Episode 58 · Season 1
Beau Higgins – Your Network Is Your Net Worth: One Marine’s Path From 1st Recon to Oplign
Veterans leave the military carrying decades of leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability that most civilians will never develop, but the job market speaks a language they were never trained to use. Beau Higgins knows that gap from every angle, as a retired Marine Colonel who commanded 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, as the architect of Amazon’s veteran hiring program, and now as SVP at Oplign, the AI-powered platform built to close it.
What you’ll learn:
- Why hiring veterans is not charity, it is a financial and strategic advantage most companies have not fully calculated
- How Oplign translates military rank, MOS, and service history into skills-based resumes that civilian recruiters can read
- What Beau learned building Amazon’s veteran hiring program and how that shaped his approach at Oplign
- Why veterans already know how to network, they just never called it that
Who it’s for:
Veterans, military spouses, and student veterans at any stage of transition, whether they separated last month or five years ago. Also essential listening for HR professionals, hiring managers, and any company building or improving a veteran employment strategy.
Guest + credibility:
Beau Higgins is a retired Marine Colonel who served 25 years as an intelligence officer, including command of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. He then joined Amazon’s Military Affairs team to help deliver on Jeff Bezos’s pledge to hire 25,000 veterans, building a program that set the standard in corporate veteran hiring. He now serves as Senior Vice President at Oplign and also supports The Military Veteran (Millvet), focusing on executive recruiting for veterans entering private equity and venture capital. He is also a board member of Toys for Tots and serves the Travis Manion Foundation as race director of the New Orleans 9/11 run.
Primary CTA:
If you are a veteran, military spouse, or student veteran, visit Oplign (link below) to create your free profile. Ten minutes and you will know exactly how your service aligns to the civilian job market.
Recommended Links & Resources:
The Military Veteran Executive Recruiting(Milvet):
9/11 Heroes Run in New Orleans
Related episode: Pat Hubbell (Candorful) — Why 94% of Vets Who Practice Land a Job Within 6 Months
Cirrius Solutions — Use this link to find a curated list of resources we promote based on first-hand experience.
Any Questions: Reach out to us at CirriusTalk@cirriussolutions.com
Suggested hashtags:
#VeteranHiring #MilitaryTransition #Oplign #TheMilitaryMinute #CirriusTalk #VeteranCareers #MilitarySpouse
We cover
- Growing Up and Joining the Marine Corps
- Transitioning from Military to Civilian Life
- Building Veteran Hiring Programs at Amazon
- The Business Case for Hiring Veterans
- The Importance of Trust in Leadership
- Introducing Opline: A Tool for Veterans
Chapters
- 0:00Introduction to Beau Higgins and His Background
- 3:15Growing Up and Joining the Marine Corps
- 10:50Transitioning from Military to Civilian Life
- 13:30Building Veteran Hiring Programs at Amazon
- 21:55The Business Case for Hiring Veterans
- 24:45The Importance of Trust in Leadership
- 25:37Introducing Opline: A Tool for Veterans
- 28:42How Opline Works for Companies
- 32:34The Role of Toys for Tots
- 36:21The Travis Mannion Foundation: Honoring Heroes
- 40:56Community Engagement and Remembering 9/11
Beau Higgins
Oplign
Related episodes
The Military MinutePat Hubbell (Candorful) – Why 94% of Vets Who Practice Land a Job Within 6 MonthsPat Hubbell, Candorful
The Military MinuteAir Force Linguist to Salesforce Admin: Meagan Kut’s PathMeagan Kut
The Military MinuteDean Robison – What If Veteran Hiring Isn’t Charity, but StrategyDean Robison, Missionforce
Agentic AIAgentic OS Explained: 4 Pillars That Keep Your AI Agent Sharp
Salesforce at ScaleAaron Ott: What Got You Here Won’t Lead Others There – Experts, Identity, and ChangeAaron OttSee careers at Cirrius
Keep going: See careers at Cirrius, Learn why veterans choose Cirrius, More from the Cirrius blog