Tag Archives: HR

Holiday Networking Mixer Recap

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First things first. All the folks here at Forward March Inc. (FMI) would like to extend a huge THANK YOU TO ALL OUR FRIENDS who showed up to our holiday mixer last night. Each and every one of you, like us, have a huge place in your heart for veterans and your presence, fellowship, stories and joy made this event very special!

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FMI would also like to thank everyone for all the donations for St. Pj’s Children’s Home. We are still collecting so contact us anytime before December 19.

Wow, what a great week! There is never down time and its never dull trying to make American industry great through providing veterans with careers. If you ask anyone who works at FMI they will tell you that it’s the best job they have ever had. We are a company of veterans, from diverse backgrounds, that all share the same passion… helping our nation’s greatest treasure, our veterans. Our corporate culture is one that encompasses hard work and dedication but we also never pass up the opportunity to have a great time. We all know that life is short and we share the attitude that we want to make every moment count. These things cannot be summed up better than they were last night at our first annual Holiday Networking Mixer. FMI gathered together to exchange stories, enjoy good food and amazing live music.

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Our company is very honored to have a special relationship with veteran/wounded warrior/hero/musician/ and all around great guy J.P. Lane. J.P. Lane is a US Army wounded warrior from Green Bay, Wisconsin and is an amazing and up and coming musician so be sure to keep your eye on him in the future.  You can check him out on the web HERE. J.P. provided the live music for our gathering last night. He actually provided so much more from inspiration to entertainment. Make sure you follow FMI on our blog, Facebook, and Linkedin pages to keep up with some amazing things we are hoping to do with J.P. next year through our Forward March Inc. Operation Outreach non profit program. You can read more about our Operation Outreach programs here…

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FMI would like to give a shout out and heart-felt thanks to our neighbor Rob Deering and the Beacon Circle Coffee House and Gallery. Our party was held in our corporate offices and in the Beacon Circle Coffee House next door. You can learn more about the Beacon Circle Coffee House and Gallery which is a part of DMI here…

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To see more of the pics and vids from last night’s party friend us on Facebook here…

If you have pics, share them with us on Facebook!

Super Millennials; Hiring the Best of a Generation

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hiring the best of a generationIts 0430 in the morning at a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Afghanistan. A 30-year old Platoon Sergeant performs a Pre-Combat Inspection (PCI) with her team. Helmets and ballistic eye protection are in place and canteens are filled. Weapons are cleaned, zeroed, and a function check has been performed. As she briefs her platoon on the current mission, it’s cold and windy, but the team is motivated and ready to get to work. Surprisingly, this well-oiled machine is made up entirely of millennials, the cohort of Americans born between 1980 and the mid-2000s.

For these Soldiers, their generation is known for being lazy, yet they are up while the rest of the word sleeps. The generation labeled as pampered has been sleeping on cots and eating Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) for months. They don’t make excuses. They and are held accountable for their actions and the actions of their team. Not everyone gets a trophy for being there. Only the best are called Corporal or Sergeant.

The global war on terror has largely been fought on the backs of this generation of outstanding and dedicated young people.  In fact, nearly 70% of the Medals of Honor awarded in both Iraq and Afghanistan were earned by millennials. The remaining 30% were earned by Gen Xers.

Here are the top ten reasons to hire millennial veterans:

  1. Military veterans have a global perspective that most can only imagine. They have been stationed around the world and adapt easily to their environment. They are aware of, and have a respect for cultural differences.
  2. Millennial veterans are calm under pressure. They have operated in the most chaotic of situations and got the job done.
  3. Veterans are known for being team oriented and veteran millennials are no different. Soldiers, Sailor, Airmen, Guardians, and Marines rely on each other to accomplish the mission in life or death situations. Now that’s teamwork!
  4. Millennial veterans are excellent leaders forged in over thirteen years of global conflict. They are loyal, dedicated, and highly motivated.
  5. Millennials generally are viewed as over-confident. Millennial veterans, on the other hand, are professionals with a high degree of integrity. They have an air of respect and a sense of honor.
  6. Veterans are responsible. These millennials know how to make decisions and they take responsibility for their successes and failures.
  7. In an age of sedimentary life-styles spending all day behind a video game, millennial veterans are physically fit, generally drug free, and take fewer sick days than their contemporaries.
  8. Millennial veterans have thousands of dollars in training and educational benefits that often times go unused. If they need additional training, it will be paid for. There are tax incentives, as well, just for hiring them.
  9. Veterans are highly trained and well-educated with the skills the civilian workforce is looking for and millennial veterans are no different.
  10. Millennials are looking for meaningful work and they found it in the military. As they leave the service, they will join and stay with your company If you engage them and make them part of the team.

VETERANS U NEED THEMAttracting military talent can be an overwhelming task, especially for those organizations that do not understand military culture. Forward March’s (FMI) team has over 110 years of combined military experience with over 35 years dedicated specifically to hiring veterans. FMI can train your staff to attract, hire, and retain top military talent. We have a comprehensive Military Talent Hiring Guide and outstanding training that can get your department staffing positions very quickly. We can also help you to develop a pipeline and hiring strategy for success and train your human resource department on all the best ways to recruit military talent. If your company is committed to hiring military veterans, let FMI show you how.

~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services

November 5th Weekly Roundup

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Enduring FreedomIts Friday again, so break out those red shirts! R.E.D. Friday is here so remember everyone deployed!

Learn more about RED Fridays:

http://redshirtfridays.org/  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Support_our_troops

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-Our-Troops-Wear-Red-Fridays/188809874489323

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Here is the weekly roundup.

Its been yet another busy week for us here at Forward March Inc. but we have put together some links for you to check out.

For Businesses:

We would encourage everyone who is even remotely entertaining the idea of hiring veterans to read the latest pro-veteran hiring article in Forbes magazine.

Why Every Company Should Consider Hiring Veterans: It Delivers Big Business Value 

Courtney Billington, the author of this article, makes some very good points on veteran hiring for businesses. Just read this section to get a feel for what Billington says veterans can do for your organization.

Across industries, we need to challenge ourselves to translate the military experience to the corporate environment. There is a level of education, awareness, and openness needed to better understand the value of veterans and the skills they bring. Consider a few examples:

  • “Distributed, accounted for, and transported mission critical equipment and supplies to over 20,000 personnel.” Now there’s someone who understands project and supply chain management!
  • “Taught Unit Operations personnel fire mission processing and single-channel ground-to-air radio system digital and voice communications.” I think this person could handle training corporate personnel on technical matters or could manage our information technology projects.
  • “Generated $2.3 million in savings, exceeding original objective of $500K, through management of 100+ high value commodities.” Financial acumen with an appreciation of business impact? No problem there!

For Veterans and Transitioning Military:

ATA sets 100,000-veteran, two-year hiring goal for US trucking 

Veterans Put Their Skills on the Line at Toyota Texas

5 Fortune 500 companies transforming the job market for veterans

Howard Schultz and Starbucks are trying to shift how veterans are hired

More than 30 employers, all hiring, seek out veterans

Recruit Military also has a nice list of veteran job fairs which you can find here… 

As always, if you hear of veteran hiring opportunities let us know and we will post them.

Are You a Great Military Talent Recruiter?

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Good recruiters are not born, they are developed. They are developed through formal training, professional development, and operational experience. Great recruiters, on the other hand, not only develop themselves, but they make a habit of routinely doing exceptional things. Perhaps the most exceptional thing a recruiter can do is have no fear when it comes to attracting and hiring military veterans.

RECRUITING

Whether you are a recruiter for a fortune 500 company or a small business, the fact is the military veteran population is a pool of highly qualified, well-trained, and motivated potential employees ready to work.

Here are some things that exceptional military talent recruiters have and do:

Passion. Recruiting is all about passion. It’s obvious that a great recruiter is passionate about the company he or she works for and they are passionate about the people who want to work there. A great military talent recruiter is even more passionate for our veterans and those currently serving. Thanking a veteran for their service is great, but what we should be doing is giving them opportunity. Move from words to concrete action. Making an extra effort to bring veterans to the team is true passion.

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Competence. A great military talent recruiter understands the military culture. He or she understands what a Sergeant is and does. They understand what platoons, companies and battalions are. They understand military lingo and how to read a DD 214. This makes them great recruiters because they do not shy away from calling veterans in for an interview. Instead of funneling veteran resumes to the trash bin, they take action. They believe in supporting our troops by hiring them.

Compassion. An outstanding military talent recruiter does not necessarily need to be a veteran, but they definitely need to be sensitive and empathetic to the life experiences of our service members. Knowing what to ask and not to ask during an interview prevents barriers to communication. Understanding potential disabilities, but not letting them skew the hiring decision is not only the right thing to do, it’s the law. Compassion comes from listening. Great recruiters pay outstanding attention to the needs of a veteran applicant.

9547808574_734a2263c8_bMatch people, not paper. I understand military resumes are sometimes confusing and do not always capture the true value of the veteran.   As I have said many times before, our separating military members need to do a better job at military to civilian skills translation. While this remains an uphill battle for our military, great recruiters do two exceptional things here. First, they do not automatically dismiss military resumes. Second, outstanding recruiters can see past the jargon and are willing to give veterans a chance at an interview where the service member can truly highlight their skill-sets.

Not letting a computer do the recruiting. RECRUITING IS A PEOPLE BUSINESS! Allowing software to run key word obsessed recruiting for an organization is the wrong answer. Great recruiters understand this. They interact with people, not machines.   A great military talent recruiter, is aware, however, of key words such as, Company Commander, Platoon Sergeant, Squad leader, Senior Chief, First Sergeant, Wing Commander, etc. These are the key words that identify true leaders and outstanding candidates.

meetingHonesty. Within the military culture, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines are provided initial counseling at the beginning of each new assignment. This counseling lays out all expectations from personal performance to what to expect on the job. Great military talent recruiters do the same thing. Outstanding recruiters are honest about the job they are hiring for. The job description is going to list the duties of a warehouse worker, but it’s up to the recruiter to tell the veteran that in the summer time the temperatures on the warehouse loading dock reach 95 plus degrees. The applicant needs to know that overtime is the norm and so is being called in on short notice when demand increases.   The veteran needs to know it’s a high stress job with a high turn-over rate. Just lay it all out and the veteran employee will step up and make it happen.

Follow-ups. As I talk to many transitioning veterans and listen to their stories, I am completely baffled at the amount of recruiters who do not return a phone calls or e-mails. A great military talent recruiter understands the fighting spirit of our military members and understand that an aggressive follow-up by veteran applicants are par for the course. While I understand recruiters are extremely busy, that is no excuse for ignoring those who gave so much of themselves to protect the freedoms we enjoy. Outstanding military talent recruiters are never too busy to return a phone call or an e-mail and always keep the applicant informed.

FMI TENANTS LOGOGreat recruiters are not born, they are developed. Let Forward March Inc. train your recruiters to be exceptional military talent scouts. We have a comprehensive Military Talent Hiring Guide and we can help develop a pipeline and hiring strategy for success as well as train your HR department on all the best ways to recruit military veterans. We will take your company from good to great!

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Forward March Inc Military Hiring Guide

Forward March Inc Military Hiring Guide

~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services

Hiring Our Heroes Hiring Fair – December 9 – 10

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ATTENTION ALL MILITARY VETERANS AND TRANSITIONING MILITARY – Next week the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation will be holding their Hiring Our Heroes Hiring Fair. Forward March Inc. will be attending this hiring fair. Make sure you do not miss this event and be sure to stop by and meet with us as well.

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San Antonio Hiring Fair

Tuesday, December 9, 2014 – 5:30pm to Wednesday, December 10, 2014 – 3:00pm
Hiring Our Heroes
AT&T Center, 1 AT&T Center Pkwy

San Antonio, TX 78219

United States
Resume and Interview Tips and Suggestions
If you are attending but want to make sure you are putting your best foot forward be sure to read our three part series on preparing for a job interview. This series covers interviewing tips, social media tips and resume suggestions. Read more here…
Don’t forget to check out our tools and resources page for veterans and transitioning military here…
For a really comprehensive list of military hiring fairs around the country check out Military.com here…
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Talent Pipeline Vs. Staffing

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Forward March Inc Military Talent Pipeline Services - Affordable, Customized, Scalable

Forward March Inc Military Talent Pipeline Services – Affordable, Customized, Scalable

America’s military is the most educated, best trained, and highly motivated fighting force the world has ever seen. Those men and women transitioning from the military are a great national resource who can make a huge difference to any organization that has dedicated itself to hiring outstanding military veterans.

At Forward March Incorporated, we understand the true value of those who have served and we are dedicated to teaching companies how to attract, hire, and retain high quality veteran employees. While we are not a staffing company, one of the many ways we accomplish this is through military pipeline development.

So what’s the difference between staffing and a talent pipeline?

Staffing is the process of recruiting and hiring personnel with a specific set of skill sets, for a specific position within an organization. Doing this requires a dedicated team of recruiters and hiring managers who understand the exact and immediate hiring needs of the company.

For the most part, organizations do a good job of filling positions as new requirements open up, but forecasting staffing requirements proves far more difficult. It’s not always clear what future staffing requirements will be down the road. Predicting future staffing requirements requires forward thinking on behalf of hiring managers. They must account for turnover, promotions, expansions, reductions, and a myriad of other factors that impact staffing needs.

Talent pipeline, on the other hand, provides companies with a pool of qualified candidates ready to fill critical positions as they become available. A robust talent pipeline ensures the right person is placed in the right position at the right time.

Utilizing a talent pipeline is a great way for organizations to adapt to changing staff needs. A talent pipeline allows recruiters to focus on the here and now, while giving hiring managers the peace of mind knowing that the candidate pool can be turned off and on as personnel needs evolve.

FMI’s unique approach to a military talent pipeline allows us to continuously sell your organization as a great place for veterans to work. Most important of all, FMI is committed to providing our talent services free of charge to the veteran work force. Regardless of your manpower needs, let FMI fill your organization with hard working, loyal, and well trained American veterans.

To learn more visit our website and contact us today! www.forwardmarchinc.com 

~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services

Veteran Employment Opportunity

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CERTIFICATE FOR APARTMENT MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN TRAINING

JANUARY 20 – FEBRUARY 6, 2015

GOODWILL GOOD CAREERS ACADEMY 12332
“IH-10 WEST AT DE ZAVALA

Seminar hours: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

For information on how to apply for this opportunity call 210/924-8581 (ext. 5907).

Happy Birthday to the Civil Air Patrol

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Civil_Air_Patrol_sealHappy Birthday to the Civil Air Patrol. In the late 1930s, more than 150,000 volunteers with a love for aviation argued for an organization to put their planes and flying skills to use in defense of their country.  As a result, the Civil Air Patrol was born one week prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Read More Here….

Why Hire A Veteran?

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Hiring veterans has a wealth of benefits for your company or organization.

Hiring veterans has a wealth of benefits for your company or organization.

  • Integrity
  • Leadership
  • Teamwork
  • High level of trust
  • Communication skills and practices
  • Adept at skill transfer across tasks
  • Have and leverage advanced tech training
  • Comfortable in a variety of environments
  • Resilient
  • Professionalism under pressure
  • Self-sacrifice
  • Strong sense of honor and respect
  • Team building skills
  • Cross cultural experiences
  • Experience working in diverse work settings
  • Used to Diversity and inclusion
  • Respect for rules and procedures
  • Strong organizational commitment
  • Health and safety standard conscious
  • Triumph over adversity
  • Respect for and understanding of other cultures

Our nation is currently transitioning the most educated and well-trained group of men and women in history into the civilian job market. These military service members bring a seemingly endless list of qualifications that successful companies today are looking for.

Think about this, the average military veteran having just minimal military service and training already has skills in:

  • Communication
  • Leadership
  • Management
  • Working in a variety of environments and conditions
  • Working in a diverse workplace
  • Working and problem solving under pressure
  • Taking on roles of responsibility and accountability
  • Familiarization and compliance with health and safety guidelines

Those who have served our nation bring a wealth of experience to any organization and benefit companies all over the world with their hard work, integrity, and loyalty.

Hiring veterans brings a wealth of benefits to a company or organization as cited above, however, there are also financial incentives for companies to look at hiring veterans. On November 21st, 2011 President Obama signed the Veterans Opportunity to Work to Hire Heroes (VOW) Act of 2011 into law. Two tax credits exist with this law. The Returning Heroes Tax Credit and the Wounded Warrior Tax Credit. These can provide up to $9,600 in tax credits. The VOW Act also provides additional assistance to unemployed veterans helping them secure employment through The Veterans Retraining Assistance Program. You can read more about these benefits to companies HERE.

Companies across the nation claim to support our nations veterans, many claim to even have veteran hiring programs, but upon closer inspection many companies actually hire few veterans and/or place them in much lower level career positions than they could be placed in. This can occur for a variety of reasons. Arguably the reason that is most prevalent is that employers have a difficult time learning the art of finding, attracting, hiring, and retaining the right veteran for the job. While the benefits to hiring veterans are seemingly endless the process of finding and hiring veterans can be a daunting task, especially to those who are unfamiliar with the military.

Forward March Inc can help your company to become successful at hiring transitioning military men and women and veterans alike. Forward March is in a unique position due to the fact that we have over 35 years of working with transitioning military and companies to place the right veteran in the right position at the right time. Our Military Talent Pipeline solutions are perfect for any size business or organization and completely scalable and customizable to your needs. We can train your organization, or we can manage your Military Talent Pipeline, or both.

Forward March Inc also realizes that part of veteran retention and bringing in more high quality veteran employees depends on a vibrant veteran culture within your company. We have worked with companies to help them to develop and foster highly successful veteran cultures within their organizations and we can do the same for yours.

Contact us today!

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Hire a Master Sergeant instead of Master’s Degree; Bringing Senior Military Leaders into your Organization

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Hiring decisions are not always easy especially for your leadership positions. A good recruiter or hiring manager is going to screen all applicants looking for the best candidate for the job. Often times, a graduate degree is the preferred criteria, but is there a better way to find potential leaders and managers for your organization? Have you considered Senior Military Noncommissioned Officers to fill critical leader position?

Before we continue, let’s pause for a brief military history lesson. Prior to 1958, the highest enlisted pay grade across the U.S. military was E-7. On June 1, 1958, under an Amendment to the Career Compensation Act of 1949, the pay grades of E-8 and E-9 were added to the military rank structure. At the time, these pay grades were known as “Super Grades”. This is also the reason the Air Force does not have Warrant Officers, but that’s a story for another time.

Iraqi FreedomThe fact that these new pay grades were referred to as “Super Grades” was no accident. The men and women who attained those ranks were the top leaders in their respective service branch.  Their leadership was tried and tested over a decade or more and they continued to remain at the top of their game. The attributes of those pioneering E-8 and E-9s still exist in the senior military leaders of today.

Here is a list of the “Super Grades” you might see on a resume:

METAL ARMY SEALArmy

E-8      Master Sergeant/First Sergeant

E-9      Sergeant Major/Command Sergeant Major

METAL NAVY SEALMETAL COAST GUARD SEALNavy/Coast Guard

E-8      Senior Chief Petty Officer

E-9      Master Chief Petty Officer/Command Master Chief

METAL AIRFORCE SEALAir Force

E-8      Senior Master Sergeant/First Sergeant

E-9      Chief Master Sergeant/Command Chief Master Sergeant

METAL MARINE CORPS SEALMarine Corps

E-8      Master Sergeant/First Sergeant

E-9      Master Gunnery Sergeant/Sergeant Major




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So why should you consider hiring a Master Sergeant as opposed to a Master’s Degree? Here are the top 10 reasons for hiring a tried, tested, and proven senior military leader.

  1. A senior NCO has been leading employees for 15-20 plus years. It one thing to ask an employee to load boxes on a truck, it another thing all together motivating people to carry out a mission in a life or death situation.
  2. They get the job done on time, to standard, and on budget. In the days of growing military budget cuts, senior NCOs know how to do more with less without sacrificing organizational effectiveness.
  3. For Senior NCOs, safety is second nature. They have an ingrained respect for policies and procedures.
  4. The have a cultural understanding that most can only imagine. How many new MBAs have lived in Germany, Korea, or Italy? How many MBAs have broken bread with Afghan tribal leaders or guarded a U.S. Embassy?
  5. Senior NCOs are great planners and problem solvers. They routinely apply the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP) weighing the best course of action to accomplish a mission.
  6. They are experts at teaching, coaching, mentoring, and counseling subordinates. They are expert trainers who have dedicated their lives to serving and developing others.
  7. Senior NCOs always present a first class image. They are consummate professionals who will represent themselves and your organization in the highest esteem.
  8. Senior NCOs take responsibility for their actions. They hold themselves accountable for the successes and failures of their team. They learn from their mistakes and they exploit the strengths of themselves and their organization.
  9. There is a huge cost saving for organizations that hire a veteran from just the VOW Act alone. Furthermore, veterans statistically take fewer sick days and every retired military member have their own health and dental coverage taken care of. Cha Ching!
  10. Surprisingly, a majority of Senior Noncommissioned Officers have a master’s degree. By hiring a senior military leader, you can get the best of both worlds.

Today’s military men and women are of the highest caliber in US history with regards to training, leadership development, and their varied skill sets. Our military is the best in the world because of exceptional senior leaders.

FMI LOGO WITH STEEL MIL SEALS

Forward March Inc., has been helping organizations attract, hire, and retain the best Senior NCOs for organizations who want to achieve exceptional things. Let us show you how to bring those outstanding men and women into your organization. Take the next step to move your company from great to Extraordinary!

~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services