Employment Specialist

Vermont National Guard Employment Specialist

This position is responsible for helping Vermont National Guard members, Reservists, Veterans, and eligible family members connect with employment opportunities, career resources, education benefits, transition services, and community support. This role will provide individualized career counseling, resume and LinkedIn assistance, interview coaching, employer outreach, employment referrals, and follow-up while accurately documenting client interactions and outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide individualized career and employment assistance to unemployed and underemployed National Guardsmen, Reservists, Veterans, and spouses within the assigned region.
• Conduct substantive engagement with new employment candidates within two business days of receiving an employment request through telephone, virtual meetings, or in-person career counseling.
• Conduct employment assessments and develop individualized plans designed to strengthen each client's career and employment opportunities.
• Provide hands-on assistance with:
  • Resume development and refinement
  • LinkedIn and professional profile optimization
  • Interview preparation and coaching
  • Job-search strategies
  • Civilian career development and maintenance

• Brief Guard units, employers, community stakeholders, and other organizations on the WFW Program and available employment services.
• Serve as an information conduit for employment assistance and resources before, during, and after mobilization events and throughout the Service Member life cycle.
• Identify employment-related community resources and maintain relationships with organizations that can provide employment assistance, education benefits, and transition services.
• Participate in job fairs, employment events, internal career fairs, unit briefings, employer meetings, and other outreach activities.
• Collaborate with the Program Manager, Digital Marketing Manager, other regional Employment Specialists, and Government stakeholders to ensure consistent statewide delivery of WFW services.

Required Qualifications

• An Associates degree in Human Resources, Counseling, Communications, or a related field; a Bachelor's degree is preferred.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience in career counseling, recruiting, human resources, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in:
  • Resume writing
  • LinkedIn profile optimization
  • Interview skills coaching
  • Career counseling and employment assistance
• Ability to independently conduct outreach to local businesses and establish employment partnerships.
• Strong data-entry and information-management skills, including experience maintaining client interaction databases.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating effectively with a geographically distributed program team.
• Ability to conduct presentations, briefings, employer meetings, and individual counseling sessions.
• Ability to travel throughout the assigned region and throughout Vermont as required for outreach activities and program events.