Posted on 11/09/2005 4:33:09 PM PST by SandRat
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2005 – Military.com is taking its mission of connecting veterans to their benefits one step further with the official launch of the online Veteran Career Network on Nov. 11. About 250,000 people leave the military each year, Christopher Michel, president and founder of Military.com, said. A goal of the new network, found at www.military.com/network, is to help veterans capitalize on the training they received in the military by connecting them with employers who value this type of training and to make that connection more efficient.
"Job searches have been traditionally inefficient," Michel, a former Navy lieutenant commander, said, citing the old-fashioned job-hunt method of looking through newspaper classified ads.
Military.com has made the hunt easier for both employers and job-seeking veterans by drawing on the resources of Monster.com, Military.com's parent company. These resources -- job listings for employment seekers and electronic resumes for employers to peruse -- are available through Military.com.
Furthering its mission, the site has created a network of veterans already in the work force to act as recruiters for their employers. More than 200,000 veterans signed up during the 18-month testing period, Michel said. He added that the company is encouraging participation based on the idea that networks become powerful when more people are involved.
"Military people will help each other (find jobs)," he said. "(But) if I wanted to get a job at ... Ford Motor Company in marketing, for example, in Detroit, I'm sure there's a Navy person working there, but how would I ever know that they're there? And how would they ever know where I am?
"This tool allows people to (connect)," he said.
Helping businesses understand the benefit of this program are Monster's 4,000-plus employees who talk to employers. They not only keep their fingers on the pulse of what employers are looking for, they take opportunities to educate them on why hiring veterans is smart business -- namely because veterans have had top-notch training in everything from high-tech white-collar jobs to building trades.
To make it easier for those wanting to hire a veteran to find one, veterans' resumes are literally "flagged" in Monster.com's resume database. A small American flag has been added next to veterans' resume listings, Michel said.
This is not the first Monster and Miltary.com initiative targeting veterans. The companies, through combined efforts, work with the Labor Department's Hire Vets First program, the federal Office of Personnel Management's USAJOBS program, and two Defense Department programs: the Military Severely Injured Center and the Military Spouse Career Center.
Monster.com is a global online career and recruitment resource, according to it's the company's Web site. Military.com has 6 million members, Michel said.
I've been trying to use this to find a job myself. Even signed up for the networking and tried to contact some people through there, but alas, still unemployed.... :-(
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