Putting yourself out there

I recently attended a retirement ceremony for a Navy Captain, retiring after 25 years of service. I inwardly groaned when I learned it was going to be a slide presentation of this man’s career, fearing that we’d be subjected to a recitation of more than two decades worth of personal career highs and lows. I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable and engaging his presentation was. Prior to that afternoon, the thought of even a few hours on a Navy ship would have made me feel confined and claustrophobic; by the end of the ceremony I too was caught up in the allure of sailing the high seas for the U. S. Navy.

After the ceremony, I thanked the gentleman for putting his years of service into such great context. I did not ask him for details about his future plans, as I figured he was probably tired of answering those questions again and again over the past few months – the bottom line was that he had not yet found a job and had no immediate hot prospects. However, in talking about his future, we were both fairly upbeat; it would seem that there’s never been a more veteran friendly hiring environment and he has been very pragmatic in reaching out to potential employers and networking. Additionally, he has been very active in promoting Hire Heroes on a local level, both to businesses and the service members that worked for him.

Recent employment statistics show an increase in the unemployment rate for veterans. Like the economy in general, positive momentum in veterans employment seems to come only in fits and starts, with a step forward followed by a backward push. At the same time, there is a concerted effort, perhaps unprecedented, by the private sector to make hiring veterans a priority. The United States Chamber of Commerce launched the Hiring Our Heroes initiative, which will bring over 400 job fairs to military members (and spouses) and hopes to hire 500,000 veterans and spouses by the end of 2014. JP Morgan Chase, along with other corporate partners, has a goal to hire 100,000 veterans by 2020. Online shopping giant Amazon pledged to make veterans 25% of its new workforce for 2011. However, despite the stated commitments and job fairs, veterans continue to be discouraged in their efforts to find jobs.

Why is there such a disconnect?

Obviously, there is no short, easy answer – if there was, the issue would be addressed: veterans would have the luxury of picking and choosing jobs, the economy would see the benefits and we would be patting ourselves on the back for a job well-done. Many of the issues that may impact a veteran’s outlook for employment are beyond his/her control. One article noted that the emerging stereotype of the “crazy veteran” might be having a negative impact on corporate America’s willingness to hire veterans. The article stated The Mission Continues conducted a survey that had showed an interesting paradox: employers believe that veterans bring many positive attributes to the table, such strong character and community involvement, however, they also tend to believe that the majority of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

This blog has touched on the impact that notion can have, and others, particularly the VA’s blog (VAntage Point) have taken up the cause of the damage that the notion of the “crazy veteran” can do to all service members. The same article notes that it is up to employers to educate themselves about the reality of PTSD and to not fall into the trap of avoiding all veterans in an effort to distance themselves from what they consider to be potentially high risk/high maintenance employees.

There are numerous groups that are working with and on behalf of veterans, including The Mission Continues, Veterans on Wall Street, The Value of a Veteran and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. These and other groups work diligently to further the cause of promoting the value of hiring and supporting veterans, whether it is to sponsor job fairs or lobby the private sector to educate companies about the benefits, and realities, of hiring veterans.

Obviously, each veteran has his/her own role to fill in the process, and this is an opportunity for each to be creative and open-minded in the pursuit of the next step beyond military life. Our website, www.laarmedforces.org, has many resources and links for finding employment, and it is a good starting point. As well, it is not good enough to confine yourself to online searching; the best foot forward is the one that takes you out the door. The retired captain has been proactive, taking any opportunity for informational interviews that presents itself, including an informational interview with the owner and manager of a major league baseball team (he knew it would not lead to a job with the organization, but it gave him an opportunity to sit down with two community leaders and introduce himself in a positive light). He also gave his resume to another business leader and asked him to review it; he noted that it was “brutal, but helpful,” because what matters to people in the private sector is different than what matters in the military.

This is important, because although veterans can bring many accomplishments to a company in their post-service careers, they must also learn to relate in a non-military way. Getting out, going to job fairs and getting involved in the community can help veterans get the pulse of the community. It can also help business decision makers understand that the notion of the “crazy veteran” is a stereotype whose time has come to an end.

Sources:

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/06/military-unemployment-up-for-iraq-afghanistan-vets-060112w/

http://www.cnbc.com/id/47905398

http://www.uschamber.com/hiringourheroes

http://www.gijobs.com/2012Top100.aspx

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-leadership/post/why-companies-hire-veterans-and-why-they-dont/2012/06/12/gJQA9LvrXV_blog.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/katiedrummond/2012/06/21/hiring-heroes/2/