MilitaryStars Blog

Civilian Pilots Wanted!

I wrote recently about a predicted upcoming shortage in air traffic controllers - now it looks like the same might be the case for pilots, especially for regional airlines.  According to the linked Dallas Morning News interview with an industry expert, the '70s were a much easier time for airlines to get pilots straight from the military... so much so that it became a national security risk and the rules were changed.  If you are an experienced military pilot in today's civilian job market, then, your value as a candidate is dramatically increased - you're harder for an airline to acquire now, and they will save tremendous amounts of training time and money by hiring you! 

U. of Colorado's New Veteran Student Programs

Another school looking to provide extensive new services to veteran students is the University of Colorado, through their main campus at Boulder.  Interesting note in the article that they had an office for this set up after the Vietnam War, later discontinued; I'm sure there are other schools out there in the same situation that could learn from what UC's doing now.  New initiatives include veterans' scholarships, counseling and support groups, and recruting more veterans to the school, along with a current office that helps veteran students apply for VA education benefits.  Contact info provided in the link for all interested.

Another Great Veteran Initiative From MLB

Thanks and best of luck to everyone at our Atlanta show today - it's quickly become one of our biggest events thanks to all of our fantastic client employers and job seekers in the area!  For everyone else out there, I just saw some great news that some of you already may have spotted.  Correct me if you know otherwise, but it seems like Major League Baseball has really done more for veterans' causes than any other major sport.  During the World Series (over before I almost knew it; congrats Red Sox), the first of two national public service announcements aired for MLB's new non-profit, Welcome Back Veterans.  What's the first thing you see in the center of the screen on that link?  "Many veterans need jobs."  Can't say this enough: The real way to show you "support the troops" is by giving them the tools to succeed, even if that means just emailing them a link or letting them know who's out there offering help.  Do that for just one person in your community, and it spreads.  Great stuff from MLB; spread the word and have a great week!   

Helping Hire Service Disabled Veterans Now

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, so in conjunction with this great cause, some welcome extra attention is being given to service disabled veterans.  As this piece from a Colorado NBC affiliate notes, two/thirds of unemployed disabled people want to work, not to mention the free training and tax credit options available to employers.  And this event at Fort Riley (via local ABC) brings inspiration on the occasion through a Desert Shield/Desert Storm veteran who currently manages the Paralympic Military Programs for the United States Olympic Committee.  A documentary I saw relating to that subject, Murderball, is one of the most inspirational films you'll ever see no matter who you are - worth a look the next time someone tells you that you can't do something!

Defy Expectations: Jammin' at West Point

You might've seen an AT & T / Cingular commercial recently where the Dave Matthews Band held a contest to play a free show at a college campus.  The idea was, send in text messages, videos, etc. explaining why your campus was the ideal spot for this and they'd pick a winner.  I figured it would be someplace like Dave's hometown University of Virginia, plenty of braided necklaces & Birkenstocks to go around?  Well, West Point won.  Lesson learned?  Don't pigeonhole anybody.  As first brought to my attention by our founder Hal Fischer, the band is campaigning for better healthcare for veterans - here's a YouTube clip from ABC.  And if anyone deserves a little free big-time entertainment, it's the Cadets.

MilitaryStars Selected for Nationwide Veteran Hiring Awareness Initiative

If you check out our upcoming Jacksonville and Virginia Beach event pages, you'll notice HireVetsFirst listed as our Promotional Sponsor.  I'm honored to explain that HireVetsFirst has selected MilitaryStars to be part of their new program to increase the importance of hiring veterans!  Leading up to Veterans Day, HireVetsFirst is promoting hiring events across the country and encouraging civilian employers to attend if they want to hire the most qualified, determined, motivated and all-around exceptional people to go to work for them.  This has been our mission from Day One and it is wonderful to have this show of support from HireVetsFirst for all of you! 

Careers in Civilian Air Traffic Control

Opportunity alert, and a way to improve the lives of others: Civilian air traffic controllers are retiring at an unprecedented rate.  More flights are delayed.  A novice air traffic controller can take up to three years to be certified, but not so if you have military qualifications.  This could be a great chance to take advantage of military training, while improving the travel experience and ensuring the safety of countless people every day.  If this sounds like you could be a fit, definitely check it out... everybody have a great week!   

More States Protecting Citizen-Soldier Jobs

Add Iowa to the list of states passing legislation to protect the jobs of the Guard and Reserves!  The bill is based on one already in place in Nebraska, so good on the Midwest for taking care of this.  There is a federal law in place for this, and most employers do follow it, but the goal is to ensure uniformity and prevent soldiers who are illegally released from having to file lawsuits which can take years.  Less lawsuits - I do believe that's something we can all get behind. 

One Veteran Helping Others Work Proudly

A few months ago, I was at a ceremony and a speaker noted that if you listen to commercials, every business claims to be "passionate" about what they do.  That isn't a slam on anyone's life work, but there have to be levels when it comes to this kind of "passion", don't there?  There are for me, and I put guys like this right at the top: a service disabled veteran who helps find jobs for others who have been there in his career with the non-profit Wounded Warrior Project.  Proof that real passion for what you do can lead you to amazing things.

Arizona Military Job Seekers, This is for You!

Best of luck to everyone headed to the beautiful Pointe South Mountain Resort for our Phoenix show tomorrow!  Seriously, check out that pic.  Working hard every day to bring these events nationwide, maybe at times we take things for granted that should actually be stated more often.  Like the fact that every employer attending specifically wants to hire people with military experience for their openings.  Not many events out there are going to give you that opportunity; we are honored to, and so are employers coming to Phoenix with careers from intelligence analysis to accounting, franchise ownership to pharmacy, IT to carpentry, and much, much more. Our team looks forward to seeing you there and helping you succeed!