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Veteran Recruiting with Tango Alpha 3

by | Sep 23, 2022 | candidate screening, communication, compliance, DEI, diversity and inclusion, Executive Recruiter, Honeit Talks, phone interview technology, phone screen, Podcast, recruiter life, recruiter podcast, recruiter productivity, Recruiter Spotlight, recruitment innovation, RPO, skills-based interviews, staffing, talent delivery, talent intelligence, talent transformation, technical recruiting, veteran recruiting

 

In this episode of the Honeit recruiting podcast, we speak with Aspen Whitlock and Drew McDanald from Tango Alpha 3 – a veteran recruiting firm based in Tennessee and Texas. Aspen and Drew share tips and best practices for connecting veterans to employers post-deployment. Tango Alpha focuses on technical roles with secret and top secret security clearances and bridging the gap, helping veterans transition to jobs in the private sector.

About Tango Alpha 3:

  • Originated as NorCal Staffing Group and rebranded to Tango Alpha 3 to reflect their focus on veterans, talent acquisition (Tango Alpha), and the three pillars of people, process, and technology.
  • A Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).
  • Specializes in IT infrastructure staffing for federal contracts, leveraging veterans with security clearances.

Veteran Recruiting Niche:

  • Veterans often have the certifications, clearances, and willingness to relocate to support global IT sustainment and transformation programs.
  • They’ve carved out a specialty in translating military job experience into civilian I.T. roles, overcoming a major disconnect many employers face.

Challenges Solved with Honeit:

  • Recruiting veterans involves a double translation layer:
  • Military experience to civilian job functions.
  • Technical language for hiring managers comprehension.
  • Honeit helps by capturing voice-based interview insights directly from candidates, so hiring managers can hear skills and stories firsthand.
  • This improves trust, reduces candidate falloff, and accelerates feedback loops.

Benefits They’ve Seen Using Honeit:

  • Speeds up submissions and decisions with audio highlights that hiring managers prefer over resumes.
  • Improves internal collaboration — recruiters can sanity check candidate recordings instead of duplicate calls.
  • Enables training new recruiters with structured call guides and playback.
  • Acts as a business development tool by providing more transparent, authentic candidate presentations to new clients.

Veteran Transition Programs:

  • Tango Alpha 3 begins engaging transitioning service members 6–12 months before separation.
  • They guide veterans on certifications to pursue and prepare them for future roles.
  • Early engagement improves placement success and flexibility around location.