Matching the Guard & the Reserve 2 Jobs They Deserve
Writer / Neal G. Moore
It doesn’t take long to understand the significant role that the U.S. military has played in Lawrence. Once home to a large Army base, the city’s military connections endure long after the de-commissioning of Ft. Benjamin Harrison. Recent additions of the Indiana headquarters of the American Legion, the new Army Reserve Center, and the Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame join the Finance Center, Sergeant’s Row and the Gold Star program as evidences of a deep, continuing relationship with America’s armed forces.
What better community then to embrace the Hero2Hired initiative than Lawrence? The H2H program assists unemployed reserve component service members with civilian, career readiness resources. According to the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), the goal of Hero2Hired is to reduce the number of unemployed and underemployed reserve component service members by leveraging civilian, career readiness resources provided through the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. In short: These men and women have served us well, and have earned the opportunity to secure meaningful jobs. A noble undertaking, it’s the private sector and not the military that plays the key role. Hero2Hired is dependent on civilian support to be ultimately successful: that is, private sector employers willing to step up and hire returning veterans.
According to Hero2Hired, there are distinct advantages in hiring a person with military experience. An ESGR fact sheet lists the reasons: they are proven leaders, maintain professionalism, take responsibility, understand diversity, are physically fit and drug-free, have a “can do” attitude, are calm under pressure, exude a first-class image, are on-time, all the time, and have a global perspective. And, it’s not just altruistic. There are financial factors that impact the bottom line for most businesses: tax credits, expanded paid apprenticeship programs, employees with education benefits, improved company productivity and the potential to reduce manpower costs. Other employer features and benefits include unlimited free job postings, automatic notifications, and powerful search functionality.
Returning vets can find numerous resources online at H2H.jobs. The system allows them to search for jobs, explore career paths, translate their military skills into matching jobs, take a career assessment that links them to relevant careers and jobs, learn about different industries, find education and training resources and join communities with similar interests and networking opportunities. According to ESGR, H2H.jobs is not your run-of-the-mill online job board, noting that the initiative is supported by the U.S. Department of Defense and includes a mobile app, live and virtual hiring events and social networking tools.
Employers interested in learning more about H2H are encouraged to contact a Department of Defense representative at H2H.jobs@osd.mil.
