long-term relationships.”
“[My Hire Heroes transition specialist] did a lot of deep internal work with me and allowed me to see that the things that I have been through are unique and do translate into usable real-life experience for a career,” said Samantha. “That one conversation shifted everything for me.”
A new framework to meet changing demands
The McKinsey team provided a detailed analysis of Hire Heroes’ operations, and held a variety of workshops to brainstorm solutions, in partnership with the nonprofit’s leadership.
“Ultimately, the goal was answering where they sit within the existing market for veteran nonprofits, for job transition, and how to think about growth,” said Charlie. It was against that backdrop that the teams were able to effectively collaborate on a new path forward.
That collaboration included exploring further spousal support and community engagement, added Steve. “It’s not just the vet pursuing a new opportunity—whether transitioning from the service or ongoing geographic assignments—but their entire family, particularly their spouse. We’re not only thinking about the actual quick job placement but building the broader [community] for long-term success as well.”
Hire Heroes credits McKinsey for helping inform how their brand resonates and ensure the depth of their services is fully understood.
“We started identifying that we are a full career lifecycle support system,” said Ross. For current users, that means tapping into the Hire Heroes alumni network to provide more comprehensive support for veterans who want to move into senior management roles. For newcomers, Hire Heroes is adding more personalization, enhancing services for military spouse employment, and integrating more local community support.
Digitizing donor outreach and tracking
Hire Heroes had also noticed a shift in how foundations were prioritizing funding for veteran employment while large corporations were shifting how they organized their veteran recruiting efforts.
That was translating into fewer resources for an already underserved talent pool. “The tools, approaches and demographic groups we want to reach into continues to change,” said Ross. “We need to stay competitive in terms of our service connection to industry and hiring organizations in order to achieve our mission.”
Together, the McKinsey and Hire Heroes teams brainstormed improvements for tracking funding and donations so the nonprofit could continue to deliver services in the way the veteran community needs.
McKinsey helped them take a ‘back of the napkin’ system and transform it via Salesforce platform. That allowed Hire Heroes to focus on programmatic enhancements that align with their mission.
“The veteran’s or military spouse’s need is front and center for us, and every aspect of our system is designed to maximize that one-on-one conversation,” said Ross.