Elite 9 Veteran Talent Acquisition Services LLC

Entrepreneur Christopher J. Thomas – a retired U.S. Marine Corps. Sergeant Major – is the founder and owner of Elite 9 Veteran Talent Acquisition Services, an employment placement and business management consulting firm that focuses on connecting Veterans to hiring professionals. As a company, they highlight resume writing/editing, talent management, requisitioning, and interviewing techniques.  Elite 9 works with front line leaders, mid-level supervisors, and senior executives across all industries.

Christopher started Elite 9 because he saw the needs of Veterans returning home and re-entering the workforce… He would talk to service members about their plans after the military, and he found that the transition for service members into the workforce was challenging: “I really do have a passion for entrepreneurship and a passion for helping veterans and military spouses. I knew I could help people,” Christopher said. 

As Christopher was building and shaping his busines,s he relied on the help of mentors, and through them, Christopher gained perspective and insight that helped him create his business. He believes that applicants that come out of the military have what he calls soft skills, that are intangible but valuable to an employer: “Hard skills are skills that can be taught on the job. Soft skills are what an individual brings to the table, personality traits. Do you have the passion to see a project through to the end? Do you know how to work with people to get the job done? These are traits that are hard to teach, but valuable to an employer and a company,” Christopher said. 

Elite 9 works with Veterans and their spouses to make sure that their resume reflects the skill that they possess for the job that they are pursuing. Most companies use an Application Tracking System (ATS) that screens resumes before they are viewed by Human Resources… This means if your resume doesn’t have key words from the job description, you likely will not get a response, even if you are qualified for the job! Elite 9 teaches these skills so that resumes that are submitted are less likely to be overlooked.

Due to his experience in the Military, Christopher is aware of a program which benefits both the employers and the departing service members – The Department of Defense’s SkillBridge Program. This program is available to active service members who are within 180 days of their release date, and helps the service member plan for life after the military. The SkillBridge Program connects the service member with an industry partner, and the service member continues to receive their military compensation while working and learning skills with an industry partner, even though the new employer does not pay the service member during the course of the program… This helps to create a lasting relationship between the service member and the employer where each benefits.

Elite 9 has partnered with Paula Traina of Traina Insurance & Financial Services Inc. to build that program… Now, Paula can hire from a pool of 200,000 service members who are exiting military service and re-entering the civilian workforce. During the 180-day period, Paula reduces labor costs and builds a relationship with the new employees.

For more information about Elite 9 Veteran’s Talent Acquisition Services LLC and the work that Christopher is doing, please visit elite9vtas.net