Thursday, September 27, 2007

Hire a Hero

When signing up to serve our country, new recruits often are told how their military career will lead to good jobs when they one day re-enter the civilian world.

That appears to be complete bulls**t, according to Dan Caulfield.

I recently spent nearly an hour talking to Caulfield, an articulate, passionate and committed guy who gave me a real earful about the pitiful state of affairs regarding employment for our veterans. Despite having served with honor and serving in some of the most dangerous parts of the world, these vets have a tougher time than other job seekers looking for work – those age 20-24 often have an unemployment rate two to three times higher than non-veterans of the same age group.

Caulfield calls it the “military service penalty,” which he says comes about because too many civilians who do the hiring are personally unfamiliar with the military. He says that only those who have a “personal” relationship with someone in the military end up hiring vets.

The problems don’t end there. He says that not only does the military do a lousy job transitioning military personnel into the civilian working world, but vets lose the very thing they need most when getting a job – their military network. It’s networking, he asserts, that still is the critical aspect of finding a job.

That’s why Caulfield started Hire a Hero with about a half million dollars of his own money, because he wants to make sure that there is a community ready to do more than “than just put a yellow ribbon on their car.”

“It only makes sense that those who have done the most to protect the American dream participate fully in its rewards,” says the group’s website.

Hire a Hero focuses on helping vets connect with people locally who can help them get jobs. By allowing vets to post requests for help, and information about themselves, the site helps connect vets with hundreds of companies willing to temploy hose who have served. At the same time, the social networking aspect helps vets support each other during the difficult period of returning to civilian life and trying to find a job.

The site is filled with personal stories and requests for help. “Where do I go from here?” asks one vet. “I hope employers … do not hold it against me that I just served four years in the Army as a combat medic.”

Notes another: “Man, this is so crazy – I can’t believe it’s hard to find a job! I don’t feel like the world owes me anything for serving in the military, but can they just give me a chance.”

Caulfield says that one of the group’s missions is to continue to educate employers that vets (some 250,000 will leave active service this year) are about more than just being “disciplined,” a description he says that can come off as patronizing and one-dimensional. He says these men and women have many more valuable job skills that give them qualifications to be more than “front-line” workers.

“You learn so many valuable things in the military – these people know how to solve problems, how to work together and have a lot of personal integrity,” he says. “They make excellent employees, and they deserve a place at the table.”

Finally, while we're on the subject of networking, I've written before about how best to use LinkedIn. Now Jason Alba, of JibberJobber, has a new book, I'm on Linkedin...Now What?"


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2 comments:

1stbioblogger said...

It is truly incomprehensible that employers would not seek vets; after all, how much evidence of loyalty, determination, ability to follow leaders and a "can do" attitude do they need? I simply don't understand it. The only solution I can think of is for vets to be more aggressive and make their case in a stronger fashion, more of an educational strategy. Bioblogging would be helpful in most cases to make their point.

Anita said...

I think the most important thing is that people are educated about this issue. Hiring managers need to understand the skills the military personnel have to offer, and offer them opportunities at all levels of a company...not just the lower levels. We all need to lend a hand in making sure these men and women are given viable, good jobs.