President Obama Approves Veterans Job Bill
President Obama has achieved success on the first piece of his American Jobs Act, signing into a new law on Monday November 21, 2011.
“The men and women of our military don’t just fight for each other, [but] for every single American,” Mr. Obama said. ”And just as they fight for us, it’s up to us to fight for [them] when they come home. Today a deeply grateful nation is paying back just a little bit of what we owe to our veterans.”
The Vow to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 contains measures to help America’s 860,000 and growing unemployed veterans find jobs in the civilian workforce. It is remarkable that the bill received unanimous bipartisan support in both the Senate, which first approved it on the eve of Veterans Day by 95 to 0, and by the House of Representatives which passed it November 16 by 422 to 0.
The Vow to Hire Heroes Act is a law including measures to:
- Extend and increase tax credits to companies that hire veterans
- Repeal a tax burden to government contractors
- Increase job search assistance benefits to help military service members transition more easily to the civilian workforce
Increasing Tax Credits
New or extended tax credits went into effect immediately upon signing The Vow to Hire Heroes Act. These credits are a combination of provisions pulled from The President’s American Jobs Act, Chairman Murray’s Hiring Heroes Act, and Chairman Miller’s Veterans’ Opportunity to Work Act. Specifically, companies will be able to claim the following amount per newly hired employee:
- Returning Heroes Tax Credit up to $2,400 for veterans unemployed 1 month
- Returning Heroes Tax Credit up to $5,600 for veterans unemployed 6 months
- Wounded Warrior Tax Credit up to $4,800 for disabled veterans unemployed 1 month
- Wounded Warrior Tax Credit up to $9,600 for disable veterans unemployed 6 months
As well, it repeals a rule slated to go into effect in 2013 that would have required government agencies to withhold 3 percent of payments to private vendors as a down payment on their taxes due.
Increasing Job Search Assistance
The second measure of the new Hire Heroes Act will take some time to activate. Increased resources will include:
- An extra year of GI benefits
- New unemployment benefits
- More training to match corporate labor skills
- More job search assistance
- Online jobs banks and resources
- Employment counseling
- Partnerships with corporations and Chambers of Commerce
More education to retrain and certify veterans for high-demand fields is a welcome sign for the many veterans currently trying to find work. The need is rapidly increasing with more troops returning from places like Iraq in the coming months.
Where Will They Find Funding?
Thankfully, the Act is just diverting allocated funds and will not increase the US deficit nor take from other at-risk demographic groups. Both congressional parties agreed that funding for this new act will come from holding fees already in place for Veteran Administration home loan guarantees.
SOF is Helping Veterans Find Work
SOF Solutions offers a free, exclusive resume depository service, allowing Veterans to share resumes with corporate and small businesses across the nation through UnemployedVeteran.com.
We are pleased to help connect unemployed veterans with the work opportunities they seek. If you are a veteran seeking work, be sure to register and list your resume with us today.
If you are a Veteran Friendly Business who truly appreciates the knowledge and skills our veterans offer, please register today at UnemployedVeteran.com and begin searching for your next employee. There is no cost for you to search out strong candidates to fill needed positions.
Together, we can all help bridge the gap between Veterans and the Corporate World!
In: Unemployed Veterans · Tagged with: hire a veteran, unemployed veterans, veteran employment
Honor a Veteran by Hiring an Unemployed Veteran
Not sure how to celebrate Veterans Day today, Friday 11-11-11?
How about joining the campaign to hire veterans. There are many current government initiatives you can become a part of. One of them is Joining Forces, spearheaded by Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden. Joining Forces’ motto is: Taking action to serve America’s military families.
Joining Forces is a national initiative that mobilizes all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned.
If you are a corporation, seek to hire veterans. If you are a small company, seek to hire veterans. If you are a business owner, consider hiring veterans. They will get the job done.
Ken Thompson, a Vietnam veteran and chair of the Veterans Affairs Commission in Anne Arundel County, says when you hire a Veteran, they have solid problem solving experience and will get the job done, even under extreme pressure. They have proven success working on a team, and have striven sacrificially to protect our county. They are worth our investment!
“If you want to know the best way to honor our veterans, include a veterans-preferred program when announcing or filling employment opportunities.”
Currently, on the History Channel, Joe Biden is running a Public Service Announcement which further emphasizes the best way to support our servicemen and servicewomen is to help them find jobs. The benefit is mutual, as their involvement in the corporate world can help give our economy a boost too:
“… far too often when veterans come home from war they can’t find a job. That’s not only morally wrong; it is a terrible waste for our country. The leadership and courage shown by our veterans of war can be just as powerful in getting our country moving again. So put a veteran to work. They’ll get the job done.”
Other Ways To Support Vets
Visit Joining Forces’ website where you can explore opportunities to show your support and find service opportunities in your local community. Pledge voluntary service hours. Send a personal message of encouragement to a military family. Share your stories of service online.
Invite a Veteran to your local school to tell their story. Read the “how to” instructions of Take a Vet to School, a program sponsored by the History Channel that has had vets visit thousands of schools.
Start a Thank a Veteran at Work program at your work place, a program encouraging businesses and organizations to take time out of the day and thank the veterans in our workplaces. Over 700 corporations have participated.
Joining Forces has the support of The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America West. Be inspired by the following public service announcements and share with your friends and family:
- Steven Spielberg
- Tom Hanks
- Oprah Winfrey
- Vice President Joe Biden
- First Lady Michelle Obama
- Dr. Jill Biden
SOF Solutions connects unemployed veterans with the opportunities they seek. We are dedicated to help our fellow US Veterans find the jobs they are qualified for.
If you are a veteran seeking work, register and list your resume with us today. We offer a free, exclusive resume depository service, allowing us to share resumes with corporate and small businesses across the nation.
If you are a Veteran Friendly Business who truly appreciates the knowledge and skills our veterans offer, we encourage you to register today at UnemployedVeteran.com and begin searching for your next employee. There is no cost to search for strong candidates to fill needed positions.
Together, we can all help bridge the gap between Veterans and the Corporate World!
In: Unemployed Veterans · Tagged with: hire a veteran, unemployed veterans, veteran employment
Veterans Outpacing Civilians in Unemployment
It is discouraging to see our loyal country enlistees finding the corporate world does not appreciate or understand their learned skills very well these days. These men and women have proven how well-disciplined and trustworthy they are. They have worked hard to attain goals in the military, but the public sector cannot seem to translate the skills learned in the military and relate them to company needs.
Thus we continue to see a trend of unemployment even higher among recent veterans than the general public. Let’s show you some examples:
- Arthur Osborne, a former Marine, has only found two part time jobs to get him by. He works part time at the VFW hall in Ohio, and as a short order cook at a nearby restaurant.
- Brian Joseph joined the army right out of high school, working as a channel radio operator and psychological operations specialist in Kosovo and Iraq. Although the later involves aspects of marketing, the general public does not understand his skill set and how it relates to marketing positions in the civilian world. So when he left the Army after dedicating 18 years of his life to service, he found it hard to get a job, as do so many others processing out of service these last 10 years.
- Trenton Marshall, 25, was in the Navy for 5 years as an aviation machinist’s mate. He was a helicopter mechanic, spending two years training and doing aircraft operations. When he returned to Ohio in 2009, Walgreens and McDonald’s passed him up for general jobs. He did get an offer at Walmart – with an added .15 cents/hour more for his service time. We agree, not very good compensation.
“I hit the revolving door,” Trenton said. “In interviews, people are all smiles. ‘Thank you for your service. You did a great deed.’ All of that. But then you’d get a letter saying you are unqualified, and you sit there like ‘say what?’?”
His lack of meaningful labor turned out beneficial however, as he is now going to use veterans benefits and aims to become a physician’s assistant.
The Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics October 2011 report says that veterans leaving the service within the last decade have an unemployment rate of 11.7%, while the overall jobless rate is just 9.1%. In a Pew Research Center survey done this month, 44% of recent veterans call the transition back to civilian life difficult — nearly double the rate of veterans who served before them.
We have mentioned the many initiatives in action to help alleviate these bleak statistics. The Joining Forces campaign is getting positive response, recruiting businesses to hire veterans into their ranks.
Currently the Back to Work job bill that Obama is traveling around promoting includes Returning Heros and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits of up to $9,600 for each unemployed veteran hired. While at a community college in Dallas, President Obama said:
“If Congress passes this jobs bill, companies will get new tax credits for hiring America’s veterans. Think about it. We ask these men and women to leave their families, disrupt their careers; risk their lives for our nation. The last thing they should have to do is to fight for a job when they come home.”
Perhaps most important are the Presidential Call for Career-Ready Military and the Transition to the Private Sector initiatives aimed at reverse bootcamp re-entry career training and enhanced job search services at local One-Stop Career Centers. This will give added training for military to enter civilian work, converting the skills and experiences they have, making them understandable to civilian employers.
Military already have tremendous “soft skills” — punctuality, teamwork, the ability to operate independently and take charge of a task. This added training will emphasize learning related technical skills for the public sector.
“Clearly, there are some skill sets in the military that can be attractive to what we do,” says Mr. Tomasula, director of staffing at Lubrizol, a 7,000-employee firm that makes specialty chemicals, “but the military is more defined, there’s more black and white. In business, there is more gray. The challenge is to help people be successful in this grayness.”
We are dedicated to help our fellow US Veterans find the jobs they are qualified for. We offer a free, exclusive resume depository service, allowing us to share resumes with corporate and small businesses across the nation.
SOF Solutions connects unemployed veterans with the opportunities they seek. If you are a veteran seeking work, register and list your resume with us today.
As well, there is no cost for companies to search for strong candidates to fill needed positions. If you are a Veteran Friendly Business who truly appreciates the knowledge and skills our veterans offer, we encourage you to register today at UnemployedVeteran.com and begin searching for your next employee.
Together, we can all help bridge the gap between Veterans and the Corporate World!
In: Unemployed Veterans
New Veteran Workforce Initiatives
President Barack Obama was at the Washington Navy Yard on Aug 5, announcing government plans to help veterans more in their transition from military to civilian work. He announced a series of administration initiatives to help unemployed military veterans find jobs and get needed training in response to the growing number of unemployed veterans. As of this last June there were one million veterans unemployed.
A new task force led by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs will:
- Assist military to qualify for civilian jobs
- Help service members transition to civilian jobs or higher education
- Fortify a “reverse boot camp” where service members receive training, education, and credentials they need to transition
- Provide more access to local career centers and help pursuing skill matching careers
The US Labor Department will establish career centers to deliver career development and job search services for Veterans.
A new campaign “Joining Forces, “ led by first lady Michelle Obama and vice-first lady Jill Biden, promotes hiring veterans in businesses.
Many companies have responded. Siemens recently met their goal of hiring 300 veterans and is now committed to hiring 150 more by December. Microsoft is helping more than 10,000 veterans get IT-certified over the next two years. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Accenture and Lockheed Martin have also made commitments to help veterans join the workforce.
There are also new company credit initiatives being proposed. The “Returning Heroes” tax credit would bring up to $2,400 for every short-term and $4,800 for every long-term unemployed veteran hired.
The administration hopes to also increase existing tax credits for hiring disabled veterans. A “Wounded Warriors” would increase credits for companies hiring disabled veterans who have been unemployed for six months or more to a maximum of $9,600.
President Obama is challenging private businesses to hire or train 100,000 unemployed post-9/11 veterans or their spouses by the end of 2013.
Finally, the Labor Department announced 23 grants totaling nearly $5.5 million to provide homeless veterans with job training. The grants are being awarded by the department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service through the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.
We are proud to provide our fellow US Veterans with an exclusive resume depository service. UnemployedVeteran.com allows our Veterans to share resumes with Corporate and Small Businesses across the nation. There is no cost for searching for strong candidates to fill needed positions – just as there is no fee for Veterans to manage and share their resumes with Veteran Friendly Employers.
SOF Solutions connects unemployed veterans with the opportunities they seek. If you are a veteran seeking work, register and list your resume with us today.
If you are a Veteran Friendly Business who truly appreciates the knowledge and skills our veterans offer, we encourage you to register today at UnemployedVeteran.com and begin searching for your next employee.
Together, we can all help bridge the gap between Veterans and the Corporate World!
In: Unemployed Veterans
Jobless Rate Twice as High for Young Males Returning from Serving their Country
In this economy, it is tough for most to find jobs, with general unemployment rates much higher than usual, and fewer new jobs being created. Veterans coming home from service are having an even harder time getting employed.
- In May, the jobless rate for young males returning from military service ages 18-24 was more than 30%, almost twice that of civilian males in the same age range, which is 18%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- In fact, unemployment benefit payouts for veterans have been vastly rising in the past few years – $451 million in fiscal 2008, $882 million in 2010, with 2011 predicting to be much higher still.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is spearheading a motion to get more training benefits for military to gain skills necessary to gain access to civilian work. She is actively chairwoman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and is very committed to fight for veteran benefits, lately focusing on the plight of unemployed veterans.
This new Hiring Heroes Act, also known as bill HR 1941, introduced in May, is meant to particularly help military currently returning home.
The Hiring Heroes Act of 2011 is a bill to help veterans, who are facing unique barriers to finding employment, to transition successfully from military service to the working world, particularly those brave men and women who have served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This legislature would require veterans returning home to attend courses in finding work, certify for civilian degrees similar to their military skills, learn new technology skills, and learn the contemporary skills for résumé writing and interviewing. Currently, only the Marine Corp requires these exit training programs.
The Department of Defense is beginning to roll out more career seeking benefits, such as the Career Decision Toolkit, aiding the DoD’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP). Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith says they are expanding programs that focus on information technology and civilian certification so troops can match skills learned to outside employment.
“There is still substantial work to be done,” said Cynthia O. Smith. “We must ensure we are properly allocating resources and establishing priorities to take care of our service members.”
UnemployedVeteran.com is pleased this Act is being implemented in part, and recognizes a lot more is needed to aid our Veterans. We welcome you to join us in support and write to your local congressmen and women to share your opinions.
Hiring Heroes Act of 2011
A hopeful new bill is gaining popularity and bipartisan support, which would enhance services to help veterans returning to civilian jobs and society, particularly those who have served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Some of the benefits of the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011 would be to provide job training while on active duty, internships with participating companies, and individual counseling to match military skills within the current marketplace, increasing employability.
It is a top priority for military groups to improve training programs and aid those returning home as unemployment is significantly high, indicating the challenge veterans face in landing contemporary jobs. Among 20-24 year old vets, unemployment is as high as 27% according to recent reports from the US Department of Labor (DoL). Stats also show the unemployment rate for veterans discharged since 2001 was 13.1% in April, higher than the national average of 9.9%.
Our Veterans Need Stronger Support
- Unemployment among veterans is currently as high as 27%
- More military are returning from Afghanistan and Iraq
- Current services need to be increased, matching military skills to jobs in the civilian workforce
- Helping veterans find employment is necessary to transition back home from service
- Employment services are also critical to curb increasing homelessness
“One of the biggest barriers they face upon returning is finding a job,” said Sen. Murray, chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “With their training, leadership abilities and skills, they should be at the top of the list for jobs, and too often they go to the bottom of the pile.”
This Act, also known as bill HR 1941, was brought before the US congressional committee on May 23, 2011, and is being considering before sending on to the House or Senate. It was first introduced as a Senate Bill by Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash, chairperson of Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and brought to the House by Rep. Sanford Bishop Jr., D-GA.
Hiring Heroes Act Will:
- Accelerate federal hiring practices to begin processing prior to separation
- Add funding to the Transition Assistance Program and require mandatory participation
- All participants will receive individualized skill and qualifying job assessments
- Require the DoL provide continuing engagement with each veteran to determine ongoing needs
- Continue programs that provide rehabilitation and vocational benefits
- Provide up to 24 months additional vocational rehabilitation and employment services to veterans who have exhausted previous state and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) unemployment benefits
- Require the VA to follow up with each participant in its Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program periodically
New Services To Be Added:
- A competitive grant program for organizations to provide internships
- Requires the Department of Defense (DoD), DoL, and VA to jointly identify equivalencies between certain Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) skills and civilian jobs
- A program to provide work experience with civilian employees for service members that are separating within 180 days
- Requires DoL, DoD, and VA collaboration to eliminate barriers between military training and civilian licensure or credentialing for several military occupational specialties.
“We have an obligation to help our veterans land on their feet when they come home and help them find good-paying jobs to support their families.” – Rep. Bishop
SOF Solutions hopes the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011 will be passed by Congress soon. We welcome you to join us in support and write to your local congressmen and women.
We are proud to provide our fellow US Veterans with an exclusive resume depository service. UnemployedVeterans.com allows us to share access to such US Veteran Resumes to every Corporate and Small Businesses across the nation. The ability to search for strong candidates to fufill their open positions is offered at no cost.
SOF Solutions is proud to help connect unemployed veterans with the opportunities they are looking for. If you are a veteran seeking work, be sure to register today and list your resume with us.
If you are a Veteran Friendly Business who truly appreciates the knowledge and skills our veterans offer, we encourage you to register today at UnemployedVeteran.com and begin searching for your next employee.
Together, we can all help to bridge the gap between Veterans and the Corporate World!
In: Unemployed Veterans · Tagged with: hire a veteran, unemployed veterans, veteran employment
Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Veteran
If you are an employer who values integrity, diversity, motivation, teamwork, the ability to adapt quickly, and who seeks technically skilled, dedicated, disciplined leaders with proven experience, you should hire a Veteran.
Many Employers across this Nation have already discovered the strong work ethics our U.S. Veterans can bring to their organization.
Here are the Top 10 Reasons Why Every Employer Should Consider Hiring a Veteran:
- Integrity: Employers find veterans have soundness of character, with ample practice adhering to moral principles with honesty and trustworthiness while serving their country. Employers also find veterans often have security clearances already under their belts.
- Diversity: Living and working side by side a vast range of individuals in the military, veterans have learned sensitivity and respect to cooperate with diverse peoples from different racial, religious, and economic backgrounds with various mental and physical aptitudes.
- Motivated: Potential employees who have gone through the military have proven they are highly motivated to succeed. They have achieved rigorous physical, mental and occupational goals already and are prepared to do the same in your company.
- Adaptive: Veterans have experienced mission critical situations demanding their endurance, stamina and flexibility. They have been through great adversity on the job before and can adapt to new business environments with those same skills for success in corporate worlds.
- Technically Skilled: The Department of Defense operates the largest system of specialized professional and technical training in the world. Thus veterans come well educated with transferable skills to the business world as executive managers, engineers, and specialists in human resources, computer information and technology systems, communications, health care, law, education, aerospace technology, law enforcement, public affairs, maritime, etc.
- Leadership: Military are given leadership roles early in their careers with vast opportunities for advancement. Great responsibility over government property produces seasoned leaders and managers ready to manage in corporate settings as well.
- Team Work: Veterans have had life-impacting experiences learning the value of working together as a team. Many times this learning acquisition has come at the expense of life threatening situations where responding to commanders and knowing their role on the team is critical.
- Dedicated: The military demands enlistees set high goals to “be all that they can be,” working towards objectives until they are achieved, no matter how difficult. The military environment has given veterans a winner’s mindset which translates into dedication to achieve your company’s goals.
- Disciplined: Veterans are well experienced in the rigors of a disciplined lifestyle. Their previous assignments have taught them to how to accomplish objectives with determination, amidst duress and adversity.
- Proven Performance: Veterans have perseverance to get the job done right, regardless of adversities. They are resourceful and can prioritize tasks to perform efficiently even in highly stressful situations under rigorous schedules with limited resources.
Veterans bring unique skills to the corporate world to include; executive managers, engineers, human resource administrators, program mangers, operations managers, IT and communication specialists, health care providers, educators, aerospace and aviation specialists, attorneys, law enforcement and security services, linguists/translators, recruiters, training specialists, protocol specialists, public affairs, acquisition specialists, administrative specialist, logisticians, maritime specialists, etc.
Prospective employers seeking to fulfill positions within their organization can gain instant access to the best combination of skills and experience to achieve human resources objectives, by joining UnemployedVeteran.com.
While we encourage every hiring Employer to register for free and to begin searching for veterans to fufil needed positions within their organization, we also seek to partner with companies who value the sacrifices and unique contributions veterans make to our society. Partner with SOF Solutions to solidify your status as a Veteran-Friendly Employer, and be recognized as partnering with a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Business, today!
In: Unemployed Veterans · Tagged with: hire a veteran, unemployed veterans, veteran employment
“Welcome Home and Welcome to the Unemployment Line”
Employment is tougher than ever for vets returning home to jobs in this economy. As companies are forced to seek more ways of cutting costs, analysts find they are increasingly violating the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, (USSERA) established in 1994.
- The USERRA law requires employers to retain or rehire military workers upon their return from active duty. It also prohibits discrimination from hiring those who may again be deployed.
While companies admit it is more expensive to hire military personnel and hold their places while they are out serving our country, punishment for violations is mild. There are no criminal charges brought against such companies.
- The Defense Department alone has seen a rise in complaints from 13,090 in 2008, to 15,870 in 2009, to an estimated 17,000 for 2010.
As vets see slow resolve in filing complaints with such groups as the Defense Department, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, Reserve Officers Association, and Department of Labor, they are turning to private lawyers to fight their cases.
According to The Washington Times, private lawyers have seen the number of intentional violations skyrocket in the past three years. Mr. Tully, a founding partner at Tully Rinckey PLLC mentions that in 2004, 1% of their cases involved intentional employer violations. For 2010, the estimated number has increased to 15-20%.
Eric Montavo, partner with Puckett & Faraj PC has also seen an increased amount of violations by employers. Major Melissa Phillips, chief of strategic communications at Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve has also seen a notable increase in inquiries from 2008.
These tough times are the reason SOF Solutions and UnemployedVeteran.com exists: to give hope and resources to vets seeking employment. We know vets bring unique skills and experiences to the corporate world. You have proven integrity, leadership, disciplined performance, and are technically skilled and motivated to adapt to diverse situations.
Employers, if you have not already signed up, we would like to invite you to join UnemployedVeteran.com and help fight to bridge the gap between Veterans and the corporate world.
- At no cost to your organization, you can easily begin to search for veterans who are looking for the opportunity to work and bring their proven abilities to your team.
- Not only will you gain access to the best qualified applicants to fill your human resources vacancies, you will truly be helping to “Welcome our Troops” back home.
Veterans be sure to register today and create your resume at UnemployedVeteran.com, where every small business, corporation, and government agency can now search for qualified applicants to fulfill their open positions.
UnemployedVeteran.com is an exclusive resume depository for all U.S. Veterans. It gives Government, Corporate, and Small Businesses across this Nation the ability to search for potential matches without paying a dime.
SOF Solutions is proud to help connect unemployed veterans with the opportunities they are looking for through UnemployedVeteran.com.
In: Unemployed Veterans · Tagged with: hire a veteran, unemployed veterans, veteran employment
Federal Hiring Reform: Opportunity for Unemployed Veterans
Amazingly, it was announced on May 11th that President Obama has reformed the hiring practices for the federal government. SOF Solutions, LLC is looking forward to the opportunities this will provide to our veterans seeking employment within the civil government sector.
At President Obama’s direction, the Federal hiring agencies are at last initiating major steps towards streamlining the hard-to-follow forms in the application process, the notorious red-tape and slow pace of federal hiring, and improving the level of fairness of the process for all.
As for frustrating bureaucratic jargon and policy: The “knowledge, skills and abilities” essays and tedious, arcane forms that applicants for federal jobs have had to negotiate will end. In replace of such, applicants will be permitted to submit resumes, or complete simple, plain language applications.
As for improving the level of fairness of the process for all: The policy of “direct hiring” is finally under review. Take for example, the controversial Federal Career Intern Program. The “internship” fails to provide students with a short stint to gain federal government work experience. Rather, the program was created to enable agencies to make a quick hire for certain job openings, and circumvent the rules for competitive hiring.
Under the present direct hiring authorities, agencies do not need to follow veterans’ preference policies. This will now change in accordance with the Obama administration’s priority to increase veterans’ employment. A specific order from the President has been made to evaluate the Federal Career Intern Program and for recommendations to be set forth “concerning the future of that program.”
The proposed improvements to the Federal Hiring Process include:
- Elimination of the “knowledge, skills and abilities” essays and other un-friendly forms that applicants for federal jobs have had to endure in the past. Applicants can now submit resumes, or complete clear and easy application forms.
- Final approval on any new hire will involve managers as well as an agency’s personnel office.
- Applicants will be informed where they stand at four points in the hiring process: When their application is received, when it is decided the applicant is qualified or not, when the applicant has been referred on for an interview or not, and when the person is chosen or not.
- The hiring time – from when a vacancy is announced until a person is hired –will be reduced to 80 days. At present in some agencies the process has been known to take as long as 200 days.
- “Category hiring” will be initiated. Under this plan, the different branches of the armed services can share hiring information on candidates for similar positions within the respective branches.
- The Federal Career Intern Program will be evaluated for recommendations of change in process and to determine if the program should be continued.
Like all wise moves, these proposed changes are a “win-win” for all concerned: For the public and the government, the changes will cut hiring costs thus saving taxpayer money and create more efficient and effective governance.
- For veterans and others applying for federal jobs, the hiring process will be made much more easy and fair.
Fellow Veterans: If you have not taken the time to register and easily create your resume at UnemployedVeteran.com, where every government agency can now search for qualified applicants to fulfill their open positions click here to make sure you can be found.
As an exclusive resume depository for all U.S. Veterans and the ability for Government, Corporate, and Small Businesses across this Nation to search for potential matches for their organization without paying a dime, SOF Solutions is proud to help connect unemployed veterans with the opportunities they are looking for through UnemployedVeteran.com.
For more information on the Federal Hiring Reform, check out the following video clips:
Office of Personnel Management: Hiring Reform Roll Out
Office of Personnel Management: Hiring Reform Explained
Office of Personnel Management: What is Category Rating?
In: Unemployed Veterans · Tagged with: hire a veteran, unemployed veterans, veteran employment
Challenges Faced by Unemployed Veterans
It is the irony of ironies: The primary protectors of our American way of life—the men and women of our armed forces—are themselves afforded poor job protection when they return to civilian life.
This injustice is particularly egregious when our veterans return to a bad economy, as is now the case for our veterans coming home from the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.
Examples abound:
- A Labor Department report shows that on average there are about 6.1 unemployed workers competing for each job opening. Unemployment for male Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans has tripled since the recession began. More than 250,000 of these veterans were unemployed last month.
- Prospective employers tend to be particularly wary about hiring National Guard and Reserve troops. Employers know such troops are often deployed for up to a year or more and that they would be required to hold their jobs open, which to most seem only harder to do in a down economy.
There are some difficult issues our modern day veterans face which are not “economy” related:
As with all wars, some of the veterans coming home from the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts suffer combat-related illnesses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The symptoms of PTSD and the problems it can cause are now rightly being openly addressed by the military, and publicized by the media.
But this attention can be a double-edged sword: Many potential employers, now aware of PTSD, worry that a veterans diagnosed or undiagnosed PTSD may cause them to perform erratically on the job. On this basis some employers opt not to hire the veteran.
These are just a few of the multitude of challenges facing returning vets in today’s job market.
We at SOF Solutions maintain an extensive database of highly employable veterans, and grant all potential employers access to our database at UnempoyedVeteran.com to view potential matches for available positions free of charge.
If you are an Employer who is looking to fulfill a position and you value the commitment and abilities our U.S. Veterans can bring to your organization, we encourage you to begin searching our exclusive database for your next employee today!
Not ready to hire for a few months? No problem. SOF Solutions understands that many of our veterans begin to search for jobs within the civilian workforce prior to exiting the military and that just the same many Companies plan ahead for upcoming jobs and recruitment of proper personnel. That’s exactly why UnemployedVeteran.com was designed to accommodate placement for both current and future opportunities for our U.S. Veterans.
If you are amongst the thousands of Unemployed Veterans across America looking for opportunities amongst the civilian workforce, we urge you to join UnemployedVeteran.com and get your resume in front of Employers who truly value your background and experience.
Together, we can all do our part to help bridge the Employment Gap between Veterans and the Corporate World today by spreading the word about the free services available to both Veterans and Employers at UnemployedVeteran.com.
In: Unemployed Veterans · Tagged with: hire a veteran, unemployed veterans, veteran employment