Through Blake’s VA career, he’s transforming communications with Veterans

When Blake Anderson first came to work at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the organization had both a minimal online presence and interaction with Veterans on social media. Thanks to VA careers in web and social media content development, that has changed dramatically.

In his role as a public affairs officer and web communications manager at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Anderson specializes in communicating with Veterans, their families, supporters and caregivers online. Social media in particular provides opportunities for rapid communication with the general public, Anderson said.

“It’s very exciting. It’s new ground. And it’s a lot of fun,” Anderson said.

In addition to monitoring social media and developing VA websites, Anderson is often able to answer Veterans’ questions in real time.

“To be able to have a Veteran say thank you for giving them that number to help a homeless Veteran they saw down the street via Twitter in less than a couple of minutes is amazing,” Anderson said in a video.

To empower Veterans even more broadly using online tools, this month VA debuted its new website, va.gov. The new design features a simple homepage that guides Veterans directly to the resources they are most likely to need. (VA Careers also recently updated its website to make it easier to find and apply for jobs.)

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Like the VA communications channels he manages, Anderson’s career has grown and changed over the years. After starting out as a filming coordinator at VA, he took on a role as a web communications manager and subsequently become a public affairs officer, too.

“The reason I work at the VA is because there is so much room to grow here,” Anderson said.

Choose VA today

Anderson chose VA because of the opportunities to engage with Veterans through new technologies. See if a VA career is the right choice for you too.

• WATCH Blake describe why he chose VA for his public affairs career.
• EXPLORE a VA career.
• APPLY for an open position near you.
• LEARN how to Choose VA at www.vacareers.va.gov.
• Follow our Choose VA blog series.
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