A new year brings new challenges for more than 200,000 men and women who will leave the military uniform behind. However, the transition into a civilian work force isn’t a level playing field for everyone.
“We still need, from an employment standpoint, a warm handoff from an individual's last duty station to the community in which they settle,” said Matt Louis.
Aside from being a one-time Army Armor officer, Louis spent time in the corporate world working for Procter & Gamble and GE’s aviation and healthcare division, among others. He admits it wasn’t the easiest path.
"I struggled valiantly just leaving active duty and getting into graduate school and then from graduate school to the corporate world," Louis said. "I couldn't translate the three-letter acronyms and the military jargon that I had into something that resonated with a corporate executive."
In his post-service and now post-corporate world he has focused on improving the transition process for military service members. He authored the book "Mission Transition" which is currently on Amazon’s bestseller list. It’s a step-by-step manual to better inform those transitioning out of the military so they can have a better chance at success.
“The second book to come out next summer will focus on the civil side and teaching organizational leaders how to build programs to bring on veterans and military spouses,” he said.
Now he’s launched a new company Purepost taking on the next challenge for service members.
“We spent five years creating the world's largest proprietary database of translated competencies and skills,” Louis said.
Purepost is the most advanced military to civilian jobs platform currently online, according to Louis.
“We translated every single role in every single service to its civilian equivalent,” he said. “So now, military, civilian anyone can go online for free for life, and complete what we call passport that instantly translates what you've done to your underlying competencies and skills and matches you to employment opportunities on that basis. No one in the market can do that today.”
The passport is something Louis hopes those entering the service will create on day one.
“Ideally, people coming into basic training complete a passport, and they just simply refresh it over the course of their career, as they receive training, education, receive promotions, different roles, that builds the additional skills that makes them a better match for incremental jobs in the civilian marketplace,” Louis said.
He believes the Purepost site will not only educate veterans regarding how their military skills translate to the civilian workforce, but it will educate employers on the value of hiring veterans and what they can bring to the table.
“A stereotype out there is that everyone's a trigger puller,” he said. “Less than 15% of the military, occupational specialties and service are combat-related. So, flip that around 85% serve in capacities that directly translate to civilian equivalent careers outside of the military.”
While Purepost is unique in how it translates often obscure jobs or skillsets from the military into a civilian equivalent, the website is open to any jobseekers for free.
The number of people already signed up sits at around 40,000 and is growing steadily Louis said. He’s also in negotiations on a new agreement with the Department of Labor to increase the database and help even more people.
“The DOL partnership will be huge,” he said. “Just giving us that incremental pipeline of talent, we expect that 40,000 number to grow significantly in the coming months.”
Whether you're a company looking to hire or someone looking to find your next career step you can head over to Purepost to check out the website.
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