Great for Business…

…Great for America!

Hiring America’s Military

Veterans

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As the economy continues to grow…

Sources: Congressional Budget Office; Bureau of Economic Analysis.

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… the U.S. Faces A Severe Worker Challenge

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Veterans Are Critical To Staffing Strategy

Workers

• 200,000 service members enter workforce annually

• 12 million veterans in workforce

• 500,000 spouses work at least part-time

Consumers

• 22 million living veterans

• 70-80 million extended

military community

members

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The Military Difference

• Why recruit veterans and former military personnel?

• Where do you start?

• How can you ensure veterans are successful in your organization?

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Why Veterans?

Renowned Capability

Process Oriented

Technology Savvy

Flexible

Performance Driven

Disciplined/Reliable

Strong Values

Trustworthy

Leadership

Teamwork

Positive influence

Work Ethic

A veteran’s personal journey

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• Grew up with little money,

possessions, or prospects

• Military jump-started my life

• great training

• tremendous responsibility

• life-changing experiences

• Lots of obstacles along the way

• Experiences helped me become

who I am today

• Book references lessons

learned in the military

Find it on amazon.com & barnesandnoble.com

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Business Case: Real Impact on Bottom Line

• Recruitment- highly talented/trained

• Retention- loyal/positive attitude

• Competitive edge- productive/leaders

The United States Department of Defense spends

approximately $17B in training annually.

Recruiting

• Partnerships with military transition

and placement firms

• Orion, Lucas, Bradley Morris

• Attend and host Military

recruiting events

• Service Academy Career

Conferences (SACC)

• Employment partnerships with

government and other organizations

• Military page at

www.dollargeneral.com/careers

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Recruiting

• DG led historic partnership between

public and private sectors in TN, FL,

expanding to other states

• Over 200 employers in two states

• State departments of Labor,

Veterans Affairs, National Guard

• Employer Support of the Guard

and Reserve (ESGR)

• Simultaneous veteran hiring fairs

across the state with over 5,000

jobs to fill

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• ESGR

• Freedom Award

• Military Friendly Employer

• Social Media

• Customer support and recognition

• Veterans Day Offering

• Tostitos Event

• Adopted Military Unit

• Donations to FRG

• Recognition for Guardsmen

• DG Race Event Tickets

• Grand Ole Opry Event

Tickets

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Branding

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Use of Brand

DG Website/FacebookDG Careers Website

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Use of Brand

Store Front Door Sign

Store Front Window Sign

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Use of Brand

Vendor Partners: June 2012 issue of People Magazine

Social Media

Facebook Wall for

supportive military

comments received

over 48,000 visits

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Secretary of Defense Freedom Award Recipient

Each year the Department of Defense (DOD) recognizes 15 companies for their support of the Guard

and Reserves. This is the highest award given by the U.S. Government to employers for their exceptional

support of employees serving in the Guard and Reserve.

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Inclusion and Recognition

SERVE – Service Minded Employees Reaching Veterans Everywhere

An Employee Resource Group

established to recognize and

support active duty military,

guardsmen, veterans and their

families through:

• Community outreach

• Events honoring holidays

• Awareness and Education

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Retention • Onboarding - Letters to newly hired

veterans

• DG Military Coin

• Military Leave Policy

• Care Packages to deployed

employees or family members

• Communications

• DG Story Articles

• Dge – company intranet

• Emails

• Military honor walls in

Distribution Centers and

Military Display at SSC

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DG Military Coin

• 15 of 20 years in the Marine Corps

was spent working the Marine Corps

Exchanges

• There are roughly 160 Marines that

work in the retail space.

• Well connected within that community

and intends to recruit Marines as they

transition

• Marine Corps Exchanges hold annual

meetings which could be a great

opportunity to attend and give a

presentation on the benefits of joining the

Dollar General team.

“One of the biggest challenges

for military personnel when they

are transitioning in to the civilian

world is in dealing with civilian

co-workers instead of other

military personnel. I was

fortunate in the fact that the job I

had was primarily civilians which

made my transition much easier.”

Master Sergeant, United States Marine Corps

Became District Retail Manager Dollar General

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Captain, United States Army

Became District Retail Manager Dollar General

• Entered the Army after graduating from

ROTC at Pittsburg State University.

• Experience: a Bank Officer/Detachment

Commander set her up for success at DG.

• If Military Veterans are looking for

something very similar to the pace and

excitement of a military career, DG is it!

• Very surprised how similar the jobs were

without the uniform.

• “At DG, we serve our customers; In the

army we serve our country.”

• “At DG as a DM, we develop store

managers and employees; in the army as

leaders, we are also there to develop our

soldiers (the greatest feeling!)”

“Overall the training that I have

received from Dollar General has

been very helpful from the

beginning. From the short time I

have been here so far I believe

everything has been moving in the

right direction, from my standpoint, it

is ensuring there is adequate training

and development.”

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• Leadership Commitment is Key

• Initiate partnerships with other veteran-

friendly/service organizations

• Develop veteran hiring strategy

• Partner with public workforce system

• Establish Veterans recruitment committee with

former military employees

• Implement military-friendly employment policies

Proven Strategies for A Successful Program

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• Identify key contact with military

• Participate in veterans job fairs

• Create military link on company

website

• Seek and network with military-friendly

employers

• Map the skills needed to target your

recruitment

Proven Strategies For A Successful Program

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How to Start Recruiting Veterans

Veteran who has left military

and is registered with local

One-Stop Center

Two Paths

Transitioning service

member preparing to leave

military and seek civilian

employment

www.careeronestop.org

1-877-US2-JOBS

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How To Find Top Veteran Talent

1. Locate and contact your local One-Stop Center (www.careeronestop.org)

Ask for the Local Veteran Employment Representative and/or Business Services Representative at the One-Stop Center

2. One-Stop Centers can help Share your workforce needs and challenges and explain the skill

sets and competencies you need in an employee

Translate military skills to occupations

(www.careeronestop.org/militarytransition)

Serve on the Local Workforce Investment Board

3. Student Veterans of America chapters are growing http://studentveterans.org/

How To Find Top Veteran Talent

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4. Hero 2 Hired (H2H) – H2H.jobs; a Department of Defense Website

Post and manage jobs for FREE

Find and attract the service member talent you need to grow your business

Connect with one of our Employment Transition Coordinators (ETC) located in all 50 States, Territories and the District of Columbia to assist you in finding the skill sets you need

Visit www.h2h.jobs and sign up today!

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Becoming a Military-Friendly Employer• Extend pay and benefits to active

duty employees

• Commit to key employment partnerships

• Sign Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Statement of Support; 5-star membership (www.esgr.mil)

• Attend job fairs, network, link with www.military.com orwww.recruitmilitary.com

• Communicate support to veterans community

• Donate products to troops

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Attracting Top Military Talent

• Provide opportunities to work with great people

• Ensure environment supportive of former military

• Exhibit strong values and team orientation

• Demonstrate upward career potential

• Offer competitive compensation packages:

• equitable salary

• comprehensive benefits

• other financial incentives

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Veterans Are Looking For A Good Match

Problem Solving

Intellectual capacity

Deal with ambiguity

Quantitative comfort

Leadership

Personal initiative

Teamwork

Entrepreneurship

Passion

Energy level

High quality standards

Results oriented

Personal Impact

Ethics & integrity

Composure

Interpersonal skills

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More than 500,000 in the workplace

Mobile and capable resources

Well-educated and committed

Strong work ethic and reliable

www.myarmyonesource.com/Educa

tionCareersandLibraries/Spouses

MILITARY SPOUSES

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Resources for Federal Contractors to

Provide Veterans Preference

• Federal contractors can meet their

responsibilities and gain a great workforce!

• Resources: • http://www.dol.gov/vets/contractor/main.htm• http://www.fedshirevets.gov/hire/hrp/vetguide/index.aspx

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Success for Small Businesses

• About 1 in 7 veterans is self employed

• There are approximately 2.9 million Veteran Owned Small Businesses – 200K are owned by service-connected disabled veterans

• 140,000 veterans annually seek assistance from the Small Business Administration (SBA)

• The Military Reservist (https://www.sba.gov/content/military-reservists-economic-injury-loans) is a loan program designed to help veterans needing assistance due to current or prior military duty.

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Wounded/Injured Veterans Resources

• Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject.org)

• Out-station Veteran Employment

Specialist at Medical Treatment Facilities

• DoD Hiring Heroes Career Fairs (www.godefense.com)

• Involvement With Paralyzed Veterans of America

(PVA)& Disabled American Veterans (DAV)

• Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service

(VR&E)- providers of vocational rehabilitation services to

veterans with service-connected disabilities.• (www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/emp_resources.htm)

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Ground Forces and Online Resources

• ARMY

• Bricks: Soldier For Life Program

• Clicks: www.militaryconnection.com/armybase.asp

• NAVY & MARINES

• Bricks: Fleet & Family Support Centers

• Clicks: www.militaryconnection.com/navybase.asp• Clicks: www.militaryconnection.com/marines.asp

• AIR FORCE

• Bricks: Airman & Family Readiness Centers

• Clicks: http://www.militaryconnection.com/air-force

• COAST GUARD

• Bricks: Work-Life Transition / Relocation Program

• Clicks: www.uscg.mil/worklife

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Toolkit Resources Online

• Guide to Developing a Company-Wide Veteran Hiring Strategy

• Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) flyer

• Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Act (USERRA) Guide

• Monthly Basic Pay Table for Military Personnel

• Frequently Asked Questions

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Navigating The Process

• The U.S. Department of Labor is available to assist you in implementing these strategies.

• Access an employer guide at: https://www.workforcegps.org/

• We can also connect you with other employers with successful veteran recruitment programs. Contact via email at businessrelations@dol.gov or by phone at 202-693-3949

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Great for Business...

…Even better for America!

Questions?