Vets in the work force

CEDAR RAPIDS - Earlier this year, Vern Flick, a former Hospital Corpsman with the U.S. Navy, found himself in a situation similar to so many other veterans of the armed forces - struggling to find suitable employment.

However, with the help of organizations such as IowaWORKS, which provides workshops and programming to aid individuals find employment, Flick has received his associate degree in CNC machining from Kirkwood Community College and found work in manufacturing in Marion.

Flick said while hours at that job have stalled recently, he is confident with the help of IowaWORKS officials, he'll find work.

'It's had a tremendous impact ... It's made me more prepared,” he said. 'Through just the personal time, taking the time to talk with me and explain things to me ...

they've had no problem taking extra time to help me.”

But while finding a job can be challenging for many, a recent survey of veterans by New York-based not-for-profit Center for Talent Innovation shows that simply getting hired isn't always enough. More than half of veterans surveyed indicated they lack aspirations to climb the company ladder once they are employed.

'What we did find was that within a year, veterans are likely to tune out and stall out at work,” said Julia Taylor Kennedy, senior vice president of New York's Center for Talent Innovation.

The survey

The Nov. 10 survey polled 1,022 veterans with white-collar occupations nationwide and found that 89 percent of respondents consider themselves ambitious, but 57 percent report having little to no aspirations to rise above their current position in the workforce.

Of the remaining 43 percent who do aspire for a more senior position, 39 percent say they feel stalled in their careers, according to the survey.

Taylor Kennedy, co-author of the book, 'Mission Critical: Unlocking the Value of Veterans in the Workforce,” which includes the study's findings, said one take-away from the survey is that while more companies push to employ veterans, many are failing to do much with them after the hire.

Taylor Kennedy said one of the biggest factors that plays into a veteran's 'stall out/tune out phenomena” at work is the difference between the progression model in the military - which is incredibly structured - and that in the private sector.

'In the military, there is a lot of care taken to succession planning,” she said. 'It's often very confusing for veterans to come into the ‘corporate' sphere and not have that plan laid out for them ...

In the corporate world it's a bit different, it's so much more competitive.”

HIRING VETERANS

Taylor Kennedy said there has been no shortage in recent years in efforts to help military veterans find employment after their time in the service.

The Veteran Jobs Mission, formerly known as the 100,000 Jobs Mission, is a national program that works with employers seeking to find jobs for 1 million military veterans.

Since its founding in 2011, the program has grown to more than 200 companies that have hired in excess of 290,000 veterans.

With programs such as the Veteran Jobs Mission, the unemployment rate for post 9/11 veterans has dropped from 12 percent in 2011 to 5 percent this past September.

Closer to home, Home Base Iowa launched almost two years ago as a not-for-profit private-public partnership that recruits veterans for Iowa jobs while providing incentives to Iowa businesses that hire veterans. It continues to grow its network to include more than 20 cities and counties with the Home Base Iowa Community designation.

Home Base Iowa is a state program that provides state incentives to veterans to live in Iowa and to Iowa businesses that hire veterans.

Marion - through the Marion Economic Development Corp. - is the only community in the corridor to receive the designation, which requires additional incentives from the city for veterans and at least 10 percent of area businesses committed to hiring veterans.

'We've been really impressed with the amount of qualifications that veterans possess who have been coming through the Home Base Iowa program, very highly qualified,” said Scott Mather, operations manager with IowaWORKS Region 10 in Cedar Rapids.

The first barrier

For those who help Iowans, including veterans, find employment, many say proper job placement is crucial to that employee's success at work.

Linda Rouse, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Veteran Program Manager with Iowa Workforce Development, said many times that getting hired can be the first barrier veterans may face when entering the non-military world.

'Oftentimes service members hear, because you served our country, a lot of employers are going to hire you,” she said. 'That's not always the case. Most employers are always going to say ...

(they are looking for) the right fit for the job.”

Representatives with IWD centers provide intensive services to veterans with significant barriers to employment defined by the U.S. Department of Labor, such as low-income, homelessness or service-connected disabilities.

During fiscal year 2015, those representatives worked with 6,218 veterans, with 522 of those in Cedar Rapids, Rouse said.

If success in the workplace starts with proper job placement, then the search starts with the resume, Mather said.

The first step with veterans is often 'demilitarizing” that document, he said.

'These veterans come in and they have a very militarized language, and maybe employers don't really know what that means,” he said. 'What we like to do is use our resources ...

to be able to help them do that because if an employer better understands what their skillets are, they are more likely to be open to interview them.”

Carlos Vega, workforce manager with IowaWORKS Region 10 in Cedar Rapids, said that the demilitarizing of a resume is a surprisingly effective process, as many of the skills gained in the military can be applied to the private sector.

'You talk to most veterans and they will tell you everything that you have in the civilian world, you can find in the military. The problem is that when the service men and women come out of the military, they have been speaking the military language anywhere from two years to 20-some years, and when they go into their resume, that's the way that they build their resume,” he said.

Traits gained in the military that often go unmentioned in resumes but could help promote a vet as an employee include skills in information technology, team building or language fluency.

Rouse added that employers, too, take advantage of Iowa Workforce Development's and IowaWORKS's expertise to better hone their employer-employee relationships with veterans.

Sometimes it's as simple as understanding that a veteran might interview differently than a civilian, with the former likely more direct in their responses, she said.

'We do a lot as far as trying to talk to employers about veterans, about hiring veterans, about all of the transferable skills that they're bringing to the table,” Rouse said.

IowaWORKS's Vega said proper job placement and better understanding of veteran employees by employers ultimately makes for a better work relationship, happier employees and, in the end, more success in the workplace.

With the right job, success will come, he said.

'That is one of the key elements - not only finding employment, but finding a good match for employment,” he said.

Mentorships

The survey also points to veterans feeling underutilized and underappreciated at work. According to the survey, 64 percent of veterans said they are not using three or more of their skills that could be relevant at work and 38 percent responded that their senior leaders cannot see their full potential.

Taylor Kennedy said 19 percent of men and 13 percent of women in the work force have said they have a sponsor at work. That number drops to only 2 percent for veterans, she added.

Rouse said she has noticed a growing number of employers adding mentorship programs for this specific need.

'Any company should look at a very strong mentorship program,” she said, noting that often existing employees with military experience make for great mentors, providing that firsthand knowledge to new hires.

Gary Boseneiler, director of the Johnson County Commission of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Air Force veteran, said senior leadership is helpful to any employee - but added that sometimes it comes down to the employee, as well.

'It's helpful, but I believe that ultimately it comes down to the individual work ethic and personality in not only the workplace but in any setting,” Boseneiler said.