We invite you to listen and learn more about The Dwyer Group and franchising opportunities. The link below with take you to the audio feed.

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http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20091110_No_medals_for_hiring_vets.html

And here is the comment we posted to it: 

As a SVP with RecruitMilitary, one of the sites referenced by Mr.Fumento, I respectufly submit that this is irresponsible journalism.  Had he taken the time to ask us, we could have clarified for him that our aim is not to simply serve the three purposes he mentions, and we could have told him about the many many organizations that are actively looking for all veterans.  Our business is veteran owned and veteran operated, and our sole mission is to connect opportunities to veterans - not "mularkey" I asssure you.  Our firm produces Opportunity Expos in 30+ cities around the US - we will produce 70 in 2009, and 72 in 2010.  This year alone we will have had over 1,500 different organizations attend these events with the sole purpose of extending their opportunities to veterans.  Mr. Fumento is simply wrong in his assertions that there isn't very real and meaningful work being done for veterans - just today, we will connect over 100 employers with over 1,000 veterans at Opportunity Expos in Seattle, Nashville, and Baltimore.  Mr. Fumento, please attend one of our Opportunity Expos and you will see that at least RecruitMilitary's efforts are exactly as we claim. Not only are we the largest producer of these events in the U.S., we also publish a magazine with content aimed directly at job-seeking veterans and we employ search specialists that engage with clients every day looking for all veterans.  Mr. Fumento, your claim that veterans receive little help from the private sector is simply not true - it is our passion and it is what all of us at RecruitMilitary work extremely hard at every day.

If you are a job-seeking veteran, please do not be dismayed by the unfounded claims in Mr. Fumento's article.  If you are an organization that is actively seeking veterans to add as employees, students, or business owners, please know that your noble efforts are recognized by the veterans you bring on, and by so many of the rest of us that know you are doing the right thing for our veterans every day. 

We strongly encourage veteran job seekers to register at www.recruitmilitary.com  because employers—yes, thousands and thousands of them—search our database for veterans to fill their openings. The site also has a tremendous number of job postings—143,392 as I write this.

But even in this favorable environment, we find that qualified veterans face several problems in getting hired. Let me address two of them.

1. A belief that only a tiny number of jobs are available. A moment’s reflection will tell you that this belief cannot be true, except in especially hard-hit cities and states. Every month, millions of people leave job openings behind due to retirement, taking a job with another company, getting promoted, getting fired, etc. And jobs are still being created, even though more are being destroyed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 million people were hired in August 2009. While that figure is down from 4.6 million in August 2008 and the most recent peak of 5.6 million in July 2006, nevertheless 4 million is a lot of hires.

The problem manifests itself among qualified veterans as a low level of activity and enthusiasm in the job-seeking process. For example, our Opportunity Expos attract an average of 375 job seekers per event. That’s pretty good, when you consider that veterans make up a small fraction of the job seekers in the general population. But the turnout should be much higher in these times.

What can we and our competitors in military-to-civilian recruiting do about this problem? Keep reaching out to the veteran community, as I am doing in this blog, saying, “The jobs are out here. There may not be a job for you that is close to you—so you may have to re-locate. But the jobs are definitely out here.”

What can veterans do? Apply, apply, apply. Send resumes around, sure, but don’t rely on them. Pick up the phone. Get in the car. See what’s going on around town. Talk to everyone—not just employers, but also relatives, friends, neighbors, former teachers and coaches, other veterans, the clerk in the store, everyone.

2. A lack of experience among veterans in marketing themselves as job seekers—especially marketing themselves to companies and agencies that are eager to hire veterans. Employers value veterans not only for their skill sets, but also for their personal characteristics such as leadership, initiative, self-discipline, and a strong work ethic.

An important part of self-marketing is learning how to “translate” military skills into civilian counterparts and near-counterparts. For example, it stands to reason that a helicopter mechanic in the armed forces could learn quickly to be an automotive mechanic in the civilian world. So the helicopter mechanic should market himself or herself as a mechanic and emphasize specific skills—for example, maintenance and repair of gear drives.

But what about veterans with combat arms experience? They are prime candidates for law enforcement agencies and private security firms, as you might expect. But companies in virtually all industries also value them for their leadership and their experience in dealing with highly stressful situations. Those companies recognize that they can teach the veterans specific job skills—but they can’t teach the personal characteristics.

How do you market yourself as a leader? Describe your tasks in the military, and emphasize the units and numbers of personnel you led, your people skills, whatever experience you might have had in improving the performance of a unit, unit awards, etc.

Good luck to all veterans who are searching for jobs and all transitioning personnel who are about to enter the job market.

Thank you for your service.

Sylvan Learning, Inc. is inviting small-business owners and entrepreneurs to a free seminar, “Discover Sylvan Learning: A How-To Seminar on Franchise ownership,” in Chicago on October 15. The seminar will take place at 10 a.m. at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Forum, in conjunction with our own Veteran Opportunity Expo—which opens at 11:00 a.m. Sylvan Learning is also sponsoring the expo.

The seminar will be open to the general public, but we will restrict attendance at the Expo to job seekers who have military backgrounds, including military spouses, and representatives of organizations that are exhibiting at the Expo. Afternoon seminars will be open only to individuals who are attending the Expo. Sylvan has created an electronic pre-registration site for the seminars.

Sylvan Learning, founded in 1979, provides in-center, online, and home tutoring to students of all ages, grades, and skill levels. Sylvan delivers individual instruction, supplemented by independent learning, in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills, and test preparation for college entrance and state exams. The company recently launched a national expansion plan to convert its corporate centers to local franchises, while expanding in new and existing territories.

. . . that’s the title of an article written for us by HR professional Susan Sterritt and published in our bimonthly print magazine, Search & Employ. Susan is a learning and development consultant with Employers Resource Association in Cincinnati.  She is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, and she served for nine years in the United States Army Reserve.

The article takes the form of an interview, with Susan answering the following questions:

Why is it a good business practice to hire disabled veterans?

Who qualifies as a “disabled veteran”?
The Americans with Disabilities Act covers disabled employees. What other laws should we consider?

Am I allowed to ask special questions to determine whether a veteran has a service-connected disability?

Are we allowed to give preference to disabled veterans over other applicants?

Are there financial incentives to be gained by hiring a disabled veteran?

Can you list some websites so we can get started?

Here is the article in full:

Search & Employ: Why is it a good business practice to hire disabled veterans?

First, let me say that I strongly favor the hiring of veterans because I believe that is the “right” thing to do. But I can also share an extensive list of business reasons, starting with this one: Many critical skills have already been put to the test for you. 

Absent a dishonorable discharge, veterans have mastered self-discipline, a very important attribute for most civilian positions. Individuals do not survive in the military very long if they lack self-control, the ability to take directions and follow through on responsibilities in a timely fashion, and the skill to get along and work closely with others, often under conditions of extreme stress. Veterans have been willing to put themselves on the line for the good of others and the mission at hand.  Many have served in demanding leadership positions as well. A valuable bonus for the civilian world is that veterans are accustomed to arriving at a specified place on time, day after day, “ready to roll.”

S&E: Who qualifies as a “disabled veteran”?

An individual who has served on active duty in the United States armed forces, was honorably discharged, and has a service-connected disability. The term also applies to individuals who receive compensation, disability retirement benefits, or a pension due to a public statute administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs or a military department. 

A word of caution: Do not confuse this definition of “disability” with the more detailed definition of an “individual with a disability” used in the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Amendments Act). A veteran with a service-connected disability is not automatically protected by the provisions of the ADA.  However, many veterans who were wounded while on active duty meet both the definition of “disabled veteran” and the ADA’s definition of an “individual with a disability.”

S&E: The ADA covers disabled employees.  What other laws should we consider?

If the veteran was your employee previously, you will want to take a look at the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Provisions of USERRA cover re-employment rights and the requirement to allow the veteran to return to a situation s/he would have attained had s/he never left for military service.

If the veteran would be a new addition, you will want to consider the same aspects of the ADA (and the Amendments Act) as you would for any other qualified candidate with a disability. Title I of the ADA generally requires covered employers to make reasonable accommodations—changes in the workplace or in the way things are usually done to provide individuals with disabilities equal employment opportunities. But the fact that an individual is a qualified disabled veteran does not automatically mean any change or accommodation will be necessary. 

S&E: Am I allowed to ask special questions to determine whether a veteran has a service-connected disability?

Before anyone at your company interviews any candidate, I strongly recommend that the interviewer become intimately acquainted with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance regarding what and how certain questions may be posed to any job applicant—not just an applicant whose disability is apparent, known, or made known. Refer to www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/preemp.html .

If you are seeking specifically to hire someone with a service-connected disability, then, under certain conditions, you may ask applicants to self-identify voluntarily as individuals with disabilities or as “disabled veterans.” Generally, to do so, your company must fall within affirmative action planning thresholds and/or be voluntarily using the information to benefit individuals with disabilities, including veterans with service-connected disabilities. 

S&E: Are we allowed to give preference to  disabled veterans over another applicants?

In many cases, yes. The ADA neither requires nor prohibits affirmative action on behalf of disabled individuals.  Companies with affirmative action plans often proactively recruit veterans to their workforce and also file an online VETS-100/100A report annually.

If you are a federal employer or agency, you will have separate rules that pertain only to you, allowing you to use “special hiring authorities” to bring disabled vets on board outside the normal competitive process. You will want to take a look at Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act. Helpful information is also available at: www.opm.gov/disability/appointment_disabilities.asp,   and www.opm.gov/veterans/html/vetguide.asp.

S&E: Are there financial incentives to be gained by hiring a disabled veteran?

In some situations, small businesses—those with gross receipts not exceeding $1 million or with no more than 30 full-time employees—are entitled to an income tax credit for expenditures incurred while making their business accessible to individuals with disabilities. The best advice is to consult your company’s tax attorney about this—and again, speak with your state’s employment service.

S&E: Can you list some websites so we can get started? 

I would start with the comprehensive government agency sites, such as those of the EEOC for ADA issues, and the Department of Labor (DOL) for USERRA. Then, visit www.dol.gov/vets, www.servicelocator.org and www.va.gov. 

To reach out to Veterans Service Organizations, try www.va.gov/vso. When you are ready to learn more about reasonable accommodation, look at www.jan.wvu.edu and www.tricare.mil/cap.

Another valuable site is www.disability.gov, which the DOL launched in late July for people with disabilities, their family members, veterans, caregivers, employers, and others. The new site, previously named www.disabilityinfo.gov, features comprehensive information about disability-related programs and services, as well as social media tools.

 RecruitMilitary sincerely hopes all of our clients and prospects win their share of the available stimulus dollars, and when you do, please spend that money on hiring great veteran talent – the talent you will need to perform well on these contracts.

LISTEN to Ed HERE    

Thanks to Ed for his great work on the RecruitMilitary PSA's (public service announcements) and his awesome support of  our mission to help veterans and military families across the country find quality career opportunities.

FYI: Ed Autry was awarded two Air Force Commendation medals and an Air Force Achievement medal for his service as a military broadcaster.

You too can hire a 'real veteran voice'... a man who's both a broadcast veteran... and a military veteran. Check out his website www.EdAutryVoiceovers.com

As RecruitMilitary has evolved within the military-to-civilian niche, we've learned a lot about how organizations and candidates interact.  The biggest need among the 200,000 military veterans who transition out annually is to find a job or career.  Pretty simple.  But the recession has helped candidates and organizations alike consider that everyone has a lot more options than that.  And we help not just the transitioning group, but everyone who has honorably served.

We're working with more than 65 franchisors nationally - they are all seeking veterans and military spouses to work with.  We have more than 100 educational institutions who are seeking new students from the military niche.  With discounting and financing programs for veterans, franchising makes a lot of sense to potential entrepreneurs.  With the new GI Bill, going back to school makes more sense than ever.

So our events have evolved into large scale expos - where all legitimate organizations with opportunities - educational opportunities, franchising opportunities, and job and career opportunities are very welcome, and all these attending organizations are flourishing in their recruiting efforts due to the great candidate traffic.

How did we come up with the name change?  We asked you - our customers and opportunity-seeking candidates.  Here is what you told us:

Customers - we surveyed 62 different organizations and the majority of these respondents stated they liked the name "expos" better than "fairs" or "events".  Interestingly, the majority of respondents were direct employers - and yet, they still voted for expos ahead of fairs.

We asked 209 different veterans what we should call the events.  The overwhelming majority selected "All Veterans Total Opportunity".   This was selected from a group of choices that included career fairs, career and education fairs, and several others.

Internally, after much discussion, we decided to shorten that to RecruitMilitary Opportunity Expos.  As many of our readers and customers know, we produce these expos in huge and popular venues:  NFL and MLB stadiums, museums, and other terrific, media popular locations.  So an expo is the right name - and the opportunities (all well vetted and legitimate) better describes all of the choices our exhibitors bring to each expo.