Log-in: Pipeline (Member community)

Posts Tagged ‘military’

Honored for Commitment to Military Spouses and Veterans Seeking Employment

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

DirectEmployers Association’s Executive Director Honored for Dedication to Helping Military Families and Veterans Reenter the Workforce

INDIANAPOLIS, February 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Now, more than ever, it’s important to recognize those who have assisted the growing number of military spouses and veterans alike transition back into the civilian workforce. Bill Warren, Executive Director of DirectEmployers Association, was honored for just that.

In a ceremony held at the Pentagon, the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network (MSCCN) presented Warren with The Military to Civilian Jobs Network Alliance Award. Deborah Kloeppel, President and CEO of MSCCN states, “We are pleased to honor Mr. Warren for his valuable contribution in helping members and spouses of the National Guard and Reserve Families reenter the workforce after these individuals have selflessly served their country.”

The MSCCN and DirectEmployers Association created a partnership in August of 2010 due to the mutual respect for helping both spouses of service men and veterans reenter the workforce. DirectEmployers Association provides access to over 900,000 vetted jobs at no cost to the largest job bank for military spouses in the country at US.jobs.

As a former U.S. Army veteran, Warren and DirectEmployers Association understand the need for an organization like MSCCN that provide job-readiness services to transitioning military, related families, and their caregivers. Warren accepted the award with gratitude saying, “Military spouses and returning service members bring unique skills and experience to the civilian workforce. They have learned to work side by side with individuals regardless of race, gender, geographic origin, 
ethnic background, religion and economic status. They
have the sensitivity to cooperate with many different types of individuals providing employers a competitive advantage globally.”

About Military Spouse Corporate Career Network

The Military Spouse Corporate Career Network is a nonprofit organization that focuses on furthering employment opportunities for military spouses, transitioning military, veterans, war wounded, and caregivers of war wounded. The MSCCN is located all across the country near military bases helping servicemen and their spouses find employment after duty.

About DirectEmployers Association

DirectEmployers Association is a nonprofit HR consortium of leading global employers formed to improve labor market efficiency through the sharing of best practices, research and the development of technology. .JOBS Career Microsites are one of the many technologies that DirectEmployers Association provides to member employers. For more information on DirectEmployers Association, visit http://directemployers.org.

MEDIA CONTACT: Nancy Holland, Vice President of Marketing, DirectEmployers Association, +1-317-874-9022, nancy@directemployers.org

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Press Release | No Comments »

Milicruit Partners with DirectEmployers Association to Further Advancements in Veterans Recruitment and Hiring

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

The following press release was authored by UBM Studios and originally posted on September 19, 2011.

Milicruit Partners with DirectEmployers Association to Further
Advancements in Veterans Recruitment and Hiring

CHICAGO, Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — UBM Studios’ Milicruit, the recognized leader in virtual recruitment environments for veterans, and military spouses, today announced a strategic partnership with DirectEmployers Association, the nonprofit human resources consortium. The alliance will introduce DirectEmployers Association’s network of leading global employers to Milicruit’s virtual recruitment environment for veterans and their spouses.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110919/NY70784 )

Since its launch in 2010, Milicruit has been connecting military veterans and employers through its unique, next generation approach to veterans recruitment and hiring. The Milicruit virtual recruitment center enables veteran job candidates and hiring managers to meet and interact in an online, three-dimensional setting, thereby solving the shortcomings of traditional brick and mortar job fairs.

“We look forward to raising awareness of Milicruit’s valuable products and services to our membership,” said Bill Warren, Executive Director at DirectEmployers Association. “Our organization aims to improve labor market efficiency through the sharing of best practices and emerging technologies, and advancements in virtual recruitment tools integrate perfectly with those efforts. Milicruit’s innovative solutions can help our members meet their veterans hiring goals in an efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner.”

Typical career fairs are one-time, in-person events that often are little more than a branding opportunity, and at best a resume exchange. For the employers who exhibit, they can be costly, time-consuming and ineffective. And for job seekers who attend, they are crowded, impersonal and difficult to navigate. Powered by global business-to-business event leader, UBM Studios, Milicruit has revolutionized this recruiting environment by moving it online. Veteran job seekers can interact one-on-one with employer recruiters in a virtual setting (www.veteranscareerfair.com), all from the comfort and convenience of their computer. The online environment is open 24/7, so participants can visit employer booths, view and apply for jobs, download information and chat live with employer recruiters anytime, and from anywhere in the world.

“Milicruit is rapidly changing the way that veterans and employers engage, and we are delighted to be partnering with DirectEmployers Association to bring its members the proven benefits of digital recruiting,” said Kevin O’Brien, vice president of business development at UBM Studios. “Our virtual events have connected more than 200 Fortune 1000 companies with upwards of 60,000 job seeking veterans, so Milicruit’s offerings are a natural complement to DirectEmployers Association’s noteworthy veterans hiring initiatives.”

Like Milicruit, DirectEmployers Association has demonstrated a commitment to employing America’s veterans. It spearheads a variety of efforts to get veterans back to work, including VetCentral and .jobs Military Crosswalk, an online platform to help veterans find jobs. Its partnership with Milicruit is designed to augment these efforts and support its members in their veterans hiring goals.

About UBM Studios

UBM Studios is a global leader in interactive digital environments transforming the way audiences connect, educate and engage. UBM Studios offers a complete global marketing service from content and audience to creative and analytics creating world-class user engagement. For additional information on UBM Studios, visit www.ubmstudios.com.

About Milicruit

Milicruit is the recognized leader in virtual recruiting environments for military veterans. Powered by UBM Studios, Milicruit brings employers who are committed to helping returning veterans find suitable employment together with job-seeking military veterans and their spouses. Given the large number of veterans looking to reenter the civilian job market, Milicruit allows employers and job seekers to meet and interact in a convenient online setting. For additional information on Milicruit or to purchase virtual career fair services, visit www.milicruit.com or contact Kevin O’Brien, at (215) 525-5776 x101 or kevin.obrien@ubm.com.

About DirectEmployers Association

DirectEmployers Association, Inc. is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit, 600 plus member employer association. As provided in its corporate bylaws, a board of directors consisting of member company representatives manages the business and affairs of the Association. Daily operations are managed by an executive director and operations staff at the direction of the president and board of directors. Its mission is to provide employers an employment network that is cost-effective, improves labor market efficiency and reaches an ethnically diverse national workforce. For more news and information, please visit www.DirectEmployers.org.

About UBM LLC

UBM LLC is a leading global business media company. We inform markets and bring the world’s buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,000 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

Contacts
Greta Menard
Concepts, Inc. for Milicruit
gmenard@conceptspr.com
202-423-7101

Nancy Holland
DirectEmployers Association
nancy@directemployers.org
317-874-9022

SOURCE UBM Studios

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Press Release | No Comments »

NASWA Testifies in DC to Help Veterans Gain Employment in a Tough Labor Market

Friday, April 22nd, 2011

“It is no secret that veterans are facing difficult times finding and retaining good-paying jobs. Unemployment rates for veterans in some age groups significantly exceed the rates for non-veterans of the same age and that is just not right.”

Excerpt from Opening Statement by the Honorable Marlin A. Stutzman
Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity

In early March, the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service’s Budget and State Grant Program held a hearing to review the 2012 budget for the Department of Labor’s Veterans Employment and Training Service, otherwise known in the veterans’ community as VETS.

Honorable Marlin A. Stutzman, Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, gave the opening statement and shared several alarming statistics:

“The media focuses on the 15.2% unemployment rate among veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, but in terms of sheer numbers, older veterans are facing rates of unemployment that often exceeds their non-veteran peers.”

“…the Bureau of Labor Statistics latest data shows that 725,000 or 63% of the 1,135,000 unemployed vets are 35-64 yrs old. Unfortunately, those veterans have little or no access to veterans’ education/training/retraining programs. They are also the group that tends to have the highest financial obligations like mortgages and paying for their children’s education.”

Three Panels then provided witness testimonies, including Bonnie Elsey, President-Elect, National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA), and Senior Administrative Officer, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Bonnie Elsey begins her testimony.

Elsey’s testimony highlighted concerns around lack of funding to Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists and recommendations such as enhanced efforts to raise awareness of DVOP and Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives (LVER) programs among HR professionals. She pointed out that, “Approximately 640,000 veterans were served through the Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program and Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives in fiscal year 2009. The DVOP and LVER programs have been successful in assisting Veterans to become gainfully employed,” she explained.

An additional recommendation from NASWA shared by Elsey included Congressional legislation maintaining the same definition of a veteran for reporting purposes for all Federal programs (Wagner-Peyser, JVSG programs, Workforce Investment Act, etc.). Elsey also suggested for the USDOL to utilize VetCentral, an online network connecting employers and state workforce agencies, to provide federal contractors jobs for states to assist eligible veterans.

She also discussed concerns. For example, despite recent improvements to the Federal Contractor Job Listing (FCJL) process, NASWA member states are still unable to identify all federal contractors and subcontractors subject to 41 CFR Part 60-250 and 41 CFR Part 60-300.

Her testimony concluded stating that NASWA and it members “remained dedicated to improving the efficiency of the labor market and its labor exchange function, and improving the employment opportunities of our nation’s Veterans,” and that they are willing to assist the Subcommittee and the U.S. Department of Labor in any way possible to improve services to Veterans.

The full testimony of Elsey and all panels can be found on the House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs site.

DirectEmployers Association and NASWA formed an alliance in March 2007 to provide an employer-funded, jointly-administered National Labor Exchange. We are very proud to have this alliance to help these programs, such as veteran employment, continue to expand and better serve the public.

For some related information, visit Jolene’s Take blog, authored by Jolene Jeffries, VP – strategic initiatives for the DirectEmployers Association.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Soapbox Holland Post | 2 Comments »

Giving Back to Those Who Give So Much

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

Military Friendly Sites Launched

This video explains the launch of an extensive online program to assist transitioning military personnel in all branches of our armed forces, their spouses, dependents, and caregivers in quickly and efficiently finding employment. The program will provide military personnel and their dependents access to more than 860,000 employment opportunities from over 90,000 employers nationwide.

DirectEmployers Association announced that over 5,800 dot-jobs (.jobs) domains have been added to the .Jobs Universe (www.universe.jobs) to create employment services for returning veterans (www.veterans.jobs) and their families. The domains use the Military Occupational Classification (MOC) Crosswalk to assist military personnel in transitioning from active duty to employment opportunities in the civilian workforce. Transitioning military personnel can enter their MOC plus .jobs into their browser to locate civilian occupations requiring the same or similar skills as their previous military job (e.g. www.42F.jobs, www.66P.jobs, www.25B.jobs, www.2891.jobs).

The .Jobs Universe will also provide a Military Family (www.militaryfamily.jobs) feature. This is designed to help military spouses, dependents and caregivers quickly locate employment while their loved ones are serving our country. Military families can enter the name of their military installation plus the intuitive .jobs suffix into their browser and receive a list of employment opportunities on their assigned base or in surrounding cities (e.g. www.CampPendleton.jobs, www.NewportNewsShipyard.jobs, www.FtKnox.jobs).

“This is a great program for the entire human resource community as well as our transitioning military and their families. I am very proud to be a part of this exciting initiative in support of those who have unselfishly given so much for our nation,” states, Rhonda Stickley, a six-year U.S. Army veteran and current human resource executive at Seattle-based Providence Health & Services.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Soapbox Holland Post | No Comments »

SMA of Greater Chicago Tackles Military Talent Programs Best Practices

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Improving military outreach and hiring is a common thread of discussion amongst talent acquisition professionals, many companies seek more information to effectively reach and hire this extremely talented and disciplined population.

To provide employers with additional insights and resources, the Staffing Management Association of Greater Chicago hosted a “Military Talent Programs: Best Practices Panel Discussion” earlier this month. DirectEmployers was a proud sponsor of this event, which brought together over 50 HR practitioners interested in improving their sourcing, recruiting and retaining strategies for military talent.

The panel was moderated by Thomas L. Aiello, Sears Holdings, Division Vice President, Public Relations. Panelists included: Marjorie James, Volt Workforce Solutions, President of Hire America’s Heroes’ and Program Manager at Volt Military; Vincent W. Patton, III, Ed.D., Military Advantage/Monster Worldwide, Director of Community Outreach; and Anthony Kaylin, EO Programs Manager from Member company IBM.

Shannon Offord, Director – Business Development attended on behalf of the DirectEmployers Members and staff. One of the takeaways he noted was the importance of helping employers understand how skills from the military translate into corporate America.

Similarly, the group of panelists talked about the need to improve the Military Crosswalk, a tool that allows job seekers to enter in their Military Occupation Classification (MOC) and receive corresponding O*NET codes. In other words, a tool designed to help align military education and job training with civilian workplace needs.

The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) was also discussed. Currently this program is only mandated by the Marines Corp despite the valuable resources it provides for all branches of military.

Here are a few recommendations provided by the panelists for employers:

  • Tap into local vet reps – it’s like extending your recruitment staff
  • Leverage current employees that are also veterans as a resource
  • Recruiting from the military helps with your diversity outreach as well

For more resources and to learn how DirectEmployers helps Members with reaching veterans, visit our Military/Veterans page.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Soapbox Holland Post | No Comments »

DirectEmployers Supports the Industry Liaison Group

Monday, September 13th, 2010

August 3-6, 2010 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, NV several DirectEmployers Association staff and member companies attended the National Industry Liaison Group Conference (NILG). This two and a half-day conference had approximately 750 attendees from employers like Abbott Labs, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, IBM Corporation, as well as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

The following video was captured and edited to provide a brief overview of the conference:

Thank you to all of the many participants who stopped by to say hello to us and pick up a copy of the book “Leadership from the Heart: Diversity & Ganas for Inspired Inclusion” personally autographed by co-author, Cari Dominguez. Mrs. Dominguez was gracious and signed the complimentary books provided by DirectEmployers Association to all attendees.  The interest was overwhelming creating a line at the DirectEmployers booth. Three hours and one very sore writing hand later, the event was over for the day and the venue lights were turned off to signal the end of the book signing.

Cari Dominguez signing book for Sandra Zeigler

Cari Dominguez Book Signing at DirectEmployers booth

Concurrent Sessions included topics from “You Conducted your Comp Analysis: Now What?” to “The Changing Face of the Workforce” conducted by the OFCCP, EEOC and many other experts.

Chad Sowash, Vice President of Business Development for DirectEmployers and retired U.S. Army Reserve Infantry Drill Sergeant had the privilege to present, “Best Practices in Hiring Military & Veterans for the Corporate World”. Guest Speakers during Chad’s presentation were Alicia Wallace, EEO Program Consultant, Disability Outreach Manager, WellPoint and Laura Harlos, Manager, Compliance and Diversity Programs for Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air providing examples from their organizations.

Chad Sowash, DirectEmployers, VP Business Development Presenting

The Opening Keynote address was given by the Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) Department of Labor, Patricia Shiu. Director Shiu expressed that the ILG is an important stakeholder and partner in OFCCP’s quest for making equal employment opportunity a reality for all workers. She spoke about women in the workplace and the lack of equality in pay, even though the Equal Pay Act was signed into law 47 years ago by President Kennedy. “This wage differential has significant ramifications for families and for women, and not just for a brief time, but for years. Women who are paid less earn less, and often for a lifetime, not just once.  This means that they have fewer resources to raise their families, which affects where families live, what families eat and how much time mothers and fathers can spend with their children at home…One prominent labor economist has opined that if we could close the pay gap, we could cut in half the number of children living in poverty in this country,” stated Director Shiu. Full remarks are available on the U.S. Department of Labor’s website.

Newly appointed Jacqueline A. Berrien, Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provided the EEOC Keynote address. “There are many miles to go before we sleep”, was the theme for Chair Berrien’s presentation. The theme focused on the many laws that have been enacted since the passage of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. The laws protecting people from discrimination are:  Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Genetic Information NonDiscrimination Act (GINA), the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act of 2008 (ADAAA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Both Keynote speakers shared their visions for a future of inclusion, rather than exclusion and both expressed their goal to increase staff and resources to ensure they were prepared for the task ahead.

The highlight of each NILG conference is the panel’s question and answer session with the Regional Directors of the OFCCP. This panel included Evelyn Teague, Regional Director, Southeast Region; Melissa L. Speer, Deputy Regional Director, Acting Regional Director, Southwest and Rocky Mountain Region (SWARM); Michele Hodge, Acting Regional Director, Mid-Atlantic & Northeast Regions; William Smitherman, Pacific Region; Sandra Ziegler, Midwest Region. The Regional Directors provided highlights and trends from their regions, as well as answered specific questions from the audience. Each Regional Director expressed interest in creating consistency across all regions with their staff providing the same feedback. They also advertised their hiring initiatives in an effort to fill their additions to their staff.

As always, the ILG National Conference exceeded expectations and truly was an example of Federal Agencies and Corporations United in Equality… Believing it and Achieving it!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Soapbox Holland Post | No Comments »

Veterans are Talent STRONG!

Friday, January 15th, 2010

SEARCH & EMPLOY JAN/FEB 2010

LAST JANUARY, before demobilizing from the Army back into civilian life, I was honored to speak to a group of over 200 Wounded Warriors at Fort Benning, Georgia.

I talked about their transition to civilian life and what they should convey to prospective employers when trying to separate themselves from the mainly civilian pack during their job searches.

Luckily, the week before, I had been asked to give a presentation to the Continental Airlines recruiting group about the advantage of hiring prior military. John Whalin, Continental’s Senior Analyst, Employment Compliance, is ahead of most when it comes to understanding just what former military bring to the table. But unfortunately, most employers cannot relate to military experience unless they were former military themselves.

So I started my time on the floor, in front of the Wounded Warriors, with the Continental presentation and spoke to why they are great candidates. I covered the following points:

LEADERSHIP

In the military, as you propel through the ranks, you are required to attend several leadership schools. If you fail to attend classes or pass the courses, you are stripped of rank—demoted. Thus, leadership is not an option in the military. Everyone is trained for leadership and expected to become a leader at an early age.

UNDERSTANDING THE RULES

Military personnel are held to a much higher standard than civilians, and are even governed by a more strict set of rules—the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

DIVERSITY

The United States Armed Forces, considered as a single entity, are the largest employer in the nation, and one of the most diverse. In combat, the color, gender, or religion of the individual to your left or right does not matter. What truly matters is the person’s proficiency in his or her job. Are there cases of discrimination in the military? Yes, but they are dealt with swiftly under the UCMJ.

TEAM PLAYERS

A single soldier cannot watch his/ her own back—meaning the solitary soldier cannot efficiently complete the mission. That is why on day one of basic training in the Army, every trainee is issued a battle buddy before being issued anything else. Soldiers are trained to travel and work in teams, and if individualism is spotted—well, let’s just say it’s frowned upon.

EDUCATION AND TECH SAVVY

Military personnel can attend college, when not deployed, and have Uncle Sam pick up a big portion of the cost. So when personnel leave the military, they commonly have degrees or are working toward them. And after they leave, they have ample opportunity to further their education via the GI Bill and other readily available funding programs.

The military also invests in and utilizes state-of-the-art technology, and has close to a hundred technical positions. The Air Force and Navy are extremely technical. Their personnel are extremely well trained in anti-cyber-terrorism and are responsible for protecting America’s cyber borders, so to speak.

PERFORMANCE UNDER PRESSURE

Imagine doing your job every day knowing there are lives at stake—and knowing that the preservation of those lives depends on your performance. The pressure of performing in what could quickly develop into a grave situation is merely a part of everyday military life.

DRUG-FREE AND HEALTHY

Military personnel regularly receive drug tests and physical examinations. The military thereby keeps its personnel drug-free and physically ready, to ensure combat effectiveness and their ability to fight and win on any battlefield.

Military personnel are accustomed to urinalysis once a quarter, daily fitness training, and physical fitness testing—which includes upper body, core, and endurance events at least once a quarter. Imagine what our health insurance rates would be if every company implemented such programs.

SECURITY CLEARANCES

The military conducts in-depth background checks and provides security clearances to personnel who come in contact with certain levels of information. Those personnel are cleared and vetted well before hitting the civilian market.

QUICK LEARNERS

One of the words best describing military personnel is adaptability. To train for the War on Terror, soldiers are taught to be adaptable and think on their feet—unlike 20 years ago, when soldiers were taught not to think. The battlefield has changed, and so has the training of U.S. soldiers. The new kind of training blends well into the civilian market.

WILLING TO RELOCATE

Military personnel are accustomed to moving once every three years or so, but this does not mean they are job jumpers. Uncle Sam religiously rotates troops to give them the ability to adapt and overcome in any situation or environment.

I have listed just a handful of the traits of our talent strong military personnel—characteristics that employers desperately need in any type of economic environment. And in these tough economic times, it makes especially good sense to recruit military!

Chad Sowash Chad Sowash is Vice President of Business Development at DirectEmployers Association, where he leads VetCentral and several other veteran-centric employment projects. Chad was an Infantry Drill Sergeant in the United States Army. Contact him at 371-874- 9003 or chad@directemployers.org.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in News Release, Press Release | 1 Comment »