In August, U.S. combat troops left Iraq, and President Barack Obama has said the military will start pulling troops from Afghanistan in July 2011. With this steady stream of military veterans coming back, inevitably some will end up in your application pools. Previously, we have discussed why hiring veterans makes sense. Now, the U.S. Department of Labor has released the Veterans Hiring Toolkit to help employers through the process of hiring veterans.
“Many employers have told us that they are interested in developing or enhancing a veterans hiring initiative for their company, but that they don’t know where to begin,” Assistant Secretary for the DOL’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service Ray Jefferson said in a press release announcing the launch of the toolkit. “This toolkit was created with these employers in mind. It’s designed to simplify the process and put valuable, vetted resources at the employer’s fingertips.”
The toolkit walks employers through the following process for creating a veterans hiring initiative:
- developing an educated and welcoming environment for veteran employees;
- actively recruiting veterans, wounded warriors and military spouses;
- learning how to accommodate qualified veterans and wounded warriors in the workplace;
- and promoting an inclusive workplace to help retain veteran employees.
The toolkit also includes a guide to online resources that help employers find and hire veterans.
We have just begun to open a new cathode materials plant in Battle Creek, MI.
Of the many individuals we interviewed and ultimately hired – several were / are veterans. We were more than pleased with the labor pool – but saddened at the high quality of those still unemployed – not just the veterans.
These individuals bring great skills and commitment as well as discipline for their jobs. We are looking forward to a good relationship for all on our team going forward.