Real questions. Real answers. No hedging.

About Always Forward VTA

Traditional firms fill the req and move on. Their incentive ends at the offer letter. Most Veteran hiring programs are volume-oriented or candidate-only. Always Forward VTA is different on both counts. We start with your organization before a single candidate is engaged, work both sides simultaneously, advise your hiring team, and stay engaged through 6-12 months of post-hire mentorship. We are also selective. A curated shortlist beats a flood of resumes. The relationship does not end at the offer letter.

Job boards generate volume. Always Forward VTA generates fit. Posting a job on a military board gets you resumes. It does not get you a hiring manager who knows how to read them, a candidate prepared to present their military experience in civilian terms, or anyone watching the relationship post-hire.

Yes. Always Forward VTA operates nationally. Discovery calls, candidate conversations, and post-hire mentorship are all conducted remotely. On-site visits are available for engagements that warrant them.

Getting Started

Very. Every candidate is screened beyond the resume, for fit, character, and readiness in your environment specifically. You get a curated shortlist, not a flood of resumes. And if we do not have the right Veteran for the role, we’ll tell you that instead of sending you someone close enough.

Then we part ways with no obligation on either side. The discovery call is exactly that, a discovery. If Always Forward VTA is not the right fit for your organization or your current hiring need, we’ll say so directly. No pitch, no pressure, no invoice.

Book a 30-minute discovery conversation. That is it. No paperwork, no deck, no obligation. Dave leads the call. If there’s a fit, we’ll both know it.

The Engagement

Yes. In some ways those engagements are the most valuable. When an organization has not hired Veterans before, the discovery process is more thorough, the hiring team preparation is more involved, and the alignment work matters more. We start where you are.

Veterans translate well across a wide range of industries and functional roles. Operations, logistics, supply chain, project management, sales, general management, and leadership-heavy roles are common fits. The discovery process determines what is right for each engagement specifically.

A structured conversation with the hiring manager and key stakeholders. We learn the culture, the operating environment, the specific role, and what success looks like at 30, 60, and 90 days. We also assess organizational readiness to receive a Veteran hire. If the culture is not ready, we say so before anyone's time is wasted.

It depends on the role, the organization, and the candidate pool. The discovery phase is thorough before a single candidate is engaged. A typical engagement from signed agreement to offer accepted runs 60 to 90 days. We do not rush fit.

Fees and the Guarantee

Advisory fee based on first-year salary. 50% at placement, net-30. 50% at the 90-day mark, net-90. Always Forward VTA contributes 10% of every fee to the American Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit. Built into the fee, not added on top.

Half at placement. Half at 90 days. If the hire is no longer with your team at 90 days, you do not owe the second 50%. Re-engagement is available at a reduced fee. That structure only makes sense if you believe in the retention outcome. We do.

The fee is fully earned at that point, and no credit applies. You should hear that before you sign, not after. But the fee is not the point. Year-one mentorship runs six to twelve months precisely because most Veteran departures happen in that window, and most of them are avoidable. If a hire is struggling at month five, we’re already in the conversation. If they leave anyway, we’ll tell you what we think went wrong, and we’ll tell you if we think we got it wrong.

Post-Hire

Monthly check-ins with the placed Veteran for 6-12 months post-hire. Focused on cultural navigation, performance alignment, and ensuring the transition is holding. Always Forward VTA also stays in contact with the hiring manager to flag anything that needs attention before it becomes a departure.

The Data

Cost and Commitment

No. Advisory, placement, and 6-12 months of post-hire mentorship are provided at zero cost to you. The employer pays. You pay nothing. Ever.

Who Always Forward VTA Works With

Very. We do not work with every organization that calls us. If a culture is not ready to receive a Veteran hire, we say so and we walk. You’ll never be sent somewhere just to fill a req. If a role is not right for you, we’ll tell you before your time is wasted.

Both. All branches, all components, all backgrounds. Officer or Enlisted, Active Duty or Reserve, recently separated or already in the civilian sector. What matters is fit, character, and readiness, not rank or branch.

You’re in the right place. A significant portion of Veterans who work with Always Forward VTA are already employed but underutilized. If you’re in a role that does not match your actual leadership level, or in a culture that does not recognize what you bring, that is exactly the problem we exist to solve.

The Process

That is exactly where the conversation starts. Before we approach a single employer, we take the time to understand who you are, what you’ve built, and what the right next chapter looks like. You do not need to have the answer before you call.

Four things: resume translation, LinkedIn positioning, your professional narrative, and live interview prep with real feedback. The full breakdown is on the For Those Who Served page. The short version: most recruiters send you a job description. We send you in prepared.

Monthly check-ins for 6-12 months after you start. Focused on cultural navigation, performance alignment, and making sure the transition is holding. Always Forward VTA also stays in contact with your hiring manager to flag anything that needs attention before it becomes a problem.

How We Are Different

Those programs provide tools and resources. Always Forward VTA provides a partner. The distinction matters. A program hands you a checklist. A partner listens first, builds the right strategy for your specific background, opens doors that are not already open, and stays in it for 6-12 months after you start. The transition does not end at the offer letter. Neither does Always Forward VTA.

Getting Started

Book a 30-minute intake conversation. No prep needed. No résumé to polish before you call. Come as you are. Dave leads every intake call personally. If there’s a fit, we’ll both know it.

The Data