“The first time I began hiring JMOs I was skeptical.  I wanted to support someone who had supported our country but was worried that he would be so used to giving orders that he would struggle in our unionized manufacturing environment and ‘upset the apple cart’.  The reality was quite the opposite – he was used to doing all the paperwork that our union environment dictated but he knew how to coach and counsel as well. When an employee was written-up, he worked with them so that they actually overcame the documented incident and went on to improve considerably. This was the rule not the exception. I was impressed that he was able to earn the respect of some pretty hard-core long-time employees AND get the job done.  I need to replace some folks that will be retiring soon and as far as I’m concerned JMOs are the way to go.“

USAA is a financial services company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with offices in Phoenix, Colorado Springs and Tampa. USAA provides a wide range of insurance, financial and banking services for military service members and their families. It was founded in 1922 by a group of Army officers who wanted to self-insure each other after they were unable to secure auto insurance due to the perception they were a high-risk group. Recruiting veterans has been central to USAA’s successes from the beginning. Says John DiPiero, Colonel, USAF, Retired, USAA’s senior officer/NCO Military Talent Manager and one of four sourcer/ recruiters for USAA’s military recruiting team, “Who better to understand the needs of the military service member and his or her family than those who have served themselves?”

As part of their holistic approach, USAA has created a stand-alone “center of excellence” for any issues associated with the USAA military community. This new center of excellence focuses on enhancing their ability to attract, develop and retain veterans and military spouses.    It appears to be working: USAA has been recognized in the top 10 of GI Jobs’ Top 50 Military Friendly Employers since the award’s inception in 2003. It is currently #4 overall and the #1 financial services company. It is also #1 on Military Spouse Magazine’s 2009 Top 10 Military Spouse friendly employers. Finally, USAA was recognized by CivilianJobs.com, where America’s military connects with civilian careers, as a 2009 Most Valuable Employer (MVE) for Military.

USAA employs more than 4,000 veterans and military spouses, about 18.5% of its total population.  Roughly 250 of those employees are active in the National Guard and Reserves, and at any time 25-30 of those Guard/Reserve members are deployed somewhere around the globe. In 2008, USAA hired over 300 veterans and more than 150 military spouses.  They source talent from all segments of the military community, including senior officers and NCOs, junior officers, wounded warriors, junior NCOs and military spouses.  In fact, USAA’s wounded warrior recruiter, Brian Neuman, was wounded in Fallujah on Veteran’s Day, 2004. Brian worked for the Wounded Warrior Project prior to coming to USAA in 2008. His primary focus is on sourcing wounded warriors for employment and supporting them during the recruiting and on-boarding process.

Veterans and military spouses excel in a variety of areas at USAA.  Veterans exist at the senior most levels in the organization, including members of its Board of Directors, executive management group and other managerial roles.  They have also achieved success in call center operations, financial planning, human resources, information technology, banking, insurance, strategy, corporate finance and every other  aspect of the business that requires discipline, leadership and a “can do” attitude.

The USAA Military Talent Management team uses a number of “best practices” for attracting service members and their spouses to their organization. A military hiring “best practice” that I advocate in both my hiring guide and my “Translating the Military Resume and Interview Tips” web seminar is to use dedicated recruiters for military hiring, so that they may become the experts in understanding military skill sets, translating military resumes, and knowing where to place veterans in an organization. Another best practice mentioned in both the hiring guide and my “Military Applicant Sourcing Options” web seminar is to source veterans from military job fairs and job boards. And, yet another best practice reviewed in my “Marketing to Attract the Military Applicant” web seminar is to reach out to veteran organizations, the Guard and Reserves, and other places where service members can naturally be found to create awareness in the military community about your company and to passively recruit. The USAA Military Talent Management team can attest to the effectiveness of all of these recruiting tactics.

In 2008, they attended more than 100 military related events and used more than 18 different websites for job postings and mining.  Both recruiters and hiring managers attend the job fairs. They also attend transition assistance briefings at many military installations. USAA also incorporates a very competitive employee referral program with monetary rewards for successful hires. In addition they attend quarterly meetings at the Center for the Intrepid at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, to brief transitioning wounded warriors regarding job searches and preparing for a civilian career.  They are also reaching out to another wounded warrior support group specifically dedicated to increasing IT skills.

Their Military Affairs team promotes financial solutions and services to current and prospective members while reinforcing and enhancing USAA’s image worldwide. The team, consisting of more than 50 military veterans with more than 1,200 years of combined military experience, strengthens relationships with USAA members through participation in a wide variety of venues.  These include Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR)/Service-sponsored activities, National Guard/Reserve Family Days, air shows, service academy visits, national conventions and conferences.  During 2008, the team attended more than 4,600 events reaching over one million attendees and responding to over 100,000 requests for USAA information, including requests for employment opportunities.

I was very pleased to hear that USAA uses on-the-job-training (OJT) programs for many of their positions including call centers, Six Sigma-related requirements, project management and financial planners, as I recently wrote a blog about how companies can use OJT programs to hire veterans. USAA has also created a junior military officer career development program for 30 recently separated JMOs that will give them a rotation through different aspects of the enterprise before they land in their initial assignment.

In terms of retention, the Military Talent Management team partners with management and executives and the newly hired vets to ensure that all are working toward the same goal of the service member’s successful transition to the corporate environment. USAA uses a combination of new employee onboarding which is specific for the veterans and mentors who are also veterans.  In addition, they have created an internal website, VetNet, designed as a veteran/military spouse social media site, which covers numerous subjects important to their employees.  Knowledge sharing and personal development is also very important, so an emphasis is placed on ensuring employees come to understand “all things military”. The Military Affairs team sponsors contests and events to educate USAA employees about the unique challenges the military community faces.

To view employment opportunities visit their career page. To learn more about USAA go to www.USAA.com.

“Our success has been going like gangbusters with much of that being credited to the BMI (military) candidates we have hired,”…prior service members have what it takes to get the job done.

Please find the full case study here.

Abbott also advises those considering the military-to-civilian transition to carry their unique commitment to duty from the military into their civilian jobs.

“That dedication to mission that service members have is a definite plus in the civilian world,” said Abbott.

Read the full article: “From USMA to eBay”

“Due to an increase in public works funding, Atkinson Construction needed a reliable source for engineers, estimators, and site superintendents.   Hardworking, intelligent, imaginative and a willingness to learn are just a few of the qualities that Atkinson Construction looks for in future employees.”

Find the full recruiting military case study here.

• Establishing a specific military hiring initiative as part of its overall HR strategy;
• Recruiting at military job fairs, through military job boards and on military installations;
• Preparing their recruiters and/or hiring managers on how to screen a veteran resume and interview service members;
• Updating their marketing materials to attract the military.

Advanced Technology Services (ATS) is known for making factories run better. ATS improves the productivity and profitability for many of the world’s most respected manufacturers through the managed services of production equipment maintenance, information technology and spare parts repair. Founded in 1985, ATS employs over 2,300 people across the U.S., Mexico and United Kingdom. ATS is headquartered in Peoria, IL with offices and services centers located in Greenville, SC, Chicago, IL, Detroit, MI, Monterrey, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

ATS began an aggressive recruiting campaign targeting military veterans in 2005 and haven’t slowed down since. Today service members comprise almost 28% of their total workforce. In 2008 ATS hired approximately 300 veterans (about 33% of total hires for that year).

Holly Mosack, ATS Recruiting Manager and an Army veteran herself, knows how talented service members are. “They bring a level of dedication - a can-do attitude – that is hard to find in the civilian sector. They understand mission accomplishment, have leadership skills that you can’t find elsewhere and bring with them the ability to look ahead instead of just being reactive. They work well on teams, think outside of the box, make things happen and instead of complaining, they find the solutions. They don’t like to fail and they take pride in all they do.”

ATS appreciates and takes advantage of the mechanical training many military members have attained while working on tanks, generators, aircraft, electronic equipment, and vehicles. Says Mosack, “We find that veterans pick up the technical skills easily. At ATS, we specialize in factory maintenance. Most veterans leaving the service have never worked on factory equipment. However, they are able to take the skills that they’ve learned in the military and easily transfer those skills to our business.”

To better facilitate the veterans transition to working with factory equipment ATS sponsors a Multi-Skilled Technical Training program. It is an accredited, ten-month course designed to take someone from having a mechanical or electrical aptitude and turn them into a skilled Manufacturing Maintenance Technician. ATS has found veterans to be a great match for this program and military members enjoy the benefit of applying their GI Bill to pay for the program.

In addition to reaping the cost benefit of a hiring a skilled workforce, ATS also takes advantage of the various tax credits for hiring veterans and the relocation cost savings that can be realized by connecting with active duty service members early in their transition process.

A military recruiting best practice I recommend in my web seminar “Translating the Military Resume and Interviewing Tips” is to use recruiters who have been trained to screen and interview veterans, including screening a veteran resume. ATS has four recruiters who are also former military members. These recruiters enjoy speaking with service members and can quickly help them understand how their skills translate into positions at ATS. Mosack continues, “Having military veterans as recruiters has been a huge advantage for us. These recruiters understand the skill sets that the veterans possess and can easily translate those skills to hiring managers who may not be familiar with the military.”

Another military recruiting best practice I recommend in my web seminar “Marketing to Attract the Military Applicant” is to make sure service members know from every possible recruiting vehicle (i.e., your career website, your recruiting materials, etc.) that your company is “military-friendly”. You can do this through:

• Partnering with various Department of Defense employment initiatives
• Establishing supportive HR policies and programs

“Four years ago, most veterans had probably never heard of ATS, where now we are considered one of the top military-friendly companies,” says Mosack. “Veterans receive support and recognition from our President and CEO as well. We proudly display service flags for all of our Reservists and National Guardsmen that are currently deployed and provide support to their families. We have a great relationship with the Army’s Partnership for Youth Success program and look forward to continuing to grow our veteran population at ATS.” ATS is also a proud supporter of the National Guard and Reserves and is the recipient of two awards given by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves for its military-friendly policies

For more information about ATS visit its website at www.AdvancedTech.com.

“Aeroflex was seeking a reliable source of quality candidates for their sales positions.  Typically, Aeroflex sales managers market their products within the commercial and defense industries. Serious candidates to the company generally have a four-year college degree, preferably in engineering or business. Prior experience in sales is a definite plus. Knowledge of basic engineering principles is a must.”

Find the full hire military case study here .

• Establishing a specific military hiring initiative as part of its overall HR strategy;
• Recruiting at military job fairs, through military job boards and on military installations;
• Preparing their recruiters and/or hiring managers on how to screen veteran resumes and interview service members;
• Updating their marketing materials to attract the military.

Place Trade Financial, Inc., is a full service broker/dealer [financial services firm] based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Place Trade offers a range of products and services including investment advice, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, 401(k)s and 401(k) rollovers, college, retirement planning and more. Place Trade’s CEO and President is Sarah M. Place, a military spouse and former military “brat”. Says Place, “I am clearly biased in my veteran hiring preference because I know firsthand what veterans have to offer. My father was a career officer and my husband was a career NCO.  I have been around the military all of my life. I have a special appreciation for the characteristics held by most veterans including their honor, dedication, confidence, discipline, respect and ability to get the job done without issues.”

Place Trade has been hiring service members since its inception almost 7 years ago and approximately 30% of its employees are former military. Roughly 25% of the new hires Place Trade made in 2008 are veterans. Military applicants have come to Place Trade mostly by word of mouth and referrals – proof that the expansive military network can be a great source of new employees for a company.

Place believes that veterans do very well as financial advisors; she does not hesitate to describe the benefits she has seen from hiring military. “I feel confident that I have hired and will continue to hire individuals that can be trusted to treat clients with honesty and respect. I know that veterans have the necessary discipline, are able to take charge and get the job done without a lot of supervision.”

Although her employees don’t require a security clearance to work at Place Trade, “it’s always a plus and a confidence booster to know that most veterans have [a clearance] since all of our employees must be fingerprinted and have FBI background checks done” (read my earlier blog on the benefits of knowing that veterans are pre-screened).

In addition, anyone who is currently working and licensed (or has been licensed) in the industry will have a Uniformed Application for Securities Industry Registration or Transfer (commonly known as a “U-4”). At 28 pages, the U-4 reminds me of the government application process for a security clearance, and it asks many of the same types of questions (i.e., “Have you been convicted of a felony?”) and for the same types of background information (i.e., “provide residential history for the last 5 years”).

In order to become a basic registered representative / stockbroker a person needs a bachelor’s degree, a Series 7 and a Series 63 license.  These licenses can be obtained once an individual is “appointed” by a firm (broker/dealer) such as Place Trade Financial.  An individual must be appointed/sponsored by a broker dealer before they can sit for the examinations, and Place Trade is willing to sponsor non-licensed veterans so that they can sit for the exams and enjoy a career at Place Trade Financial.  Service members who begin preparing 8-12 months in advance for transition can use that time to study and prepare for the examinations. Various companies offer study materials and classes online. Smart companies know how to utilize the veteran’s long transition window to help the service member obtain required credentials/certifications/licenses. It is a Best Practice that I advocate in my military hiring web seminar “Military Applicant Sourcing Options”

And now, the best news of all: Place Trade is hiring! “We are actually looking to hire up to 16 experienced, licensed Financial Advisors immediately. Veterans who are experienced, licensed Financial Advisors may be hired as commission-based independent advisors throughout the US. We are currently hiring in several states and are open to adding additional states depending on the specifics of the situation. This offers flexibility to veterans who may be transitioning.”

Place Trade gives military preference in hiring.  Says Place, “In fact, we would prefer to hire as many veterans as possible.” To search for jobs at Place Trade go to its career page.

• Establishing a specific military hiring initiative as part of its overall HR strategy;
• Recruiting at military job fairs, through military job boards and on military installations;
• Preparing their recruiters and/or hiring managers on how to screen veteran resumes and interview service members;
• Updating their marketing materials to attract the military

Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) is a private corrections management firm headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. CCA partners with local, state and federal agencies to design, build, operate and manage jails, prisons and detention facilities. CCA manages approximately 75,000 inmates including males, females, and juveniles at all security levels, in 63 facilities under contract for management in 19 states and the District of Columbia. It also partners with all three federal corrections agencies, and almost half of all states and several municipalities.

While CCA has been hiring veterans since its inception in 1983, strategic efforts to specifically target and recruit military veterans formally began on a companywide scale in 2005, with a campaign branded “From Camouflage to Corrections,” through which military-friendly recruitment materials (including posters, flyers and brochures) were developed and distributed nationwide at CCA facilities, job fairs, transition centers and other landing points. CCA has since been named among the “Top 50 Military-Friendly Employers” by G.I. Jobs magazine in 2006 and 2008.

Wendy Gardner, CCA senior director, Staffing and Recruiting, explains that “One of the catalysts for the military recruiting campaign was the realization that several of our facilities, which happened to be located near military installations, were experiencing success in recruiting solid correctional professionals, particularly for operations (security) positions, from the military. Some facility human resources managers were attending military job fairs in their local communities. We recognized this as a new and effective best practice, and it served as the inspiration behind more strategic and growing inroads into military recruitment. Today, military veterans comprise a significant portion of the workforce at several identified CCA facilities – Kit Carson Correctional Facility (Burlington, Colo.), Leavenworth Detention Center (Leavenworth, Kan.), Mineral Wells Pre-Parole Transfer Facility (Mineral Wells, Texas), San Diego Correctional Facility (San Ysidro, Calif.), Stewart Detention Center (Lumpkin, Ga.) and Wheeler Correctional Facility (Alamo, Ga.). “

Gardner notes that the CCA workforce is comprised of nearly 17,000 employees, and approximately 10 percent, or roughly 1,700, of their employee base are covered veterans. In 2008 CCA hired 7,286 new employees, of which 439, or six percent, were covered veterans. The majority of veterans with CCA excel in security positions in facility operations, largely due to the training, experience and exposure veterans have had in matters of safety and security. However, veterans can also be found in rehabilitative programs, health services, quality assurance, education and many other areas in a correctional setting.

One of the benefits CCA has realized by hiring veterans includes relocation cost savings (see my earlier blog on this topic). Additionally, they have found that some veterans have training and certification in a skilled trade, which can be a training/education savings for the company as well. CCA is very proud to be designated as a G.I. Bill-approved employer, thereby enabling employees at select facilities to use their G.I. Bill benefits for additional career-related training.

Gardner is supported in this military hiring effort by three national-level recruiters and human resources managers at each of the company’s more than 60 facilities across the country. Her team has developed specific initiatives intended to recruit veterans and transitioning professionals with military experience. Such efforts include:

• Attending career fairs and making presentations at military installations across the country
• Developing local contacts at military transition centers and state workforce centers, particularly those within proximity to local CCA facilities.
• Committing to attend four national military job fairs in 2009. CCA hiring managers frequently bring military veterans employed with CCA to these fairs to speak with prospective applicants; they have proven to be a major draw and their influence has led to their presence at such fairs being regarded by some as a best practice worth duplicating (and I would agree – I advocate that practice in my “Marketing to Attract the Military Applicant” web seminar).
• Creating a dedicated page on its Careers section online, which includes a great video with targeted messaging that is crafted to appeal to the needs of military transitioners
• Partnering with DirectEmployers Association, a nonprofit consortium of leading U.S. companies. DirectEmployers posts CCA openings on web sites with high military traffic, including JobCentral.com (formerly known as America’s Job Bank) and its targeted partner site, VetCentral.com. DirectEmployers also sends CCA job announcements to state employment offices, enabling the company to comply with Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ standards and more efficiently utilize internal human resources (see my earlier blog on OFCCP and the Good Faith Initiative for Veterans Employment, also known as G-FIVE).

For additional information on CCA and their veteran-friendly employer initiatives, please contact K. Danielle Edwards, Communications, at danielle.edwards@correctionscorp.com. To search for jobs at CCA go to its career page.

• Establishing a specific military hiring initiative as part of its overall HR strategy
• Recruiting at military job fairs, through military job boards and on military installations
• Preparing their recruiters and/or hiring managers on how to screen veteran resumes and interview service members.

CSRA Technology LLC is an advanced technology and training firm founded in 2003. The company is located in Blythe, Georgia which is near the Ft. Gordon military installation. Ft. Gordon is home to the Army’s premier training schools for Soldiers who work with telecommunications, satellite, radio, and computer systems.

CSRA Technology specializes in applying technological solutions to the government, commercial, outdoor and agricultural industries. Its core focus is to develop and deliver comprehensive solutions to include technical design/planning, training and support, smart home, irrigation, solar technology and security systems.

The firm has been hiring military members since its inception in 2003, and the three managing members of CSRA Technology are retired military (US Marine Corps and US Navy). “We primarily hire veterans as the majority of our larger contracts are for government customers,” says Joe Kirby, Director of Operations/Member LLC. “We find the veterans have the specific subject matter expertise, training and dedication that we look for.” And this in-depth knowledge is what keeps clients coming back to CSRA Technology. “In this capacity, our operational organization mirrors the military planning organization. When you select our team you are getting personnel and experience that have ‘been there and done that’. We believe this is important to our customers, saving them time and money by understanding their needs and providing appropriate solutions.”

And, although they tend to work on the larger government-related contracts, the veterans are found in a variety of positions. “They have a great work ethic, a wide variety of skill sets, are ethical in their conduct and are dedicated to meeting or exceeding the objective set for them.”

Kirby goes on to say “By recruiting veterans we have found that we are receiving a package deal. The majority of today’s veterans have at least some college experience if not a degree. They also have (as a minimum) at least four years of pertinent experience. This helps the company save on training and education costs. As we are an IT firm that deals with government contracts, it is also beneficial for us that the veterans that we recruit have existing security clearances that can be transferred to our company.”

100% of the new employees CSRA Technologies hired in 2008 are former military. The company uses a variety of methods for finding great candidates, including posting positions on job boards with a heavy military population such as ClearanceJobs.com. Their greatest successes have come from relying on the veteran-employees themselves as sources of referrals. “The military is a large network, and being able to recruit via that network has been beneficial to us.” Not to mention a great cost savings as well!

For more information on CSRA Technology LLC, please contact Joe Kirby, Director of Operations/Member LLC