COLORADO SPRINGS — More than 40 women veterans came together for a partnership between several nonprofits to help them prepare for civilian 9 to 5 jobs. The event is called "Suit and Salute," and offers women a chance to grow their confidence.
"I hope there are some lightbulb moments for people where they realize Oh! I could pursue this", said Colorado Springs veteran Terri Browning.
Browning has been looking forward to Suit and Salute for months, she says. She told me that making the change to civilian jobs can be hard, especially for women.
"A lot of times when you do the military you come straight out, what happens is you're like 'I was just a soldier or the signal officer', and you're not sure how to translate leadership and management into a resume and a job," Browning continued.
The Wounded Warrior Project reports that registered female veterans have a higher chance of being unemployed compared to their male counterparts. They worked with Ulta Beauty, Dress for Success Denver, and the Adecco Group US Foundation to host Suit and Salute to combat that.
"Often what I see is women, veterans, and military spouses struggle with is understanding their value and being able to articulate that value, especially to hiring managers," said Director of Adecco Group US Foundation Rachelle Chapman.
Today, veterans have the chance to focus on learning how to build a personal brand, perfect their resumes, take new headshots, and interview recruiters for jobs. They also had the opportunity to learn about dressing professionally.
"They're going to get three outfits, they're going to get shoes, some jewelry, a gorgeous handbag. And most importantly, they're going to get the confidence they need in order to land a job and keep it," said Executive Director of Dress for Success Denver Amara Martin.
Browning was excited to learn next to the women around her and felt optimistic for the future.
"It's all female-veteran focused, which is exceptional within itself because you don't see that a lot," she said.
The Wounded Warrior Project wants to stress that they're available to help veterans year-round in Colorado Springs.
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