This week’s guest blogger is Ernie Beltz Jr. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and has managed the veteran recruitment program for the Department of the Treasury and IRS for a year and a half. Below, he offers some suggestions to consider – or consider sharing – when your organization is looking to fill a vacancy.
Why hire a veteran?
Veterans have the skills, training and background that can benefit any government agency. Consider the amount of time and money our government already invested in their training and it’s clear that hiring managers and agencies stand to benefit by recruiting these skilled men and women. The cost savings of providing similar training on topics from leadership to program management to information technology alone is impressive!
When you consider the variety of military occupations that directly correlate to a federal job, the leadership skills that veterans bring to their civilian careers and the ease of hiring veterans through various non-competitive hiring authorities, I think you’ll agree it makes good business sense to consider these candidates.
At the IRS, we offer wounded warriors and veterans training and experience using several non-paid intern programs. These programs have an additional benefit – they let managers observe a candidate on the job prior to offering paid employment. The key to the program’s success, however, is the experience and opportunities we offer.
When I asked one of our veteran interns what his favorite part of the program is, he said, “It lets you get back in the civilian workforce and get your feet wet.”
The same intern also said he enjoys working with the IRS “because I feel like I’m still helping make the United States be a better place.” You’d be hard pressed to find a group of men and women who have a better understanding of what it means to serve their country.
Its success stories like this that makes my job completely worthwhile. I’m proud to have a role helping veterans find opportunities across the Treasury Department.
How have veterans added value to your organization or agency?
Recruitment 411 is the official blog of the IRS Recruitment Office.
Well all I have to say is OORAH! Yes adding veterans to your organization is a win win win – win for the veteran, win for your company and win for the country. The highest unemployment rates are sadly among our veteran communities.