TACOMA — Veterans in the Puget Sound region now have another resource as they seek to transition from active duty to a non-military career.
Operation Goodjobs, a program that runs at Tacoma Goodwill headquarters, began in 2012 at three Goodwill centers — two in Texas and one in Tacoma.
The program, according to Goodjobs program manager Mike Tassin, already has enrolled 300 veterans and placed 200 into jobs. Tassin said the agency, which is funded locally and with the help of a $1 million grant from Walmart, offers assessment, job training, placement assistance and access to skills, such as résumé building and interviewing techniques.
And the assistance goes beyond that.
Tassin said Goodjobs even will help a veteran find a professional outfit to go to an interview.
“If you don’t have a suit and show up to an interview without it, you’re not going to get the job no matter what your résumé says,” he said.
Others might simply need fuel to drive to an interview. Tassin said Goodjobs offers a financial literacy class to help veterans figure out how to budget.
Tassin said the agency is important to him because he also made the transition to civilian life after serving as a fuel truck driver for eight years in the Army. He was stationed at Fort Lewis.
“I think it’s important for the veteran reader to know that we’re not giving a handout,” Tassin said. “We’re giving you your next mission. I have no doubt you will be successful.”
The program is a byproduct of Tassin’s desire to make a difference after he returned to the area from Iraq, where he suffered a serious back injury in an accident. Tassin suggested to his supervisors that they needed to assist veterans and he even helped write the grant application to help establish a program.
“Everyone is struggling to find good jobs these days, but veterans face particular challenges and it is our duty as a nation to support these young men and women who are having difficulties transitioning back into civilian life,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International.
“We at Goodwill believe it is absolutely imperative that we give each of these veterans every opportunity they need to thrive.”
As for Tassin, he now is a licensed health counselor who works with veterans and their families on a variety of issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder.