CWS 3.0: March 18, 2015

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What can you do for your country? Hire a vet.

The topic of hiring military veterans is gaining more and more attention, and with the coming reduction of forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, more veterans will be home and in need of job search assistance.

These highly trained men and women offer more to organizations than many know, and the savvy staffing firm and client organization stand to benefit by translating their skills to civilian market needs.

Such was the topic of conversation at the Staffing Industry Executive Forum yesterday in Orlando, Fla., with staffing industry and buyer representatives talking about how they are working to help military personnel move on with life after deployment.

The panel included Ken Huxley, a retired Air Force colonel and southwest manager for Strategic Staffing Solutions; Kathy Greco, SVP of strategic initiatives for CorTech International; Joshua Renick, SVP, staffing manager, enterprise military recruiting, Bank of America; and Lieutenant Colonel Steven George, Army Soldier for Life Program Director, Southeast region. The panelists had much to say on the subject. One concern brought up was how to transfer veterans' skills to the real world and show that they can do a job. Greco said “work must be done to show military service can equate to a four-year degree.”