Showing posts with label hire a hero. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hire a hero. Show all posts

Monday, July 30, 2007

Connects Heroes, Employers

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

July 30, 2007 - An online nonprofit group is helping servicemembers preparing to transition to the civilian work world connect with solid job opportunities. "Our mission is accomplished through online networking, and the key to our success is our volunteers," said Vikki Skrypez, volunteer coordinator for the group, "Hire a Hero."

Dan Caulfield, a former
Marine, started the group's Web site, www.HireaHero.org, in January. It currently has 5,000 former servicemembers signed up for help with job hunting.

Participants are asked to complete a profile about their situation -- for example, what skills they have, how close they are to separating, and where they hope to live once they've left the
military. Those who register with Hire a Hero also can search and apply for jobs with "military-friendly employers" on the site.

"As these three groups connect and network, there are benefits for all," Skrypez said. "Members from the
military community find meaningful employment opportunities. Employers obtain quality (employees), and volunteers expand their network and become more established in their communities by ... helping veterans."

Hire a Hero is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with
military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

"We are excited about the exposure and networking opportunities through America Supports You," Skrypez said. "We hope to get our message out to like-minded individuals who want to help.

"This is a great opportunity for those that want to give back and say thank you to our
military," she added.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Former Marine Helps Heroes Get Hired

by Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

May 8, 2007 – A national program is working to help make it easier for veterans to find meaningful jobs. "Hire A Hero," a program of the nonprofit California-based
Armed Forces Support Foundation, can help take the frustration out of that process, Dan Caulfield, the program's executive director, said.

The program originated as a job program for National Guard members and their families. It was piloted in Georgia and Florida as a way for the National Guard to help recruit and retain members. Today, the Hire A Hero program has expanded across all branches and helps transitioning active
military personnel, Guardsmen and reservists find jobs across all industries.

Unemployment among young
military veterans can be up to three times as high as their civilian counterparts, he added.

"Even worse, the thing that's harder to prove is the underemployment of
military veterans," he said.

There is no reason for this when the economy is dying for this type of quality work force, he added.

"They way we see it is, here are the people we've invested the most in to protect the American dream and they're not getting their fair share of the American dream," Caulfield said.

That's why the Hire A Hero program has stepped up to help veterans, like Michael Sinicrope, grab their piece of the pie.

Sinicrope, a former
Marine, transitioned back into civilian life on Oct. 1 after serving his country for four years. During his service he worked as a parachute rigger and air delivery specialist.

"A few months after I transitioned out, my wife called me from work and told me about a program called Hire A Hero," he said in a letter to the organization. "In just 10 minutes I found a job that interested me, and I applied for it."

The employer, the Estancia La Jolla Resort and Spa in California, hired Sinicrope as a security agent soon after the interview.

"I believe my work ethic and everything about being a
Marine has incorporated into my new job," he said. "My discipline and integrity gained while serving has also proven to be invaluable traits for what I do now."

Sinicrope said he'd recommend Hire A Hero to his fellow servicemembers preparing to re-enter civilian life. "The jobs are tailored to us, and the employers that use Hire A Hero are looking for people with
military experience," he said.

The California National Guard also sees value in the program. On May 4, it signed a memorandum of understanding with Hire A Hero.

"It is important to us that our Guard members are provided with quality civilian employment opportunities,"
Army Maj. Gen. William H. Wade II, adjutant general of the California National Guard, said in a press release. "We have partnered with Hire A Hero to make sure that our members and their families are taken care of."

Article sponsored by
Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.