The Military Service Disadvantage
Hire A Hero Network Key to Success for Veteran Job Search
Carlsbad, CA - Late last week the Department of Veterans Affairs reported that 4.4 million people who have been discharged from active duty since 1990 are facing prejudice in their civilian job search. The report stated that 18 percent of the veterans who sought jobs within one to three years of discharge were unemployed, while one out of four who did find jobs earned less than $21,840 a year. According to this report, it was stated that many veterans lack involvement in civilian networks and need mentors in their desired line of work. Through the Hire A Hero online community network, veterans can develop essential relationships with people who can help them find good jobs.
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“When men and women enlist (many who did so after 9/11) they are given a promise,” stated Dan Caulfield, Executive Director of Hire A Hero. “That promise is either explicit or implied that, if they serve honorably, they will gain valuable skills and experiences to help them succeed in life. However, the reality is that there is a Military Service Penalty. It manifests itself in high unemployment for recently discharged veterans and even worse underemployment, the under the radar statistic whereby a young veteran takes a low paying job, often the same job they could have taken directly out of high school.”
Hire A Hero is a non-profit web based military community with a mission to help its members network in order to find quality training and career opportunities. The program is open to every American who wants to take action and give back to those who have served. Hire A Hero seeks volunteers who can work in a variety of roles from their hometowns across the country and the program is in need of donations to help keep the program free for everyone to use. A recent internal survey revealed that jobseekers who networked with more than six other users on hireahero.org had a success rate of more than 30 percent.
Senator Kerry and Senator Bond recently introduced the “Hire A Hero Act.” This legislation would authorize $25 million annually to the National Guard Bureau which would, in turn, award funding on a competitive basis to nonprofit organizations that assist former members of the armed forces in finding jobs.
To learn more about Hire A Hero visit www.hireahero.org.
About the Armed Forces Support Foundation – Hire A Hero Program:
The Armed Forces Support Foundation (AFSF) was established in 1998 and is organized as a non-profit entity under Section 501(c)3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Through the foundation’s Hire A Hero(TM) program, active and transitioning military personnel, Veterans, National Guard members, Reservists and their spouses have access to a unique online community that helps them network into quality job opportunities and training. The Hire A Hero online community is powered by volunteers who have connections to jobs and training in their hometowns. Although AFSF was made a legislative priority by NGAUS and was officially noticed in Senate Bill S3833, the foundation relies on the generosity of the American people to support it. For more information visit www.hireahero.org.
