Miranda BrumwellFor the last ten years, Adam Thatcher, founder of Hire a War Hero, has been navigating himself through the business world of Western Canada.
Through his experience, he’s gathered an extensive contact list. Armed only with LinkedIn and Gmail accounts, Adam utilizes his contact list to connect the business owners with Veterans struggling to find work, possessing the skills business owners are looking for in an employee.
“The reason why I started it was because I had many buddies that served, and they were not getting jobs. It’s kind of snowballed. It just keeps growing and growing in the last ten months,” said Thatcher.
Over the years, Thatcher learned the key to finding good, sustainable work is more about whom you know, rather than what you know.
“It’s easier if I talk to someone who’s high up, mention to them I am doing it, and then those guys will be very understanding and want to meet them. I kind of break the doors open for the Veterans,” said Thatcher.
Thatcher presented his Hire a War Hero idea to Robyn Regehr, management at Blueline Oilfield Rentals. Regehr was looking for individuals who were coachable, willing to learn, and able to work in isolated areas. Thatcher produced three Veterans who were just that. It turns out, the skills these Veterans had gained through the military were just the skills Regehr was looking for in an employee.
“We ended up bringing on Jody (Hartling) to be part of our team at Blueline, and he’s been excellent. The most important thing that Jody has brought is a good attitude, a willingness to learn, to listen, and a willingness to work hard,” said Regehr.
Through the connection between Thatcher and Regehr, Thatcher was able to have Hartling and two others in for an interview within a week.
“There’s another company or organization that the military sets you up with when you’re released. They set me up with them and for about a year and probably a couple hundred resumes, I had no luck with them at all,” said Hartling.
After countless meetings with this organization and hundreds of resumes delivered to various companies in his area, Hartling was still coming up empty-handed.
“Adam Thatcher and what he’s doing at Hire a War Hero, I personally know two of my other friends that he had a job for them the next day,” said Hartling. “It’s hard, especially the longer you’ve been in the military. I joined the military right out of high school, and I did four tours to Afghanistan. It’s hard especially if it’s the only thing you’ve done in your life.”
Thatcher doesn’t just find jobs for these Veterans. He helps them find meaningful careers they can work for years to come. Hartling said the perfect example of this is working for Regehr and his other colleagues at Blueline.
“I can’t believe it, sometimes he comes out and works with us. I’m sure he doesn’t need to be out here doing it, but he does, and that’s the kind of person I like working for. He leads by example, just like what you’d see in the military,” he added. “I can relate to the people out here. The oilfield workers, they have the same comradery you see in the military.”
Hire a War Hero has even reached the point where Thatcher receives inquiries from job seekers, but now he also has companies asking him to keep an eye out for someone who would be an excellent fit to their company. Not to mention, his service is entirely free. In addition to breaking down doors for Veterans, Thatcher also works with the Veteran when it comes to potential job interviews.
“I deal with more of the boots on the ground type of people, and I’ve been able to change their resume, so it didn’t scream combat. I tell them what they can and cannot say in an interview,” Thatcher added.
If you or someone you know may be in need of Hire a War Hero’s services in the Prairie Provinces, you can locate Thatcher on his LinkedIn account here.
