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The third Saturday in May is Armed Forces Day, in honor of all branches of the U.S. military. The celebration consolidates four once-separate holidays for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, according to the Defense Department's official website. The Coast Guard is also included in Armed Forces Day, but still has its own separate day celebrated on August 4. Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, is arguably better known for honoring deceased military personnel, but the earlier celebration is no less important.
What does Armed Forces Day mean for your business? It could serve as a motivator for you to participate in hiring initiatives that help find employment for the men and women who protect and serve our country. These brave individuals risk not only their lives but also their physical and mental health for Americans, and it can be difficult for them to get jobs when they return home. Take a look at the programs that could help you fulfill hiring needs while also assisting some of our nation's heroes.
Hiring Our Heroes
Created and sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation - the charitable arm of the federal agency – the Hiring our Heroes program helps veterans of the armed forces and their spouses connect with employers all over the country. Through job fairs, best practices training initiatives and mentorship arrangements, Hiring Our Heroes has facilitated the hiring of more than 500,000 vets.
Disabled American Veterans Charity (DAV)
Despite the specificity of its name, this nonprofit organization serves all U.S. military veterans and their families, helping more than one million of them each year. Through direct collaboration with companies as well as in association with veteran-centric recruitment firm RecruitMilitary, DAV aims to make it easier for veterans to find, apply for and attain meaningful jobs.
Veteran Jobs Mission
Launched in 2011 when 11 companies pledged to hire 100,000 veterans by 2020, the Veteran Jobs Mission has spread to 230 companies and helped more than 380,000 vets find jobs. This coalition also advocates for and helps create career-development programs, so veterans employed in the private sector can more easily adjust to such work and boost their abilities to advance in their new careers.
Military Spouse Corporate Career Network (MSCCN)
The MSCCN helps the wives and husbands of U.S. veterans find gainful employment and progress in corporate fields. While veterans' spouses might not carry the physical scars of battle, the challenge of their responsibility to provide for and raise children alone can be significant. The MSCCN is also beneficial for husbands and wives who have become sole household breadwinners after a veteran returns home with a disabling injury.
Create your own veterans' hiring program
Teaming up with any of these organizations, or groups like them, could certainly help you to help veterans. But you might also consider devise your own hiring initiative focused on armed forces members within your community.
A report prepared by the Veteran Jobs Mission (formerly called the 100,000 Jobs Mission) outlines essential practices for achieving such a goal. For one, it requires collaboration from all team members, from the C-suite down to entry-level HR employees. It must be clear to management that hiring veterans is beneficial to the bottom line. And vets must also understand how positions at your company will truly be appealing for them as more than just a paycheck.
Beyond simply posting open positions on job boards that cater to veterans, your business could reach out to your city or region's Department of Veterans Affairs office, as well as any nearby military bases. VA and armed forces personnel might be able to help you connect with vets. Local and state government officials may also provide assistance, even if only by raising awareness for your program.
What does Armed Forces Day mean for your business? It could serve as a motivator for you to participate in hiring initiatives that help find employment for the men and women who protect and serve our country. These brave individuals risk not only their lives but also their physical and mental health for Americans, and it can be difficult for them to get jobs when they return home. Take a look at the programs that could help you fulfill hiring needs while also assisting some of our nation's heroes.
Hiring Our Heroes
Created and sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation - the charitable arm of the federal agency – the Hiring our Heroes program helps veterans of the armed forces and their spouses connect with employers all over the country. Through job fairs, best practices training initiatives and mentorship arrangements, Hiring Our Heroes has facilitated the hiring of more than 500,000 vets.
Disabled American Veterans Charity (DAV)
Despite the specificity of its name, this nonprofit organization serves all U.S. military veterans and their families, helping more than one million of them each year. Through direct collaboration with companies as well as in association with veteran-centric recruitment firm RecruitMilitary, DAV aims to make it easier for veterans to find, apply for and attain meaningful jobs.
Veteran Jobs Mission
Launched in 2011 when 11 companies pledged to hire 100,000 veterans by 2020, the Veteran Jobs Mission has spread to 230 companies and helped more than 380,000 vets find jobs. This coalition also advocates for and helps create career-development programs, so veterans employed in the private sector can more easily adjust to such work and boost their abilities to advance in their new careers.
Military Spouse Corporate Career Network (MSCCN)
The MSCCN helps the wives and husbands of U.S. veterans find gainful employment and progress in corporate fields. While veterans' spouses might not carry the physical scars of battle, the challenge of their responsibility to provide for and raise children alone can be significant. The MSCCN is also beneficial for husbands and wives who have become sole household breadwinners after a veteran returns home with a disabling injury.
Create your own veterans' hiring program
Teaming up with any of these organizations, or groups like them, could certainly help you to help veterans. But you might also consider devise your own hiring initiative focused on armed forces members within your community.
A report prepared by the Veteran Jobs Mission (formerly called the 100,000 Jobs Mission) outlines essential practices for achieving such a goal. For one, it requires collaboration from all team members, from the C-suite down to entry-level HR employees. It must be clear to management that hiring veterans is beneficial to the bottom line. And vets must also understand how positions at your company will truly be appealing for them as more than just a paycheck.
Beyond simply posting open positions on job boards that cater to veterans, your business could reach out to your city or region's Department of Veterans Affairs office, as well as any nearby military bases. VA and armed forces personnel might be able to help you connect with vets. Local and state government officials may also provide assistance, even if only by raising awareness for your program.
