Initial Intake
Background & Goals
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Veterans ASCEND
Veterans ASCEND is dedicated to empowering military
veterans by bridging the gap between their unique skills and
meaningful employment opportunities. Through a cutting-
edge AI-enabled platform, Veterans ASCEND eliminates the
traditional barriers of resumes and job applications by
matching veterans' military experience and skills directly with
employers seeking their specific talents. The program focuses
on personal branding and individualized career pathways,
providing veterans with the tools, resources, and support
needed to navigate the civilian job market successfully and
secure fulfilling, sustainable employment that aligns with their
strengths and aspirations.
The ASCEND Collective
The ASCEND Collective is a nonprofit
organization committed to transforming
employment opportunities for individuals
often overlooked in traditional hiring
processes. We harness innovative, AI-
enabled technology to match people with
meaningful job opportunities.
Objectives
Personal Experience Personal Goals
Identify experiences in military and civilian life, Define clear, tangible goals aligning with personal
breaking them down into Knowledge, Skills, and and professional aspirations. Identify key
Abilities (KSAs). Consider the tasks and roles, achievements, desired outcomes, and
knowledge gained, skills developed (leadership; measurable benchmarks. Outline roles or
problem-solving), and abilities demonstrated industries of interest, specify skills to highlight or
(adaptability; team management). This develop, and set a timeline for each career
breakdown helps create a strong profile transformation step. Create a focused plan
showcasing strengths for future career endeavors. leveraging unique strengths for meaningful
employment and long-term growth.
What is Personal Experience?
Personal experience refers to the unique
events, encounters, and situations an
individual has gone through in their life, which
shape their perspectives, skills, values, and
character. It encompasses both professional
and personal contexts—ranging from your
work history, education, volunteer activities,
and hobbies, to life challenges, achievements,
and relationships. Personal experience is highly
individualized and subjective, influenced by
one's background, culture, and choices. It
serves as a foundation for learning, growth,
and the development of skills and abilities,
often providing insights that guide future
actions and decisions.
Why reflecting on your experience
is an important step
Translating Skills Solving Problems Knowing Your Worth
Reflecting on experience helps Veterans’ experience fosters resilience Military experience equips Veterans
Veterans ASCEND candidates translate and problem-solving skills, crucial in ASCEND candidates with proven
military skills to civilian roles. any workplace. Having navigated crises leadership and teamwork skills.
Specialized knowledge like logistics, IT, and high-pressure situations, they Veterans know how to lead diverse
or medical expertise, honed through excel in roles requiring adaptability and teams, motivate others, and
hands-on training, directly applies to quick decision-making. Employers seek collaborate effectively. These qualities
civilian industries. Employers value these qualities in candidates who can are valuable to employers seeking
veterans’ practical experience as it handle challenges confidently and leaders who can manage teams,
proves their readiness to contribute maintain focus under pressure, adding navigate dynamics, and drive
effectively from day one. value to any team. productivity, making veterans ideal for
leadership roles.
Military Skills in Technical Skills
Civilian Language Veterans frequently possess expertise in areas like
information technology, engineering, and logistics,
which can be directly applied to roles in tech support,
Translating military skills into civilian operations, or supply chain management.
language is essential for veterans to Communication Skills
effectively communicate their value to Experience with clear, effective communication in high-
stress environments translates into strong verbal and
employers. This involves framing experiences written communication skills essential for client
in terms that resonate with civilian job relations, presentations, and team coordination.
requirements, such as describing leadership Leadership & Supervisory Skills
Military leaders often manage teams, make strategic
roles as "project management" or "team decisions, and maintain morale under pressure, which
supervision" and using terms like "operations translates into strong managerial, team-building, and
coordination" instead of "mission planning." conflict-resolution abilities in civilian roles.
By aligning military accomplishments with Flexibility
The ability to adapt quickly to new environments and
civilian competencies, veterans can highlight challenges, honed through diverse military experiences,
their adaptability, problem-solving abilities, is crucial for roles requiring flexibility, quick learning, and
the capacity to handle change effectively.
and leadership skills, making it clear how
Critical Thinking
their unique background directly benefits Veterans often develop critical thinking and data
potential employers in a variety of industries. analysis skills through mission planning and problem-
solving, which are valuable in roles requiring strategic
planning, data interpretation, or market analysis.
Examples of Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Leadership Teamwork
Led diverse teams in high-pressure environments, Collaborated effectively with diverse groups to achieve
demonstrating an ability to motivate, guide, and achieve common goals, fostering a cooperative and efficient work
objectives under challenging conditions. environment.
Project Management Logistics Management
Managed complex missions from planning through Coordinated and managed supply chains, optimizing
execution, ensuring objectives were met on time and resources and ensuring the timely delivery of materials
within budget. and equipment.
Technical Proficiency Resilience
Operated and maintained advanced military technology Maintained focus and composure under pressure,
and equipment, translating to strong technical and demonstrating an ability to work effectively in high-stress
troubleshooting skills in civilian sectors. situations.
Communication Training & Development
Delivered clear and concise briefings and reports, Trained personnel in new skills and procedures, showing
effectively conveying complex information to varying expertise in coaching, mentoring, and instructional design.
levels of authority.
Problem-Solving Cultural Competence
Developed quick decision-making skills in unpredictable Adapted to diverse environments and cultures,
situations, essential for handling challenges and finding demonstrating the ability to work effectively with people
solutions in dynamic environments. from various backgrounds.
Put it into action
Access your Veterans ASCEND talent profile
and start identifying your specific Knowledge,
Skills, and Abilities based on your experiences.
Reach out to your mentor if you have any
questions or need clarification - or if you just
need to brainstorm.
Once you have completed the initial
questionnaires and filled out the form, you are
ready to move on to your goals.
Identify General Barriers
01 Overcoming barriers is crucial because it allows us to
recognize the obstacles that stand in the way of our
success, whether they are internal challenges like self-
doubt or external ones like limited resources or lack of
access. Understanding these barriers before setting our
goals helps us create a realistic and achievable plan,
ensuring we are prepared to tackle challenges
effectively.
Make a Plan
02 Begin by identifying specific barriers that may hinder
progress, such as skills gaps, lack of resources, or external
challenges, and prioritize them based on their impact.
Develop targeted strategies for each barrier, like
acquiring new skills, seeking mentorship, or leveraging
available resources, to address them systematically. Set
small, achievable milestones to monitor progress,
maintain motivation, and adjust strategies as needed to
ensure consistent advancement toward your goals.
Achieve your Goals
03 After creating a plan to break down barriers, you can
focus on achieving your goals with renewed clarity and
purpose, leveraging each small victory to build
momentum. By systematically overcoming obstacles,
you gain the confidence, skills, and resilience needed to
reach your ultimate objectives, turning challenges into
stepping stones for success.
Overcoming Barriers
Identify Barriers Seek Support
Clearly define the specific obstacles standing in the Identify and engage with mentors, peers, or resources
way of your progress, whether internal or external. that can provide guidance, advice, or assistance in
overcoming challenges.
Assess Impact Take Action
Evaluate how each barrier affects your Implement your strategies consistently,
goals and prioritize them based on their focusing on one barrier at a time to avoid
level of impact. becoming overwhelmed.
Develop Strategies Evaluate Progress
Create targeted strategies for addressing Regularly assess your progress, noting
each barrier, such as learning new skills, any new challenges or adjustments
networking, or finding alternative resources. needed to keep moving forward.
Set Milestones Adapt and Persist
Break down your strategies into smaller, manageable Stay flexible and ready to adapt your plan as needed,
milestones to track progress and maintain motivation. using each step forward as motivation to continue
overcoming barriers.
Turning Barriers into Goals
Recognize Barriers as Set Goals Aligned with Measure Success
Opportunities Overcoming Barriers Through Barrier Removal
View barriers not as setbacks, but as Transform each identified barrier into Track your progress by measuring how
opportunities for growth and a specific, actionable goal. For effectively you overcome each barrier,
improvement. Each challenge instance, if lack of experience is a using it as a metric for success.
presents a chance to learn new skills, barrier, set a goal to complete a Celebrate each small victory as you
expand your capabilities, or adapt to relevant training course or seek move past challenges, reinforcing the
changing circumstances. By reframing mentorship in that area. This idea that every step forward is an
obstacles this way, you can turn approach ensures that every action achievement in itself, ultimately
potential roadblocks into stepping you take is directly aligned with leading to your larger objectives.
stones toward achieving your goals. eliminating obstacles on your path.
Put it into action
Access the Goals and Barriers Worksheet on
the Veterans ASCEND portal. Based on what
you have learned in this lesson you should:
Know your barriers
Knowing your barriers helps you understand the specific
challenges you need to overcome to reach your
objectives.
Have an initial plan
Having an initial plan provides a clear roadmap for
tackling these challenges step-by-step, ensuring you
stay focused and proactive.
Set smart goals
Setting SMART goals ensures your objectives are
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-
bound, making them easier to accomplish.
Summary & Conclusion
In this module, you identified your Knowledge,
Skills, and Abilities and created a Talent Profile.
You also identified Goals and made a plan to
achieve them.
Finish all worksheets
Make sure that all of the worksheets in this module are
completed. If you have any questions, please ask!
Reach out to your career coach
Let your career coach know that you are ready to review the
worksheets and discuss what you learned in this module.
Prepare for the next step
In the next lesson, we will discuss Skills Enhancement for the
career you deserve.
Thank You
For Your Attention
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