The military is a community like any other representing all points on the bell curve. However, because the military sets a higher standard (UCMJ), more focus is placed on character. Companies like Bradley-Morris, Inc. have a team of recruiters representing many spaces within the military communities. I know about submarine service but have no personal experience regarding how the fighter jet community advances their top performers. The person who works beside me does though, and along with the rest of our team we differentiate and match individuals based on desired performance attributes so our clients hire the best “military-experienced talent”.

The back end is really interesting as we experience a strong consistency in performance across service branches, job segments and industry sectors. Checking in with placed candidates and their hiring managers is an eye opener. The feedback is overwhelmingly positive and often over the top amazing. It is not uncommon for a candidate we place to advance 3 or 4 steps within a short time with the company. The fastest track I have seen is 2 steps in 90 days.

This particular candidate was a graduate of West Point who excelled as an Army leader. I placed him in the food manufacturing industry with a Fortune 500 company as a production supervisor. Within 90 days he skipped through maintenance supervisor and was put in charge of their process improvement team. After that facility became the best in efficiency, he was advanced to lead process improvement for the entire division becoming their quality guru.

There are countless examples of the positive contributions of military-experienced talent. The people who excel in the military are hard charging go getters and these qualities fit well in corporate America too. Hire military. It is good for business.

Bobby Whitehouse

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbywhitehouse

It got me to wondering how many companies offer their employees a paid or unpaid holiday on Veterans Day, or at least did something of significance to acknowledge the day.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conducted a poll on the 2011 holidays that organizations plan to observe.  SHRM’s numbers reflected higher support for MLK Day than the BNA survey with 38% reporting that their organizations would be closed in observance.  Veterans Day lags behind, with 21 percent indicating they plan to observe the holiday in 2011 (encouragingly, an increase of 5% points over the 2010 reported numbers).

For the last few years I have sent out requests on LinkedIn for HR professionals and veterans to share what their company is doing to recognize and honor the service of its veteran-employees on Veterans Day.

While my method of polling is, admittedly, completely unscientific, the results are still interesting.  As you might expect, very few people reported offering or being offered paid time off.  Those companies that did tended to be small businesses that were owned by veterans, who made it a priority that all their employees have the time off to attend and/or participate in Veterans Day events.  Many veteran-employees reported that they took personal time off (paid and unpaid) to attend events.

Why should your company consider offering Veterans Day as a holiday or at least plan an event acknowledging the day?  Human Resources professionals know that recognizing and valuing the unique contributions of your employees is a critical component in any company’s military recruiting and military retention strategies.   I see many organizations hosting elaborate International Women’s Day events (March 8^th),  coordinating training and education events around National Disability Employment Awareness Month,  and planning food-and-arts centered events around Asian-American / Native American / African American History Months, and promoting them in their recruitment marketing materials and diversity web site pages, but the silence can be deafening when it comes to Veterans Day events.

While some employers have expressed concern to me that it would appear that they were showing support for the ongoing wars in the Middle East, most are just at a loss for ideas on what they could do to show appreciation for veterans in general and their veteran-employees specifically.  So I am going to give you some suggestions that you can work on this year, regardless of whether you offer a paid day off for Veterans Day.

For the organized, high energy types out there, here are some programs to aspire to from companies that have turned this into an art:

• Coca-Cola: Organizes an entire week’s worth of events.  They prepared 10,000 USO care packages, held a Vets VIP Dinner followed by a company-wide Veterans Day main event, participated in the Atlanta Veterans Day Parade and held a Military Ball.
• Accenture: Hosted a military “Dining Out” event and invited civilian employees to partake in the pomp and circumstance (and general silliness) of the event.
• Dell:  Invited several local National Guard units to participate in their event, including an air cavalry unit that provided static displays of a Blackhawk helicopter and a Bradley Fighting Vehicle.  One of the company’s executive leadership team members and an executive VP (who was a retired two-star general) flew in to address the employees.   Each veteran was presented with a certificate of appreciation, an American flag, and an American flag lapel-pin, and was encouraged to wear their military decorations.

Do those events sound too overwhelming to organize this year?  Many other companies and universities reported doing the following, which are things most any company could do with just a few months planning:

• Host a Veterans Day luncheon
• Send out an email or newsletter acknowledging the history of the holiday and profiling the service of a few veteran-employees
• Mail a personal letter signed by the CEO and/or head of Diversity to each self-identified veteran-employee thanking them for their service and sacrifice
• Post profiles of veteran-employees on bulletin boards or make a video for YouTube (click to see an example from Sodexo here.)
• Send a contingent of employees to a local Veterans Day parade with “<Company ABC> supports its veterans” t-shirts or signs
• Organize employee volunteer events at local VA hospitals or Wounded Warrior Transition Centers
• Volunteer with a local Veteran Service Organization, the USO or the American Red Cross, all organizations that have strong ties to the military community
• Arrange with your local schools to have your veteran-employees as speakers

Veterans Day is Friday, November 11^th – How will your company acknowledge the service of your veteran employees this year?

When I am consulting with companies that are just starting a military hiring initiative, and the client brings up the topic of recruiting JMO’s, I ask them to explain why they are interested in hiring JMO’s.  Often times, they don’t have a specific reason beyond what they have heard about the quality of JMO hires.  Oftentimes they mention that they saw the article Fortune Magazine ran in March that featured several JMO’s who went on to successful careers with Pepsi Co, Wal-Mart and GE, so they want to replicate that kind of success in their company.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I love JMO’s (I was one…a hundred years ago).   They have many fine qualities and are exceptionally good candidates.  Before starting a military hiring initiative, I think companies need to step back and examine what skills and traits they are looking to hire in order to determine which service members are most likely to possess those qualities.  Taking the time to align desired skill sets with demonstrated levels of responsibility and appropriate salary expectations may lead the company to realize that the most appropriate candidates may in fact be the significantly larger pool of non-commissioned officers (those service members in the grades of E-5 through E-9), or NCO’s.

Let’s review:

• NCO’s have between 6-20+ years of military service and have been performing the day-to-day tasks of their occupation for the majority of that time;
• Roughly 14% of enlisted active duty service members completed at least an Associate’s degree or higher in Fiscal Year 2009 (latest statistics recorded), and this doesn’t even cover the educational level of those serving in the National Guard or Reserves;
• They are held to the same levels of personal and fiscal accountability in their military service as the JMO’s (and I would argue they are held to an even higher level than a JMO); and perhaps most importantly,
• The NCO’s are the people who trained the JMO’s.

Any JMO worth his/her salt will confirm that NCO’s are trusted advisors and have the authority and capability to carry out the guidance provided.  NCO’s have the direct responsibility to train the service members entrusted to them, and are responsible for ensuring the junior enlisted members welfare and maintaining good order and discipline so the unit can accomplish its mission as a team.  The JMO is the beneficiary of a decade or more of hard-earned experience.  No NCO wants a knucklehead for a commanding officer, so it is in his/her best interest to offer the wisdom and guidance that will develop that JMO into an effective leader.

In a purely civilian environment, it is not unheard of that a team will (gleefully) watch a senior member “go down in flames” just to make it easier to get rid of them.  The stakes are quite different in a military environment, particularly a combat environment.  There is a sense of duty and obligation to make sure that leader is competent and “squared away” because people’s lives are on the line.  The NCO’s will make it thus.

So, employers:  When developing your recruitment strategy, don’t forget the outstanding qualities of the non-commissioned officers.  Make sure your recruitment marketing message isn’t turning away some of the best and brightest that our military has to offer.

• For employers: Insights to recruiting and retaining military, as well as an overview of translating military culture and values to civilian.
• For veterans: Insider (read: recruiter-provided) information on how to apply for jobs and translate military skills to civilian nomenclature and adapt to a civilian work environment.

First, the bad news:  Low employer attendance.  I counted roughly 35 people in the room (once the sessions split into their tracks), but that included the speakers and their entourages, a number of vendors offering military-placement services, and SHRM supporting staff.  So the number of actual employers/HR professionals in attendance was probably closer to 20.  I feel this had a lot to do with limited promotion of the event, not lack of employer interest. I didn’t find out about the event until about 30 days earlier – and all I do is talk to employers about hiring military, so you might think I’d be in the know about these things .  For those HR professionals who made their flight arrangements early, it would have been tough (and expensive) to change plans under short notice, no matter how interested a person was to hear the information.

The good news (and there is a lot of it):

• SHRM President and CEO Lon O’Neil, who attended the opening event, committed to the group that SHRM is going to offer this event each year at the annual conference.   So mark your calendars now for Vegas, baby!  June 26-29, 2011 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  Expect to see details on the agenda and the dates/times of the military event by late January.
• The keynote speaker for the event, Raymond  Jefferson, the Assistant Secretary for the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) at the U.S. Department of Labor, knocked it out of the park.  Click here to see a highlight video of the event (Ray’s remarks begin at 6:18).  Impassioned, dynamic and charismatic – Ray had several calls to action for the HR professionals in attendance.  The two that I think are most beneficial to this readership:
• He asked employers to take advantage of the free services of the more than 2000 Local Veteran Employment Representatives (LVERs) and Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists across the US whose job it is to connect veterans in transition with employers looking to hire military.  To find your local LVER or DVOP go to America’s Service Locator to locate the One-Stop Career Center nearest you.
• He announced a new veteran-specific demonstration project in partnership with Job Corps, another Department of Labor initiative.

In case you are not familiar with Job Corps, it recruits, provides free education and career training and placement services to over 60,000 students ages 16-24 annually.

VETs (Ray’s office) and Job Corps are partnering in a demonstration project that will provide Job Corps’ comprehensive array of career development services to eligible veterans 20 to 24 years old to prepare them for successful careers.  This is an accelerated, customized program developed specifically for veterans. This program recognizes the maturity and life experience that veterans have gained from their military experience

Up to 300 service members can participate in this demonstration.  This is a fully-funded, all-expense-paid demonstration project which includes transportation to and from the Job Corps center, housing, meals, basic medical services, academic and career technical training, bi-weekly living allowance, and job placement and post-graduation support.

Career technical training options include, but are not limited to:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Automotive and Machine Repair
• Construction
• Finance and Business
• Healthcare
• Homeland Security
• Hospitality
• Information Technology
• Renewable Resources and Energy
• Retail Sales and Services
• Transportation

Upon completion of training, Veterans will be assigned to a career transition counselor to assist them with job placement or enrollment in higher education.

Veterans always have the option to enroll in Job Corps training programs at any of the 123 Job Corps Centers across the US; however, this veteran-specific program, while in its year-long demonstration/pilot phase is being run out of only 3 Job Corps Centers:

1. Atterbury Job Corps Center in Edinburgh, Indiana;
2. Earle C. Clements Job Corps Center in Morganfield, Kentucky; and
3. Excelsior Springs Job Corps Center in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.

Veterans:  To  enroll click here go to the Job Corps recruitment site

The enrollment at any of those three centers will be open and continuous until a center reaches 100 Veterans. It is expected that Veteran participants will be enrolling and graduating at various rates. Although Job Corps has set aside 300 slots for the demonstration project, actual participation during the year may exceed that number due to the continuous enrollment.   By the end of the demo year DOL wants to show demand for the program and its effectiveness so they can look to expand it.

So, here is my call to action to employers & higher education institutions:

Having a bunch of really well trained, highly-experienced veterans sitting around unemployed is not going to demonstrate a successful program.  The Job Corps wants to partner with you to make this veteran-specific program a success.

HOW you can partner:

• Internships: Job Corps offers many work-based learning programs and they need employers to offer those internship opportunities.  It’s a Win-Win for all parties:  The veteran gets to demonstrate his/her exceptional skills in a civilian environment; the employer gets a skilled intern at no cost, and has first dibs when it’s time to hire.
• Entry-level hiring: If you are hiring now or anticipate hiring in the next 6-12 months for entry-level positions, the Job Corps will screen eligible students to give you the best possible candidates.  Build a relationship NOW with your local Job Corps contacts to better position your company at the top of the list when the veteran-students graduate from their programs.
• Degree Programs: Some Job Corps centers have cooperative agreements with community colleges or related institutions to teach career area courses or to have individual students take courses to gain college credit. Job Corps will also work with students to help them transfer into college programs when appropriate.  Colleges/Universities: If you are not currently partnered with your local Job Corps Center, get on the band wagon now, in advance of this program being rolled out nation-wide.

WHY you should partner:

• Training tailored to your company’s needs: Your company can establish a training partnership with Job Corps.  Job Corps will specifically tailor their programs to teach the skills your company is looking for in its employees.  For example, Walgreens has a Pharmacy Technician training program offered in a number of Job Corps centers.
• Work Opportunity Tax Credit. Hiring veterans through this program can save you money at tax time by earning you tax credits under the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program.  Refer to the two earlier blogs I wrote on how to apply for the WOTC.

For complete details including brochures and fact sheets on the program go to http://www.dol.gov/vets/jc-info.htm .

And, lastly, for my VOSB/SDVOB readers out there:  Job Corps spends $1.2B on operational, construction and rehabilitation contracts.   A quick search on Federal Business Opportunities for Department of Labor/Employment Training Administration (which runs Jobs Corps) shows over 500 active requests for proposals posted in the last 90 days.  Also, Job Corps is considering re-implementing the mentor-protégée program that will enable young entrepreneurs specifically veteran and service disabled veteran owned small business leaders to learn the Job Corps business model and how they can prepare their businesses to grow and prosper in this environment.

Lisa Rosser

The Value Of a Veteran

www.TheValueOfaVeteran.com

Also mentioned in the article is how the military is continuing to flatten their management structure and push even more decision-making down the chain, providing great experience for when these service members seek a civilian job after their term of service is complete.

For instance, this week a company asked me if there was a “catch” to the relocation benefits provided to military personnel as they transition back to civilian life at the conclusion of their service obligation.

I explained that the government will relocate the individual from their exit location back to their “home of record” (location where they entered the military) or the equivalent distance!

This is another reason why companies find military experienced candidates so attractive as new additions to their staff. Any savings on RELO costs is a huge benefit to a future employer.  Even with some companies dropping relo reimbursement due to economic pressures, the military relocation benefit still makes a transitioning military candidate more “mobile” than a civilian candidate.

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”

• 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; and/or
• Updating their marketing materials to attract the military.

1-800-GOT-JUNK? is a full service junk removal company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Founder and CEO Brian Scudamore developed the idea for a professional, customer-focused junk removal service as a young university student facing a tight summer job market in 1989. His vision has grown over the last 20 years to a $125+ million dollar business covering over 300 locations in three countries.

Shaye Hoobanoff, Public Relations Manager for 1-800-GOT-JUNK? says “our concept is simple: we aim to make the ordinary job of junk removal exceptional.

• We have very clear and simple systems that apply to all franchise owners which help them win over their customers;
• Customers always reach a real person within 60 seconds when they call our call center;
• The junk removal team always arrives on time and can often offer same day service
• We recycle and donate whatever we can and can use the items towards giving back to the communities we live in, either through yard sales for charity, donating household items to disaster centers or donating items to schools and non-governmental organizations.”

1-800-GOT-JUNK? attributes its success as a company to making a point of hiring the right kind of people. The company’s leadership believes that they don’t sell franchises, they award them. They discovered early on that people who have served in the military are exactly the type they wanted running franchises because they know how to follow processes and procedures and they believe in the franchise system.

1-800-GOT-JUNK? demonstrates its appreciation for the skills and attributes of service members in two key ways:

1. It has been awarding franchise territories to veterans through the International Franchise Association’s Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative (commonly known as VetFran) since 1999. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? offers service members an incentive of a 50% discount on the cost of every second territory they purchase, with a minimum of three territories.
2. Many veteran 1-800-GOT-JUNK? franchise owners make it a point to hire other military veterans to work on their junk removal teams and drive the trucks because they make great employees. Many of their locations are looking for enthusiastic, professional, team-oriented members who can operate independently and responsibly and who aren’t afraid of hard work and physical labor. It is a particularly good opportunity for those veterans who are just coming off deployment or who are between deployments.

1-800-GOT-JUNK? has awarded 15 franchises to veterans or current service members since 1999 and it has several dozen service members working as employees for franchise owners throughout the organization. Hoobanoff believes military members excel as business owners “because they are disciplined, motivated to succeed and recognize the advantage of being a part of a franchise system and they make the most of it.”  John Hedges, in Charlottesville, Virginia, one of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? veteran franchise owners agrees: “Franchises are fantastic for military personnel because franchises are like a business in a box. The military is highly organized, and veterans’ experience with strong systems transfers well to running a franchised business.”

To view employment opportunities visit their careers page. To learn more about 1-800-GOT-JUNK? franchise opportunities go to the VetFran page for 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Click here to see a list of available US territories (bonus: many happen to be in states with military installations). To learn more about the company, please send an email to pr@1800gotjunk.com.