Civilian Job News - May/June 2012, Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military issue

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MAY/JUNE

2012

The Essential Military-to-Civilian Transition Resource

Match up! Finding the company that’s right for you. by Carolyn Heinze, Contributing Editor

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he reality is that we spend the bulk of our waking hours at work. If we enjoy our work, and the organizations for which we perform that work, we will be better professionals, spouses, friends and people in general while we are earning a living. That is why taking the time to find the civilian career that is right for you is so important. “You don’t know how different an organization is going to be from the military until you get there and realize, ‘I don’t like this,’” said Emily King, vice president, Military Transitions, a division of The Buller Group, LLC, a consulting firm in Herndon, Va., and author of “Recruiting, Managing and Retaining Veterans” (AMACOM, 2012). “The problem is that a lot of times people misattribute those differences to a particular company, when in reality the differences they experience are probably going to be similar, regardless of where they work. It’s the difference between military culture and civilian culture.” That said, it doesn’t mean that you won’t meet your match. “The first thing is to recognize that fit is a component,” King said. “When you join a civilian organization for the first time, you have the choice of whether you stay or go when you want to.” As you well know, you can leave the military, too… when your contract is up. In the civilian world, you’re the boss – even when you have a boss.

On a practical level, this means that transitioning veterans must grant themselves the power to seek out companies where there is genuine interest. “It comes down to passion,” said FrontLine Transitions President Kathy Malone, a military transition expert and a transition coach based in Albuquerque, N.M. In the end, she says, your passion and core values will count much more in finding the best fit than your skills and experience. Ask yourself: What am I passionate about? What is important to me? What do I value? Then go and find a company that shares those values and that passion. “It will make it less stressful, there will be more opportunities for promotion, for productivity, there will be more joy in your life and you won’t dread going to work every day.” It’s likely that you will also be more successful in your job, and your career. Asking yourself about your core values can be a pretty broad question, and it helps to narrow things down. To do this, Marcea Weiss, a former Black Hawk Helicopter test pilot and author of “Leaving the Military: Your Deployment Guide to Corporate America” (Calypso, 2008) offers this guidance: “Think about your best day in the military,” she said. “Think about a day, or a timeframe, where you had a job that you really enjoyed, where you were in the zone, you were getting things done and you were having fun, continues page 10

The CivilianJobs.com 2012 Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military®

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t’s true that 2012’s Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military are militaryfriendly, participate in extensive recruiting efforts to hire veterans, develop special partnerships with groups like Hire a Hero, and offer intensive mentoring and training programs for new veteran employees. But ask veterans what makes their new employer stand out, they’ll tell you it’s the little things companies have done for them, those memorable acts of kindness that make all the difference. Verizon activated its Emergency Military Leave policy after 9/11. Employees called up for active duty receive salary and benefits far beyond provisions of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. During John G. Shaw’s deployment, senior executives contacted his wife regularly, and his Verizon team members stopped by the home to check in on her. On one of these checks, they found his wife and two of his four children very ill. They quickly put together a plan to bring meals to the home for three days, and assisted the family with groceries and medical care. Sometimes, a company just demonstrates a can-

do, supportive attitude with deployments. To veterans, that means the world, says Barry Engelhardt, a client service manager at Whelan Security. As a Staff Sergeant with 13 years of military tenure, he’s faced multiple deployments. “From spending a couple of weeks on flood duty in April of 2011, to a year-long combat deployment in Afghanistan in 2008-2009, Whelan went above and beyond to ensure that I could fully concentrate on preparing my soldiers for combat,” said Engelhardt. Military-friendly companies recognize the value that military experiences offer for employees

in leadership roles. Ricky James is divisional vice president of Logistics Operations, at Sears Holdings Corporation. “In my assessment, it has some of the most creative and knowledgeable leaders in the business world today,” says James. “[Sears] is pro-military and thrives on innovation, improvement and recognition of individual accomplishments.” To the many MVEs who hire veterans as part of their HR model, we thank you. Congratulations to the CivilianJobs.com 2012 MVEs for ensuring that your corporate culture honors those who have served.

"JPMorgan Chase is honored to be named one of the 2012 Most Valuable Employers,” said Tom Higgins, Head of Operational Control and Military and Veterans Affairs for JPMorgan Chase. “Our nation's military veterans represent the best this country has to offer and are a valuable asset to any organization. At JPMorgan Chase, we are fully committed to not just hiring veterans, but also to helping them develop the skills and resources they need to succeed throughout their careers."

See our complete list of MVE's starting on Page 12

INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE Ask the Recruiter:

Burning Questions for Our Expert ......................page 2

Spouse Series:

Transitioning the Family: It’ll all work out. ................ page 3

Job Fairs

Face-to-Face Opportunities ................... page 6

Career Coach’s Corner

Targeting Your Top 3 ............... page 11

2012 MVE’s Want You! Our Award Winning Military Friendly Companies ...................page 12


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Civilian Job News - May/June 2012, Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military issue by CivilianJobs.com, publisher of Military Transition News - Issuu