Vets Join Tough Job Market Returning Military Personnel Are Prime Candidates but Face Array of Obstacles
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By EMILY GLAZER As the U.S. pulls troops out of Iraq, some companies say they are looking to add a few former soldiers to their ranks.
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Joe Schram/The Wall Street Journal Dyron Snipe, with daughter Seidron, says his expectation of deployment could hinder his job prospects.
That may be easier said than done.
Following President Barack Obama's October troop withdrawal announcement, tens of thousands of service members are expected to leave Iraq by Dec. 31. Those who don't re-enlist, join the reserves or ride out a contract will re-enter civilian life and for most, that means getting a job.
But only about half of veterans felt they were prepared to assimilate into civilian life and look for work, according to an October survey by Monster Worldwide Inc. And nearly one in five recently returned veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan screen positive for post-traumatic stress disorder, according a 2008 study by RAND Corp., a nonprofit research institute.
Yet veterans and service members are known to have skills that managers consider essential to the workplace. Some of those skills include attention to detail, self-discipline, problem-solving, decision-making in stressful situations and ability to work in a team, say human-resources experts.
More than 60% of employers feel motivated to hire veterans based on their qualifications and prior work experience and a full 98% of employers that had hired a veteran would hire one again, according to an October Monster survey.
As an incentive, the Senate passed legislation earlier this month that includes tax breaks for businesses that hire veterans—up to $5,600 for veterans and up to $9,600 for disabled veterans.
Earlier this year, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and about 15 other U.S. companies—including Cisco Systems Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc. and AT&T Inc.—said they plan to hire 100,000 transitioning service members and military veterans by 2020.
Chase, which also rolled out a national ad campaign promoting the so-called 100,000 Jobs Mission, says it hires on average 10 veterans a day in roles ranging from entry-level bank specialist to manager.
"This is a well-trained workforce that already demonstrated their ability to deliver on higher missions," says the bank's chief administrative officer, Frank Bisignano.
Networking-equipment maker Cisco has hired dozens of veterans in sales and services roles, as well as for networking consulting and general engineering.
Cisco says that veterans work well in a high-pressure, demanding environment. It also likes being recognized as a veteran-friendly company. "It's good for business," says Michael Veysey, director of Veterans Programs at Cisco.
RailWorks Corp., a maintenance and construction railroad company, has been seeking out veterans for laborer or operator positions, such as putting down track, using sledge hammers and learning to operate some machinery, says Harry Glantz, vice president of human resources.
Mr. Glantz says he anticipates around 50 jobs this year open to all, but aimed at those in the military or veterans. "They're not going to worry about sleeping in a trailer, not going to worry about hard work, they can physically do this," Mr. Glantz says.
But for many veterans and service members, getting through the hiring process and assimilating into corporate culture can be challenging.
They sometimes have trouble translating prior skills to civilian jobs since job titles differ, such as "manager" versus "military officer." Others may have issues with work availability if they plan to deploy again. And once they're finally in the job, veterans may struggle to adapt to different social and cultural situations where etiquette is different from what they are used to.
"It's not just a new job; it's a totally new field," says Andrew Roberts, who returned from Iraq in 2004 and now oversees a veterans program for the North Shore-LIJ Health System, which operates hospitals in the New York area. "Suddenly you're really starting at the bottom again," he says.
Dyron Snipe, a 44-year-old sergeant with the National Guard, expects to be deployed in the near future but doesn't know an exact date. He holds a Bachelor's degree in computer science and works as a computer programmer—one of the most in-demand jobs—yet still has trouble securing long-term work because managers are worried he won't be available when they need him.
"People love to hear you're a veteran or currently in the military," he says. "But for every 10 jobs, three will use [my uncertain availability] against me." |
