[Ep 058] Beau Higgins - Your Network Is Your Net Worth: One Marine’s Path From 1st Recon to Oplign

Veterans leave the military carrying decades of leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability that most civilians will never develop, but the job market speaks a language they were never trained to use. 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 knows that gap from every angle, as a retired Marine Colonel who commanded 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, as the architect of Amazon’s veteran hiring program, and now as SVP at 𝗢𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻, the AI-powered platform built to close it.𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:Why hiring veterans is not charity, it is a financial and strategic advantage most companies have not fully calculatedHow Oplign translates military rank, MOS, and service history into skills-based resumes that civilian recruiters can readWhat Beau learned building Amazon’s veteran hiring program and how that shaped his approach at OplignWhy veterans already know how to network, they just never called it that𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿:Veterans, military spouses, and student veterans at any stage of transition, whether they separated last month or five years ago. Also essential listening for HR professionals, hiring managers, and any company building or improving a veteran employment strategy.𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 + 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆:𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 is a retired Marine Colonel who served 25 years as an intelligence officer, including command of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. He then joined Amazon’s Military Affairs team to help deliver on Jeff Bezos’s pledge to hire 25,000 veterans, building a program that set the standard in corporate veteran hiring. He now serves as Senior Vice President at 𝗢𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 and also supports The Military Veteran (Millvet), focusing on executive recruiting for veterans entering private equity and venture capital. He is also a board member of Toys for Tots and serves the Travis Manion Foundation as race director of the New Orleans 9/11 run.𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗧𝗔:If you are a veteran, military spouse, or student veteran, visit Oplign (link below) to create your free profile. Ten minutes and you will know exactly how your service aligns to the civilian job market.𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 & 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀:Beau Higgins on LinkedInOplignToys for TotsMilVet PodcastThe Military Veteran Executive Recruiting(Milvet): Travis Manion Foundation9/11 Heroes Run in New OrleansRelated episode: Pat Hubbell (Candorful) — Why 94% of Vets Who Practice Land a Job Within 6 MonthsGreg Banks on LinkedInJason Fowler MusicCirrius Solutions — Use this link to find a curated list of resources we promote based on first-hand experience.The Military Minute PlaylistAny Questions: Reach out to us at [email protected]𝗦𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗵𝘁𝗮𝗴𝘀:#VeteranHiring #MilitaryTransition #Oplign #TheMilitaryMinute #CirriusTalk #VeteranCareers #MilitarySpouse