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Elite Magazine: Top companies actively recruit vets
Posted June 14, 2011 at 23:11 in clips
By April Dudash
Staff writer
Elite Magazine
G.I. Jobs, a magazine and online resource for soldiers transitioning into the civilian work force, recently released its 2011 list of top 100 Military Friendly Employers.
And we found a couple of surprises. The country may be recovering from a recession but veteran hiring is up. On average, the top 100 employers reported that 23 percent of new hires were former servicemembers, up from 20 percent last year and 17 percent in 2009. But there’s far from a glut of veterans job hunting right now – in fact, Fort Bragg retirees just might find they’re hot prospects.
We spoke with three companies in the top 10 that have a presence right here in the Sandhills.
No. 1: Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
Booz Allen has 61 employees at its Fayetteville location on Morganton Road with 25 more moving up from Atlanta due to BRAC.
Jerrod Wheeler, recruiting manager for Booz Allen, said he gets a charge out of helping soldiers find the right post-military career. Booz Allen looks to veteran-based programs like Army PaYS and Marines for Life to find potential hires.
“It’s a talent war,” Wheeler said. “I might literally have hours to get to somebody before my competitors can.”
Booz Allen pays the difference between civilian and military salaries and offers an Armed Services Forum where veterans can network and find business mentors.
No. 9: Northrop Grumman Corp.
Mary Brogan, manager of military programs, said the corporation participates every year in about 125 career events on military installations.
Northrop also started a program called Operation IMPACT which helps severely wounded warriors establish potential new careers. About 100 wounded warriors are a part of the program right now, and Northrop has created a partnership with 70 other companies to provide career counseling and job opportunities.
About two dozen people work at Northrop’s Fayetteville office on Ramsey Street.
No. 10: Lockheed Martin Corp.
Lockheed Martin spokesman Chris Williams says there are 236 company employees working in and around Fayetteville and Fort Bragg.
Lockheed regularly interacts online with the military community; the company’s military relations team holds frequent online chats to answer questions about available jobs.
“Examples of military personnel who often excel in Lockheed Martin careers,” Williams wrote in an email, “include former military weapon systems analysts, mission planners, logistics analysts, intelligence analysts, weapons systems requirements analysts, weapons systems instructors, test pilots and physical security professionals.”
Networking opportunity
The North Carolina Veteran’s Business Association will hold its second annual networking summit June 13 at the Brier Creek Country Club in Raleigh. Veteran-owned businesses will be represented, plus groups like the Defense Business Association, Small Business Administration, Veterans Affairs and the North Carolina Procurement Technical Assistance Center. Visit ncvetbiz.org for more.