Brandon Blackmon

Experience

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  US Army

  Jan 2006 - Mar 2023

  Promoted to the role of Senior Career Counselor in 2013 and served in that capacity for units at Fort Hood, Texas; Osan, Korea; and Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Provided guidance to junior team members while counseling thousands of U.S. Army soldiers in education opportunities, promotions, retention, job transitions, and separations as needed. FORT HOOD, TX (2018-PRESENT)Mentored, developed, and managed four junior career counselors in serving 2,000+ staff across 3 states, advising U.S. Army personnel in matters related to career development, promotions, retention, reclassification, and separations. Planned, coordinated, and led training workshops while managing high-performance retention programs. Drove compliance to policies and procedures for retention while managing related budgets, statistics, and data. Oversaw 50+ reclassifications, helping team members transition to critical specialties to meet the needs of the Army. Validated 110+ reenlistments with 100% accuracy, reducing processing time for HRC by 24 hours. OSAN KOREA (2016-2017)Provided career counseling to 700+ unit personnel with high levels of soldiers transitioning in and out of the location. Managed 10 retention team members in advising U.S. Army employees in career advancement, retention, job transfers, and separation. Drove compliance to military guidelines and achieved all retention goals. SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI (2013-2016)Served as Principal Program Manager on matters related to retention, career development, and separations while overseeing senior career counseling services for 2,000+ employees. Maintained automation systems and statistics while mentoring 2 Career Counselors and 20 Retention Senior Leaders on all aspects of the Army Retention Program (ARP). Planned and led division-level retention training for 30 counselors within the 25th Infantry Division. Promoted education opportunities for soldiers, including civilian education and military correspondence courses. Show less At Fort Hood, I developed and managed the 4th Brigade Combat Team Retention Program for 4,000+ personnel, mentoring junior staff while driving achievement of retention goals for the organization. During this time, I guided the reenlistment of hundreds of soldiers, helping them identify and achieve future goals, including educational opportunities and military schools/trainings. My achievements include counseling 129% of initial-term soldiers to reenlist, capturing the unit’s highest first-term reenlistment numbers. I also improved the team’s first class retention training to expand the capabilities and performance of three Career Counselors and five Retention Specialists. Show less In this role, I served as a liaison between leadership and employees, interpreting policies and guidelines, administering contracts, and managing administration benefits and compensation plans. I managed administrative information systems and prepared statistical analysis, database implementation, and reporting while advising managers on policies and changes. My contributions include maintaining compliance with local, state, and federal laws while overseeing the recruiting, interviewing, and selection of job applicants as well as succession planning and job fairs. Additionally, I led new employee orientations, facilitated training forums, and presented sessions on education, career planning, and benefits. Show less

  • Senior Career Counselor

    Jan 2013 - Mar 2023

  • Career Counselor

    Jan 2010 - Jan 2013

  • Operations Administrator

    Jan 2008 - Jan 2010

  • Recruiter

    Jan 2006 - Jan 2008
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  PayPal

  Mar 2021 - now

  Enterprise Learning & Development Specialist