By Debbie Gregory.
When it comes to the characteristics that make employees the most valuable, the list is pretty long. But there are a few extra boxes that are ticked by military veterans that help make them among the most valued employees.
Decisiveness
Decisiveness is defined as being characterized by firmness and decision. Those who serve seldom have the luxury of long analysis when it comes to making a decision regarding a specific situation. They are trained to gather intel and understand it thoroughly. From the strength of a decision comes the ability to act. Being decisive is simply the most rational way to take on any problem. You observe the information you have available and then you decide what would be the most successful course of action. If you can’t get more data, decisive people simply make a decision based on the facts available.
Tenacity
Veterans know all about persistence and perseverance. Regardless of their branch of service, these former military members went through rigorous and demanding basic training (boot camp) in preparation for military service.
Initiative
Initiative is defined as an individual’s action that begins a process, often done without direct managerial influence. Anyone who has served in the military learns to follow orders. But through their training, they also learn that they may be faced with situations that requires them to take action in the absence of orders. If something needs to be done, they don’t have to wait to be told.
So if you are an employer and you’re thinking of hiring veterans, keep in mind that there is value in these potential employees that goes beyond the specialized skills they learned in the military. The very nature of being in the military has given them attributes unlike those that people can gain through any other type of employment.
Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, and their families.
By Debbie Gregory.
Joining Forces, created in 2011 by first lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, has resulted in jobs for military veterans, hiring/training more than 1.2 million veterans and military spouses.
Now, 40 companies pledged more than 110,000 jobs for military veterans and military spouses over the next five years, and more committed to training them.
Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon has committed to hiring 25,000 veterans and military spouses in the next five years, training 10,000 veterans and spouses in cloud computing.
“We’re constantly looking for leaders who can invent, think big, have a bias for action, and who want to deliver for customers,” Bezos said. “Those principles look very familiar to the men and women who served our country in the armed forces. And also their spouses.”
The aerospace-defense sector pledged to hire a combined total of 30,000 veterans, and the telecommunications sector committed to hiring a combined total of 25,000.
“They made these commitments because time and again they saw for themselves that our veterans and military spouses are simply the best employees around,” Mrs. Obama said, reinforcing that these companies are doing the right thing.
As far as hiring for high tech jobs for veterans, she added, “If they can set up wireless networks in Baghdad or do satellite reconnaissance in the mountains of Afghanistan, I’m pretty confident that they can handle whatever’s happening in Silicon Valley.”
Mrs. Obama also stressed that she hoped the next administration would continue to make hiring veterans and military spouses a national priority
Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, and their families.
By Debbie Gregory.
In all the years I have worked with the military and veteran communities, the one thing I am really sure of is that those who serve rock. They answer our country’s call, and put their lives on the line for our freedoms.
But they aren’t the only one who serve and sacrifice. Military spouses not only keep the home fires burning, they are often times forced to leave family, friends and careers behind as they follow their servicemember around the country, and sometimes, around the world.
They are truly the force behind the force. Give a military spouse an impossible set of circumstances, very little resources or time, and absolutely no choice in the matter, and they will figure it out.
These are some of the reasons why military spouses make the best employees. They are pros at adapting to ever-changing schedules, climates, careers, peer groups and housing. They will make new friends. Adapt. Overcome They will ace dreaded job interviews pretty much every time they move, unless they are lucky enough to have a portable career or work from home opportunities.
Military spouses are a unique mix of men and women who silently serve in the shadows…waiting patiently for their spouses. They are mothers, fathers, full-time workers or caretakers, the cooks, nurses, cleaners, car-poolers.They are jacks and jills of all trades, and many of them are entrepreneurs.
They roll up their sleeves, and get thing done because they have to. And they are part of a community that values loyalty.
So if you are an employer, remember that hiring veterans and military spouses is the right thing to do. Showing your support for those who serve by supporting their spouses provides you with an employee that has a work ethic second to none, as well as many of the aforementioned traits.
Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, and their families.
By Debbie Gregory.
Employers now have even more reasons to consider hiring veterans to their workforce. Currently, there are specific tax credits available to employers that hire military veterans. The Returning Heroes Tax Credit for companies that hire unemployed veterans gives credit for short-term unemployed and long-term unemployed hires. The Wounded Warriors Tax Credit will increase the existing tax credit for companies that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been unemployed long-term and continue the existing credit for all other veterans with a service-connected disability.
While these initiatives have a time limit to qualify and file, the Boosting Rates of American Veteran Employment (BRAVE) Act has been recently introduced, allowing the Veterans Affairs Secretary to award VA contracts to companies having higher percentages of veteran employees.
Comprised of two Democrat and three Republican co-sponsors, the goal for the BRAVE Act is to reward companies that maintain high consideration for veterans. In addition to offering employment opportunities, they then become a model to other companies to do the same.
“We have to make it a priority, in government and in the private sector, to fully invest in our veterans, invest in their potential to use their unique training and experience to excel in the civilian workforce,” said New York Democrat Kathleen Rice, one of the five co-sponsors.
Marine-veteran Rep. Paul Cook (R-Calif.) said veterans still experienced higher unemployment rates in 2014 than the national average.
“It’s unacceptable that men and women who signed up to fight for their country are unable to find a job when they return home,” Cook said. “I’m proud to introduce this bill with Representative Rice and address this problem head-on by incentivizing veteran employment.”
Several major veterans’ organizations, including Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the American Legion, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) are in support of the bill. The House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity was scheduled to begin reviewing the bill on April 16, 2015.
Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.
Military Connection: BRAVE Act Is Being Reviewed By the House: By Debbie Gregory
By Joe Silva
There is no question that unemployment among Veterans is improving. The utilization of resources such as the MilitaryConnection.com Jobs Page, Virtual Job Fair, as well as other government and private sector initiatives have made headway in eliminating unemployment among Veterans. But our latest generation of war Veterans still encounter an unemployment rate that is higher than their civilian counterparts, evidence that there is still a need for hiring initiatives for Veterans.
At MilitaryConnection.com, we are committed to honoring service members and Veterans from all branches and components, as well as the sacrifices made by their families. It is the obligation of our nation’s citizens to provide considerations for those who sacrificed for our country. Therefore, hiring advantages and initiative for Veterans are necessary to give back to those who have sacrificed so much. But we also see the hiring of Veterans as advantageous opportunities for employers as well. Veterans entering the talent pool are equipped with unique experiences, talents and education that just can’t be found anywhere else. Savvy employers are taking notice.
Much like college, spending four or more years living and working on a military installation can be just as educational as living on a college campus. The military uses informal training, classroom instruction, online training modules, advanced testing and training review boards in their methods. In the military, service members are taught a multitude of technical, vocational and leadership skills, using real-world work environments to hone these skills. Unfortunately, too many employers don’t recognize the U.S. military as an educational institution.
Employers have also passed on hiring Veterans because of perceived skill gaps between military experience and private sector job requirements. But too often, these gaps can simply be attributed to the differences between military and corporate cultures. Employers who are interested in hiring qualified Veterans are encouraged to incorporate questions that address the functions of their military positions, and not just job titles and locations. Employers may find that most Veterans have a sharp knowledge of computer skills and administrative functions, even if their Military Occupational Specialty doesn’t suggest it.
The bottom line is that employers need to find ways to say “yes” to hiring Veterans. Business leaders claim to be constantly looking for the top talent. If this is the case, then why not start with a workforce whose talent, reliability and determination to succeed is mission accomplishment? Why not hire a Veteran?
Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.
Military Connection: Why not Hire a Veteran? By Joe Silva
Over the next several years, barring any future U.S. involvement with any additional conflicts or wars, the Department of Defense will be remodeling its structure. Like any other employer forced to downsize when demand decreases, each branch of the military will essentially be laying-off service members. And the process has already begun.
These newly-separated Veterans, many of whom had planned on a lifelong military career, have already begun to enter the already crowded job market. Even with all of their training, skills and experience, Veterans are having difficulty finding jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has maintained that Veteran unemployment rates remain at levels that are consistently higher than non-veteran unemployment rates.
Many federal agencies and private researchers have sought to remedy the issue for Veterans, as well as for the sake of the economy. One study conducted byChristopher Stone, a PhD. student at the University of Texas at San Antonio College of Business, has uncovered findings that strike through the core of Veteran unemployment.
Stone, an eight year Veteran of the U.S. Air Force, worked in aircraft maintenance and as a Military Instructor. When he left the Air Force in 2007, he started his own business near Lackland, Texas. Stone sold the business in 2010, and began to pursue his studies at the university.
An organization and management studies student, Stone focused his research on the issues concerning military Veterans’ limited ability to secure jobs, as well as exploring solutions that both employers and Veterans could use to remedy Veteran unemployment.
Stone’s research expanded the factors currently affecting the hiring of people with disabilities to explain the variables thought to influence employer decisions to hire Veterans. These factors include attributes of the veteran, attributes of the observer, the nature of the job, the degree to which raters perceive the transference of military skills to civilian jobs, and the perceived difference between role requirements in military and civilian organizational cultures.
Stone’s research suggests that employers can use the following policies to improve Veterans’ access to employment:
Additionally, staffing organizations can publicize the utilization of Veterans in the everyday functions of civilian companies.Veterans themselves can use impression management techniques, such as acknowledging their health conditions or disabilities. They can also learn to relate their military training and experience to their civilian career. It would also help if Veterans would use coaches and mentors to tighten up their résumés and interview skills.
Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.
Military Connection: New Research on Veteran Jobs: By Debbie Gregory
