How Google Is Helping Veterans Get Tech Jobs

130,000 soldiers leave the Army each year, and Google wants to help them secure technology jobs.

As Drew Olanoff points out on TechCrunch, Google is in the business of making money, but their influence “can move mountains for just about any cause or situation.” Google’s resources for veterans include a guide on how to use Google’s suite of collaboration tools — Gmail, Google Docs, Google Voice, Google+ — as well as a resume building tool and additional tools for family members.

In November 2012, Google launched VetNet with partners The Institute for Veterans and Military Families and Hire Heroes USA. The network leverages Google’s social network, Google+, to connect veterans with mentors:

Through VetNet, these founding partners offer a full spectrum of employment resources for members of the community. Whether starting a job search from scratch, looking for mentors in a specific industry or starting a business, transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses will be able to connect with career services, job opportunities and each other.

All of the content and resources are organized into three tracks by objective, each hosted on its own Google+ page.

• Basic Training Track (google.com/+VetNetBasic): The place to start. From resumes to interviewing tips to advice from buddies.
• Career Connections Track (google.com/+VetNetCareer): Walmart, GE and Capital One are just a few of the companies that are participating in VetNet to help veterans and military spouses find civilian careers.
• Entrepreneur Track (google.com/+VetNetEntrepreneur): An 8-week college-level course on the fundamentals of starting a business.

Google is not only providing job resources but also actively hiring veterans. In fact, some of the company’s most influential leaders came from the military, according to Business Insider:

The company's head of user operations is a former F-14 pilot, a Navy veteran takes care of green energy operations, and it's a Marine who oversees the release and recovery of the balloons designed to provide Internet worldwide with "Project Loon."

"At Google, we hire veterans because of the values that they hold," said Carrie Laureno, an audience evangelist at Google, and founder of the Google Veterans Network.