by John Dowling

We Want You
Corporate America Can't Hire Enough Military!

For those with military experience, it's no mystery why Corporate America seeks veterans as civilian employees. Dedication, work ethic, integrity, training, worldly experience . the list goes on. But some G.I.s just don't seem to grasp the enormous economic opportunities for career mobility that exist with some of America's biggest companies.

G.I. Jobs asked some of the top corporate recruiters across a spectrum of industries why they recruit military. Most of the recruiters have stood in your boots, some fairly recently, some a while ago, and some not at all. But they all share a common desire to see you be successful, and GET HIRED!

Advanced Tech - Maintenance experience wanted Recruiting military candidates is a way of continuing to serve and paying back America's veterans for their sacrifices, according to Holly Turner, military recruiting manager for Peoria, Ill., based Advanced Technology Services (www.advancedtech.com). "The thing I like most about my job is that I still get to help veterans. I still have the interaction. My philosophy is finding work for as many veterans as possible," said Turner. The former Army captain is no stranger to the value of veterans, having spent seven years on active duty including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Holly Turner Advanced Technology ServicesDespite a workforce (1,400 total) comprised of 25 percent veterans, ATS is fairly new to the formal military recruiting game. Turner was hired in December to spearhead military recruiting. The newly-hired vice president of human resources - James Hefti, a former Marine - formally instituted the program knowing from experience the value of veterans in mechanical environments.

ATS is serious about finding experienced employees, so much so that they hired recently retired career Navy and Air Force recruiters - comprising a joint recruiting team with representation by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

The company is a spin-off enterprise from Caterpillar and has grown into a leading supplier of outsourced factory maintenance, industrial component repair and IT services for top Fortune 500 companies.

"We love maintenance candidates. Our name doesn't really describe what we do. Once they ask me about Advanced Technology, they realize we have opportunities," said Turner. The company typically seeks a variety of technicians, diesel mechanics, calibrators, and welders.

The company has been proactive in recruiting, but also retaining its veteran employees. ATS has developed a military sponsorship program and a benefits brochure to help ease the transition for those formerly on active duty. But why?

"I think that recruiting veterans makes our company better. With the military you get people who are just so incredibly dedicated and have been through so many different experiences," said Turner. "I think I'm making a difference in the company because I'm improving the company overall."

BSNF Railway - Right candidate, right time, right role "I'm looking for the best fit - the right candidate, at the right time, for the right role. We are really talking about what's best for the veterans and what's best for BSNF. If we can get those two aligned, we think we've hit a homerun," said Connie McClendon, head of military recruitment for Fort Worth, Texas, based BNSF Railway (www.bnsf.com/careers/military).

Connie McClendon BNSF RailwayA self-proclaimed "road warrior," McClendon is a regular at the job fairs and transition seminars, looking for new candidates for BNSF's mechanical and conductor positions. Sharp enlisted candidates are good candidates for either job for a variety of reasons.

"The mechanical positions are closely aligned with skills related to military experience," said McClendon. Conductor positions, averaging $67,000 annually, "can be for a young soldier who did four years in the infantry who may not have the mechanical skills, but has the leadership, attention to detail, self-reliance, organization and planning skills."

"We're looking for individuals who are mission-focused and have a demonstrated record of success, attention to detail, getting the job done, a high-performance ethic, safety-orientation, and they are ready and able to work a flexible, on-call, 24-7 arrangement, around heavy machinery," said McClendon, a former Navy postal clerk

Unlike some companies that narrowly focus only on certain candidates, for example a JMO or only a candidate with a degree, BNSF seeks well-rounded candidates from all ranks.

"We recently hired a retired lieutenant colonel for our experienced first-line supervisor program and we've also hired junior enlisted as mechanics and conductors. It really is a broad-scoped candidate we are looking for," said McClendon.

What does McClendon like about prospective military candidates? "The veterans are typically the most eager, the most prepared. They embody the core competencies essential for success at BNSF - leadership, teamwork, the ability to perform safely in a fast-paced environment."

BSNF also has a long demonstrated commitment to America's heroes, offering extended benefits and compensation for Reserve and Guard soldiers who continue to serve and are called up for annual training or overseas deployment. The company keeps their pay and benefits running, too.

Cintas - A military gold mine Sally Hart of Cintas (www.cintas.com) is one of the deans of military recruiting. She's been beating the doors down at military bases for the past 18 years, and it's not without reason. The military has been a gold mine full of noncommissioned officers and JMOs who have taken positions at the company, whose core competency is servicing of uniforms. Cintas provides other customer services including entrance mat cleaning and maintenance, restroom supplies, first aid and safety products, and document management. Although not a veteran, Hart sounds like a commanding general lauding her troops when discussing recruiting veterans.

Sally Hart Cintas"It's all about the mission and veterans understand mission. At Cintas our mission is to exceed customer expectations," said Hart. "When the company commander says this is the mission, everyone is on the same page. That is another part of the leadership that we like. We like the way they get that across to the front lines. The mission is to please our customers and this is how we are going to do it."

Physical fitness also comes into play at Cintas, where front line route drivers - a position the company calls service sales - are continually jumping in and out of trucks, carrying uniforms and other products.

"We're a very industrial business, so it's very beneficial if we have people who don't mind running around 'dirty clothes.' Doing laundry and servicing customers with clean uniforms is not the most glamorous work, but veterans are ideal because they've had non-glamorous work in the past," said Hart. They flexible and are not afraid to get their hands dirty and make great leaders."

The camaraderie of Cintas is also similar to a well-tuned military operation. Job-seekers looking to replace that sense of teamwork they shared in the military, may want to consider Cintas, said Hart.

"There is a lot of camaraderie in our company. Everyone works together to please the customers," she said. "Our managers and leaders work right along the front lines. In addition to the service sales positions, Hart is also looking for manager supervisors. Senior noncommissioned officers and JMOs are ideal candidates, and a bachelor's degree is not required. Maintenance mechanics are also in high demand. Hart indicated machinist's mates in the Navy are particularly desirable to work on the washers, dryers, steam tunnels and boilers that are also found on ships.

Coca-Cola Enterprises - Values-driven culture Anyone who's ever served in uniform clearly remembers the smart cards, break room posters and endless presentations espousing the professional values of their military organizations. Vets won't be surprised to know that values are a key component of corporate cultures as well.

Coca-Cola Enterprises (www.cokecce.com), headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is a company that puts a lot of credence in corporate values, according to MeLinda McCall, talent acquisition manager for the bottling giant.

Melinda McCall Coca-Cola Enterprises"At Coca-Cola Enterprises we aspire to live by these values every day - integrity, passion, service, quality, results, respect, and fun," said McCall. "Each branch of the armed forces has similar values which they instill in each person. This is what helps companies like ours to find and hire individuals who best reflect the culture of the company."

Supplying large volumes of product to consumers across the globe can be a monumental task, similar to moving beans and bullets across the battlefield. Coca-Cola Enterprises' operations mimic the supply chain management used in the military. Veterans are potential links in their logistics support chain. The military's respect-driven culture parallels Coca-Cola's company/customer relationship.

"The military teaches self-discipline and processes of efficiencies. The benefit of their structured system can best be leveraged when used in combination with skills such as flexibility," said McCall. "Our business is one that must continue to grow and change to meet customer needs and industry trends."

Coca-Cola Enterprises is continually looking for candidates in manufacturing, supply chain/logistics, equipment services, warehousing and sales. Opportunities for upward mobility are endless.

"We are a 'promote from within' organization. When we look to hire that 'next great Coca-Cola Enterprise employee,' we are looking for individuals with 'stretch potential'," said McCall. "When we make our selections we are already considering where that person might best be utilized down the road."

General Electric - Ability to lead Susan Kratch, manager of military recruiting initiatives for General Electric (www.gecareers.com) speaks about service members with the care and concern as she would her own children. "We love them. It's their dedication, integrity, work ethic. It's their humbleness." And the leadership doesn't hurt, either.

Susan Kratch General Electric"I'm awed by their leadership. There has never been a time where I've assigned a project to one of my officers that it didn't get done, and didn't get done well. It's a tremendous talent pool," said the Air Force veteran.

It's no coincidence that GE is one of the strongest corporate supporters of hiring military. As one of the recruiters for this article stated when talking about the intense competition for veterans for this article; "We've been to recruiting fairs where GE literally has come in and hired everybody. They just swoop right in, make some great offers and hire all 50 candidates at a recruiting fair.

Kratch clearly appreciates the leadership skills that are developed through formal military training and experience. She also has an eye for talent. She initially hired G.I. Jobs (April 2006) cover profile, Carl Liebert, at GE before he became the executive vice president at The Home Depot.

"They are wonderful as far as the leadership skills they have learned in the military," but it's not always easy, she admits. "They challenge me all the time. It's tough leading leaders. You have to step back and look at your group, figure out where their talents are and let them go."

Among the top five of Fortune 500 companies, GE's core competency is engineering. They are always looking for science-related backgrounds, but the company is also looking for well-rounded and experienced managers.

"We hire people and look at their college education and try to match them with their educational aptitudes (i.e. engineering). Being an engineering company, I hire a majority of folks into GE with technical backgrounds, either a bachelor's and/or master's in mechanical or electrical engineering." However not all the jobs are scientific.

"The jobs we have at GE are for people who can get in there, quickly adapt to their environment, understand where the issues are, network and also work with people to come up with the right answers - that's where veterans do it the best," said Kratch. Kratch is primarily looking for JMOs and retiring senior NCOs (with degrees) who have anywhere from 12 to 20 years on active duty. A lot of them get senior positions directly-related to career fields they served while in uniform - acquisition, sourcing, logistics, program management, project management, etc. She is seeking 100 candidates this year.

Merrill Lynch - Integrity & trust While the hands-on nature of the military service is ideal for many corporations, Merrill Lynch is well-suited for veterans seeking more entrepreneurial endeavors. The financial services company, based in New York City, will train military candidates to become financial advisors in its industry-leading training program - "Paths of Achievement."

Kris Rosado Merril LynchKris Rosado, associate director and sales manager responsible for recruiting candidates in the Baltimore area, says military candidates have the mettle to succeed at Merrill Lynch (www.ml.com). "It's a very difficult industry, especially for people just starting out. They have to put up with a lot of rejection," said the former Army tanker and Desert Storm veteran. Veterans are also accustomed to putting in the long hours.

"They have to put in the time and the hours to be successful in the first few years. Ex-military have the discipline and the self-motivation for that," added Rosado. "They don't' get down on themselves. They can handle rejection, which helps."

Possibly the number one reason why military candidates are important to Merrill Lynch, is integrity.

"This entire industry is built on trust. We are working with people's financial assets. They place a tremendous deal of trust with us, almost the same they put with their doctor," said Rosado. He is primarily seeking JMOs, who are responsible for developing their own portfolios from scratch, in effect, running their own franchise with the backing of the Merrill Lynch brand, products, and support.

Candidates enter "Paths of Achievement" and in two years this path takes them completely through the study and registration for the industry tests to be a financial advisor (Series 7 and 63). The program also emphasizes the Merrill's 3 Ps - product, process, and platform - everything they will need to do to recommend securities for clients to reach their financial goals.

"It's a long learning curve, but one of the best things about this job is that it is always changing. There are always new things coming out and I think that's another reason we like military, they tend to be flexible and adept well," said Rosado. "From the outside, many people think the military is very inflexible. From the inside, we know the military is actually very flexible. They react to the situation on the ground very well. And that is kind of what it takes to be successful in the financial industry as well."

Schneider National - Demand outstrips supply of drivers Transportation companies - railways, seaborne shipping, and air freight - all value the unique training and experience of military veterans. Often times that specific experience cannot be found in any other place but the military. Competition in the trucking industry is particularly intense.

Rob Reich Schneider National"The American Trucking Association estimates that there is at least a 20,000 truck driver shortage this year, growing to likely well over 100,000 in the future. It's very competitive to get drivers to begin with," said Rob Reich, vice president of enterprise recruiting at Schneider National www.schneiderjobs.com. And military recruiting is one of their solutions.

"Military recruiting is one of our key initiatives as we look at where our markets are and where we hire people from, military is one of our key focus areas," said Reich, a former Army Signal Corps officer.

Reich has a hard time recruiting enough drivers and maintenance workers, in addition to management trainee candidates, because almost all of Corporate America is onboard with hiring experienced uniformed personnel.

"It's more of a competitive issue. So many other companies have figured out the military is a great source. It has become so much harder to get people than it was 10 years ago simply because there are more companies recruiting from the military than there was in the past."

The downsizing of the military has also decreased the number of driver from the military.

"If you think back to 1992, the Army is now two-thirds the current size, if not less than that. So there are simply less people coming out coupled with additional competition. It makes it tough," said Reich.

However, despite the downward trend, it's not because of lack of desire or effort. Schneider values the independent nature of veterans, which is an asset on the open road.

"People in the military have had the opportunity to work in a sometimes ambiguous, high-stress, environment. They've had to make a lot of decisions and make things happen on their own," said Reich. "Think about a truck driver out on the open road, and they hit an issue, whether it's a driving issue or a customer issue. Somebody out of the military is usually comfortable handling a situation like that more than one of their civilian counterparts who doesn't have that experience."

Schneider has over 22,000 associates and 25 percent of them have military experience, including 16 percent of senior management. Schneider National Chairman Don Schneider is a former Army officer. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wisc., the company has 180 locations across the United States.

Schneider has specific needs in two primary areas other than drivers - mechanics and frontline managers. The latter is primarily for JMOs. Managers can find themselves doing anything from running a maintenance facility, managing a team of drivers or helping customers manage freight logistics.

"We're really not concerned about what someone's MOS (military occupational specialty) is, but we really value the skills and experience they got in the military," said Reich. "We think we have a home for them in any type of job they are looking for at Schneider."

Sunbelt Rentals - A growing opportunity Working for Charlotte, N.C., based Sunbelt Rentals (www.sunbeltrentals.com), Cynthia Hovis looks at recruiting military as building a puzzle. "I try my best to find the candidate with the right personality and skill level match to fill our company's open positions." One thing that is not puzzling to her company is the value of military service.

Cynthia Hovis Sunbelt Rentals"Military training gives candidates a sense of dedication and responsibility as well as a determination to do the job right the first time," said Hovis. "It also supplies them with core skill sets that make their transition into our industry a relatively smooth one."

Stretching from coast to coast, with a solid foundation in the Southeast, Sunbelt is looking for those skill sets. The company rents specialized heavy equipment to every niche of the construction and industrial marketplace - from commercial, residential, municipal, and service industries to specialized market sectors such as telecommunications, special events, and emergency preparedness, as well as weekend do-it-yourselfers.

They also have more than 200 locations, and are growing. Hovis has a wide variety of opportunities that are suitable for the transitioning veterans, from skilled laborers to management positions. Some of opportunities including mechanics, drivers with commercial drivers licenses, rental managers and sales representatives.

Finding the right candidate can be challenging as many military job-seekers railroad themselves into believing they are only qualified to do the exact job they in uniform.

"The biggest challenge I face in recruiting military is helping the military candidate to think outside their comfort zone when looking at jobs in the civilian world," said Hovis. "For example, aviation mechanics can easily translate their mechanical, hydraulic and electrical skills to our industry. They often feel as though they must find a job in the airline or aviation industry and that limits their opportunities, as well as our chances of placing a great person with growth potential within our company."

However, she is motivated by helping candidates find a career position - one that benefits her company and the veteran. "It gives me the opportunity to 'make a difference' and meet all kinds of interesting people." Her philosophy is summarized in the winning formula of "right candidate/right job equals success!" Hiring military takes the guess work out of this match-up equation.

Union Pacific - Skills and Integrity Gordon Hartman of Union Pacific (www.up.com) doesn't hesitate when asked why his company places a premium on veterans as prospective employees. It is "because of the established skills and integrity," said the 20-year veteran of the U.S. Navy. "Personally, I like the training they come with, the integrity, the work ethic."

Gordon Hartman Union PacificHartman is largely looking for someone like himself - "a mustang." Mustang is a military term for someone with significant experience as both an enlisted troop and as a commissioned officer. While a candidate does not need to be a mustang, the balance of hands-on and management experience is ideal for a career in the railroad industry.

Railway infrastructure employees are responsible for bringing in trains, breaking them down, and building new trains to move the goods across the country. UP has positions available in both the craft (union) and management professions. The craft positions are ideally-suited for individuals with maintenance backgrounds, while management jobs tend to fit well with JMO's, said Hartman.

The Operating Management Training (OMT) Program is designed to teach trainees all aspects of the railway business before they get full-time operational assignments. The program typically takes about seven to eight months. The company has placed such an emphasis on recruiting military, that military recruiting is a core subject.

"Everyone one of our management classes is from 40 to 50 people. Military recruiting is part of the core curriculum for all students in the OMT Program," said Hartman. "So when a candidate receives his first assignment, he can expect to find himself on the nearest military installation to that assignment within the first year."

With the military relying on railways to deliver equipment across the globe, extending a transportation career in the rail industry makes sense for the ground-based services, said Hartman, who works out of Union Pacific's Omaha, Nebraska, headquarters.

"For our transportation positions, it's typically the Army and the Marines. The Army loads its armor on trains. It's a natural fit," said Hartman.

UP is the largest railroad company in the United States covering 23 states. Its history of hiring military personnel dates back into the 1860s. The chief engineer of the transcontinental railroad, which UP was a partner, was a military engineer. Union Pacific's corporate goal for this year is 4,000 to 5,000 new hires in the operating arena alone. This excludes the typical administrative functions located at headquarter facilities.

Assistant Vice President William Behrendt, clearly laid out the great opportunities for veterans at Union Pacific on the April 26 of this year when said before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, "we are anticipating the need to hire an additional 3,000 to 5,000 new employees each year for the next five years."

USAA - Employees mirror membership USAA was formed in 1922 by a group of Army officers who were having difficulty getting insurance. The officers pooled their resources to form an association so they could self-insure. From that small beginning, USAA (www.usaa.com) has grown to more than 5.5 million members across the world, predominantly all present or former military personnel and family members. It's only logical that their workforce reflects its membership.

Ken Huxley USAA"It's important for us to have a workforce that closely mirrors and has an affinity with the folks we service," said Ken Huxley, a former Air Force colonel who assumed responsibility as the military recruiting program manager after retiring a year ago. "That's the reason for our recruiting efforts in the military sector for both veterans and military spouses as well."

The company has approximately 22,000 employees, and an estimated 11 percent are veterans. The San Antonio, Texas, company has always made veteran employees a priority. Last year USAA hired more than 3,000 employees and over 400 were veterans and military spouses.

"We've been looking for veterans and spouses all along, but until last year we did not have a formal program manager responsible for that," said Huxley. "We are just kind of drawing the efforts together across our enterprise to make sure there is a (military recruitment) standard in our practices, standard in our programs and procedures.

USAA recruits heavily for the customer service representatives - the people you speak to when you call into the bank or make an insurance claim. The basic qualifications for a CSR position are one year of customer service, one year of college credit or successfully completion of a service obligation.

"The military hits on all three (of the CSR requirements) and the military spouse on at least two and maybe all three if he or she is a veteran. And we do hire some military spouses who are veterans," said Huxley. The positions are ideal for military spouses. USAA understands the challenges military obligations provide for the military family, but appreciates the sacrifice of military spouses, too.

"If something were to happen to me and my wife had to call in and talk to someone at USAA about a life insurance problem or banking issue, in my mind who better to take that call than a veteran or another spouse?" said Huxley.

"Hiring military is the company's little way of giving back to those who serve so proudly, according to Huxley. "We like to say that 'we serve those who serve our nation at USAA.' The veterans give so much to our country, not only the veterans, but the spouses as well. And the dependents also."