Hire Heroes USA

Volunteer Spotlight: Jonathan

Job searching can be equal parts strategy, discipline and desire. Jonathan Childs, Hire Heroes USA volunteer, helps clients not only zone in on the next step in their career, but also provides the direction and guidance necessary to make veterans not feel as alone in the process.

“This has become my passion working in workforce development. I wanted to give back, so I started researching opportunities to volunteer and I found Hire Heroes USA. While I never served, I wanted to give back to those who have served and keep us safe,” said Jonathan.

Jonathan calls upon his background in education and career counseling to help guide his clients towards their career goals. He works at the American Job Center in Meriden, CT as a Facilitator and career coach where he designs and facilitates workshops for unemployed and underemployed individuals as well as provide career coaching for job seekers. The time he’s spent giving back to Hire Heroes clients has been invaluable.

“It’s been a wonderful experience getting to know and helping so many different and talented individuals. In addition, working with the staff has been great, well organized, and professional which makes it a nice working relationship. I would encourage anyone to volunteer with this organization.”

With an extensive track record of success helping people cope with change, overcome barriers and find employment, we asked what one piece of advice would be for those that are looking to make a career shift.

“If I had one piece of guidance to offer it would be for people to network, and have informational interviews to tap into the hidden job market where 80% of the jobs are not posted. Also, be creative in your job search efforts!”

Johnathan’s enthusiasm and dedication to his clients is evident in the way he provides tangible and actionable assistance. We are thankful for the time and efforts that he has given to the Hire Heroes USA volunteer team.

If you would like to make a difference in the lives of veterans and military spouses, please click here to learn more about volunteering with Hire Heroes USA.

Top Jobs & Training Programs for November 2022

Every month, Hire Heroes USA selects several job openings from our job board to highlight. These job openings are posted by partnered employers who are looking to hire veteran and military spouse talent.

View jobs from our featured employer this month, Bish’s RV. Also, be sure to check out several of our training partners by downloading the document below.

Click here to download the newsletter .

top-jobs-newsletter-november-2022

Best Practices for Identifying a Military or Veteran-Friendly Employer

Author
Recent Posts

Brianna Morales

Corporate Partner Success Specialist at Hire Heroes USA

Brianna Morales is a Corporate Partner Success Specialist at Hire Heroes USA.

Latest posts by Brianna Morales (see all)

Best Practices for Identifying a Military or Veteran-Friendly Employer - November 4, 2022

Starting a job search can feel daunting. In the military, many of the decisions are made for you such as what your job is, who you work for, where you live, and even your work uniform. After your time in service, you have the opportunity to make these decisions for yourself. Transitioning out of the military or moving to a new duty station is difficult enough, but all of the additional decisions you’ll have to make when you select a new career adds even more stress. It can be easy to develop “paralysis by analysis.”

Only you can choose the industry or job function that you want to do and that you know you are capable of performing. Hire Heroes USA wants to offer guidance on how to choose the type of employer that values your military affiliation. From there, you can begin researching which of these employers would compensate you fairly and is a cultural fit for who you are as a person and a professional. There are more ways for employers to show that they value your military experience beyond saying “Thank you for your service.”

We want to simplify this search for you by showing you how to identify which employers are interested in hiring veterans and military spouses. There are three main ways you can start narrowing down your search for your next employer.

1.) Companies tell you that they are military friendly in their metrics, words or deeds.

– Start by looking at who is featured on Military Times Annual Survey, Military Friendly, HireVets, and Forbes. In order to qualify for these lists, employers must demonstrate the numbers of veteran and military spouse hires, retained, promoted and types of veteran and spouse integration programs they’ve created.
– Check to see if they are a Skillbridge Authorized Organization program.
– The employer has a Veteran Hiring Initiative.
– They have a military specific landing page like Wells Fargo, Amazon, or The Home Depot.
– Military Occupational Specialities or Codes are listed on the job description as desired experience.
– Review the job requirements to see if the company allows military experience over education.
– Search to see if they donate to veteran programs or offer military discounts.

2.) Companies show you that they are military friendly.

– They offer Military Differential Pay for Reservists and National Guardsmen or have been recognized by Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
– Veterans and military spouses are in leadership positions at their organization.
– They have Veteran Resource Groups at their company and empower them to make decisions and launch initiatives.
– Search to see if they have unique training programs or apprenticeships specific to veterans or military spouses.
– They partner with Hire Heroes USA directly. They may have targeted email campaigns sent directly to your inbox, participate in our events such as Virtual Career Fairs and employer spotlight webinars or post their jobs on our exclusive job board. If you are interested in learning more about our partners, please reach out to your Transition Specialist.

3.) You hear about them from your network.

If you hear of veterans or military spouses working for a certain employer, allow them to share why they selected that employer and what their experiences have been. Take them out for coffee, lunch or even book a virtual zoom session and see what insight they have about their personal experience.

In summary, keep the beginning of your job search as simple as possible. Prioritize military friendly employers because it gives you a competitive advantage in the hiring process. You know that the environment will be inclusive, supportive and provide opportunities for professional growth.

Brianna Morales is a Corporate Partner Success Specialist at Hire Heroes USA. If you would like more information or need assistance getting in contact with your Transition Specialist, log into your MyTrak or get registered to be assigned to a Transition Specialist at no cost to you.