Michelle Obama Tells Business Roundtable to Hire Veterans

Michelle Obama speaking to Business Roundtable
in Washington, DC on March 13, 2013.
Photo from White House blog site.

Here at American Jobs for America’s Heroes we know that hiring military veterans and members of the National Guard makes good business sense.
And someone else knows it too – someone who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Yesterday, at the quarterly meeting of the Chief Executive Officers of the Business Roundtable in Washington, DC, First Lady Michelle Obama urged business leaders from some of the world’s largest companies to hire veterans, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Soldiers, Mrs. Obama said, have skills and values “you simply can’t teach anywhere else – a relentless commitment to excellence, the ability to juggle multiple priorities, the wherewithal to meet deadlines under every circumstance imaginable.”

The First Lady has long been a champion of assisting the brave men and women who protect our country as they make the sometimes difficult transition back to civilian life. 

At yesterday’s event she called on the business leaders in attendance from companies including Wal-Mart, American Express, and FedEx to “think outside the box” and “make big, bold commitments to hire our veterans and military spouses.”

You can watch a video of her remarks on the White House blog site.

American Jobs for America's Heroes

In the United States today, about 20% of National Guard members are unemployed.  In one state, National Guard unemployment has soared to about 40%.

It is unacceptable that the brave men and women who have courageously and selflessly fought for our country are unable to find civilian work upon their return.

Now, companies, trade associations, and state chambers across the country are helping the 60,000+ unemployed members of the National Guard by participating in this national nonprofit campaign - American Jobs for America's Heroes.  This alliance provides a myriad of free services to both employers and applicants.

Here's how it works -

The first step for employers is to register on www.CenterforAmerica.org.  This process will take about 10 minutes.

After registering, employers will receive a call within two business days from a representative of Corporate American Supports You (CASY), a campaign alliance nonprofit.  CASY and the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network (MSCCN) will help employers post open jobs and tailor their job descriptions to be understood by applicants with a military background.  We don't want jobs or candidates to be overlooked because of jargon used by one side that is misunderstood by the other!

The available jobs are then posted on the National Guard Employment Network online Job Database and distributed to National Guard employment counselors and nonprofits across the country.  These counselors work directly with unemployed National Guard members and look for matches between the job postings and candidates.  The counselors contact the employers to refer candidates.  In addition, applicants searching the job database themselves can also contact employers.

This program is special because it unites many different groups to provide extensive personal help and coaching to both applicants and employers.  Through this process, American Jobs are found for America's Heroes.

Stay tuned to our blog to read more about this campaign and follow the latest news.

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