MilitaryStars Blog

New Federal Hiring Study: How Veterans Benefit

OhMyGov! is a site dedicated to examining federal government hiring issues with good cheer and humor to go with the facts  - no easy task; I give them major credit for it!  Their blog analyzes a new study on hiring trends by an independent agency within the Executive branch.  If you're thinking about applying for federal careers, be aware of the workload involved - if you commit to it, you will already be standing out.  According to the study, a third of respondents with federal jobs said they didn't apply to another one because the applications take too long!  Also included was this impressive stat:

Former military members achieved the greatest increase in representation as new hires within the executive branch of government, according to the report.  Since the implementation of the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act of 2000 - which granted preferential hiring treatment to veterans - the number of veterans represented as new upper level employees increased from 6 percent to 26 percent in FY 2005.

If you think you need a degree to get these positions, the study also found that over a third of federal employees in the $56K-$91K range do not have bachelors' degrees.  Be willing to put in the time on applications, understand that military hires are skyrocketing, recognize how much of the federal workforce will soon retire, and you can take a lot of positives from this!  Have a great week.

Military and Veterans: Get Hired Tomorrow in Houston!

We're having our first event in Houston tomorrow and are so thankful so many of you will be joining us.  Opportunities will be there from the heart of Texas to overseas, so be sure to investigate them all! Any time someone asks me for general advice, that's the core of what I tell them.  Be prepared, be thorough, and let your friends and colleagues know to be as well.  Our team running the event is there to point you in the right direction, and I've heard accounts over the years about people not being thorough enough.  Someone will say "I'm out of here, there's nothing for me", one of our guys will respond, "Did you speak with this employer, or that one?  Because they need people like you."  Every employer there has made a commitment to hire military talent, so represent yourself to the fullest and find out where your talent can take you!  We believe in you.

Careers in Fire Service

We love every veteran hiring initiative out there, from the federal level to the local, because each one makes a difference.  Perfect example: a program in the Pacific Northwest called Boots to Boots, started by a firefighter there as part of his own Fire Academy training.  Experienced firefighters were asked to step up and help young veterans interested in fire service careers, and many did - that's all it takes to make a difference.  A fire service career is an excellent post-military fit, and the article, from the Columbian, spells out plenty of reasons why.  A huge one is the shared attitudes of both workplaces: if a veteran decides he doesn't want to be in fire service, the mentors will find him a lead in another industry, no questions asked.     

MilitaryStars Client Brings Recruiters to Troops Overseas

One of our clients is seriously thinking outside the box while demonstrating how military-friendly an employer truly can be.  US Customs and Border Protection is bringing its recruiters to American military bases in Germany.  USCBP is the largest uniformed law enforcement organization in the US, and over a quarter of that workforce are veterans.  The fit is a natural and USCBP is taking the next step to show how much they believe it.  The job seekers I speak with overseas are awesome; they always ask when the next show's coming up in their home area so they can be there.  In the meantime, know that agencies like USCBP, who we are proud to call partners, are out there dedicated to coming to you and getting you thinking about their team right now!  Spread the wod, stay safe, and have a great week. 

EEOC's Advice: Attend a Military Hiring Event!

Following up on Monday's post on service-disabled veteran career opportunities, more good news on that front. KC infoZine tells me that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has contributed a new way to bring employers together with this talent pool, creating an extremely throrough FAQ for employers available here.  Great to see the EEOC also advising employers to attend hiring events "that connect job-seeking veterans with civilian employers"!  The target audience for the piece may be a hiring manager or recruiter, but it's important that as a job seeker, you know how decision-makers are being advised.  This is why we always say you have to be at the event - we certainly aren't the only ones who think it!  Please share the info with any friends or colleagues that may benefit. 

Careers in Information Security

Speaking at the Infosec World 2008 security conference/trade show in Orlando last week, retired Lt. Col. Oliver North urged US companies to hire young veterans for information security positions (ComputerWorld).  Companies from Lockheed Martin to American Airlines attend our events doing exactly that because, as the article suggests, they embody what an information security professional must be: trustworthy, quick to learn, technologically and globally savvy.  The last one gets overlooked far too much, especially considering globalization's potential effects on worldwide business as cited in the article.  A technologically adept workforce that's been around the world welcomes that challenge.   

Matching Service Disabled Veterans With Employers

Internet research firm CCH provides this article to recruiters, offering advice on how to find and hire service disabled veterans.  Next-to-last tip: attend job fairs and use online resume databases; darn right!  Articles like this work the other way, too.  If you're a service disabled job seeker, this is how employers are being advised to seek you out, so seek out the same resources.  Attend hiring events and check out online job boards.  Research equal-opportunity employers and take advantage of local Career Centers and other organizations that champion and train job seekers like you.  Bringing employers and job seekers together who are after the same thing is what we're all about!  Happy hunting and have a great week.

Military and Veterans: Get Hired Tomorrow in San Diego!

Huge thanks to everyone attending our San Diego event tomorrow!  We have a pair of brothers running the event, certainly a first for us - Sales Manager Chris Nothdurft and Account Exec Rob.  They're our Peyton and Eli Manning, so say hi and they will point you in the right direction!  Joining them will be an amazing variety of employers from the IRS and the Secret Service to Lockheed Martin and Raytheon to Sears and Chevron.  Hopefully you've had time to study all the employers and learn what I did a long time ago: the ones you may not have heard of before are full of major opportunities for the right skill sets.  We do our best to bring as many of these different specialties and industries as we can, and know that you will represent yourself to the fullest too!  Best of luck.

Career Tips From Airman Astronaut

Continuing to look at just how far a military career can take you, check out this interview (WHIO) with Col. Gregory H. Johnson before his mission to the International Space Station.  Is it easy to become an astronaut?  Heck no, and Col. Johnson certainly says as much.  Pay attention to his advice, because it applies to every career: If you don't get the call, don't take it personally (astronauts aren't the only ones in competitive job markets), and love what you're doing.  If you do, you never know where it will take you - his fellow astronauts love being teachers first, or scientists, and Col. Johnson clearly loved being a pilot.  He relates details of his military career that show it took a while for him to find this career path - the wait really can be worth it. 

Ranger Showing Hollywood How It's Done

Ron Blecker's story shows you amazing possibilities for your post-military career.   A Ranger, Ron was out of the service for a few weeks before receiving a call to work in film.  He is now the owner and founder of Def Con 5, providing military/law enforcement consultants and weapons-trained performers to film and TV projects.  His company's credits include Hitman, X-Men 3, the first X-Files movie, and, currently, the new X-Files movie (woo-hoo, finally) - under such tight scrutiny that even a guy with his credentials can't discuss it.  You can read much more about Ron's awesome career path here (FanBolt).  A common, and understandable, complaint about transitioning is that many military job skills don't translate to the civilian world - well, here's a guy who took plenty that would fall in that category and certainly made it work.  Hope you find that as inspirational as I did - have a great week!