1. Steps to Hiring Veterans for Minnesota Employers
Presentation by
Veterans Employment Services
7/13/16

2. Overview What is a veteran? Why hire veterans?
How do I recruit veterans?
How do veterans apply for jobs?
Who is my contact at DEED?
How can you (DEED) help me comply with EEOC and OFCCP guidelines?
What other avenues do I have for outreach and recruitment?

3. What is a veteran? 181 days of active duty with an honorable discharge
Four types of Veterans you may encounter:
National guard or reserve
Retired military
Career civilian with extensive experience who served in the military
17-18 Year old recruit serving his/her obligation

4. Differentiating Features of Veterans
Branch of Military
Era/Dates of Service
Job Duties in the Military
Rank- Enlisted/Officer
Discharge type
Help HR staff think through how to ask about military history

5. Why Hire Veterans? Accelerated learning curve Leadership Teamwork
Diversity and inclusion in action
Efficient performance under pressure
Comply with policies and procedures
10 reasons to hire a vet (handout)

6. Why Hire Veterans? (cont’d)
7. Advanced team-building skills 8. Strong organizational commitment 9. Cross-cultural experience 10. Possess high-levels of integrity and resiliency

7. Relevant Transferrable Skills
Responsibility Teamwork
Ability to work under pressure
Accountability
Leadership
Problem-solving
Vets aren’t the best at selling themselves
Ex: when asked for specific example of success, may reference “we” and not differentiate their own accomplishments
But when presented with a list of skills, they reported the following were skills acquired in the military
University of Phoenix survey of active duty service men/women and retired Veterans

8. What Does Business Research Tell us?
A comprehensive review of academic literature concluded:
“Academic research supports a robust, specific, and compelling business case for hiring individuals with military background and experience.”
Veterans exhibit an inherent and enduring belief that they can efficiently and effectively integrate and contribute to a new or existing team.
Importantly, the scope of this review of the academic research is limited to the abilities, attributes, and characteristics conferred to the individual veteran as a consequence of military service, as those attributes complement performance in a competitive business environment.
Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families (2012)

9. Hiring Incentives and Tax Credits
The tax credit allows employers to reduce their federal tax liability by up to $9,600 per new hire
503 regulations are renewed yearly

10. WorkForce Centers A local partnership between State County Federal
City
Community organizations
To provide employment and training services in a central location.
We share resources like staff, equipment, and space.

11. 48 Minnesota WorkForce Centers Statewide

12. Veterans Employment Services Overview
Case management of Veterans with significant barriers to employment
Employment counseling
Assist in all stages of job search
Provide job placement assistance and referrals
Facilitate training for disabled veterans
Provide job seeking skills
Outreach
Employers
Military – National Guard and reserve component
Partners – Yellow Ribbon Network,
Government – Counties and local governments
Schools – state colleges and universities
Projects
Women Veterans
Native American Veterans
Ex-Offender
Mine Closings/Layoffs

13. Local Veteran Employment Reps. (LVER)
Advocate for hiring veterans
Conduct employer outreach
Plan and participate in job fairs
Work with Unions and Business organizations
Collaborate with training providers and licensing agencies to promote licensing and training opportunities for veterans
**Contact LVER for assistance with employer outreach**

14. Local Veteran Employment Reps.(LVER)
LVER Name
Area of responsibility
Contact information
Ron Kellen
Montevideo
Worthington
Marshall
Wilmar
Barry Platt
Mankato
New Ulm
Fairmont
Rochester
Winona
Faribault
Owatona
Albert Lea
Grant Heino
Bloomington
Burnsville
Minneapolis
West St. Paul
Mark Mann
Brooklyn Park
Blaine
St. Paul
LaDeen Schillinger
Alexandria
Bemidji
Detroit Lakes
Fergus Falls
Thief River Falls
Morehead
Brainerd
Wadena
Little Falls
Tim Trumbull
Duluth
Virginia
Hibbing
Grand Rapids
Michael Eisenstadt
St. Cloud
Monticello
Mora
Litchfield
Hutchinson

15. Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP)
DVOPs provide intensive services using a case management model to meet employment needs of veterans and other eligible persons.
Emphasis is directed toward serving those who are economically or educationally disadvantaged including homeless veterans and veterans with significant barriers to employment.
Work with local support services to ensure veteran needs are meet, i.e., the Veterans Administration, WFC partners, homeless shelters, local veteran organizations, county veterans service officers, churches, and state vocational rehabilitation agencies
**Contact DVOP for assistance with employment needs**

16. Veterans Employment Services
DVOPs and LVERs are located at WorkForce Centers throughout the state.
For more information about the Veterans Employment Services go to:
For contact information for the Representative nearest go to:

17. Veterans Employment DVOPs and LVERs

18. HIRE A VETERAN - 3 Easy Steps
Post Your Job Openings at NO FEE on
2. Contact a Veterans Employment Representatives
3. Connect With Your Local Yellow Ribbon Network

19. Job Openings on Minnesotaworks.net innesotaWorks.net
Step One - Post Your
Job Openings on Minnesotaworks.net
innesotaWorks.net
Register for your NO FEE account to:
Post your job openings at NO FEE
Use job match technology to find top candidates
Manage and track your job search efforts.
Use our “Military Friendly” features;
* 61% of employers that post on this site, hire from this site!* 

20. Step Two - Contact a Veterans Employment Representative
Located at WorkForce Centers throughout the state, Veterans Employment Representatives are available to help veterans address a wide variety job-search, job-placement and career-related questions. Contact a Veterans Employment Representative. Let them know you want to hire a veteran.

21. Step Three - Connect With Your Local Yellow Ribbon Network
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon supports Minnesota service members and their families before, during and after deployment with community support, training, services and resources. Ask how you can help. Visit the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon website.

22. How to Recruit Veterans
Contact LVERs and DVOPs with job openings
Distribute to veterans on our caseload
Present in our Veterans Networking Groups
Invite an LVER for a company tour
Work With an LVER to plan meet and greet events or hiring events
Post in LinkedIn
Post jobs in Minnesotaworks.net
Your Company website for talent acquisition

23. Uniformed Services Employment Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
Service members do have rights so do businesses and employers
For more information on USERRA go to
For questions about USERRA, contact Department of Labor Veterans Employement and Training Direcor
Edward (Scott) Mills Phone: (651)

24. Retaining and Integrating Veterans Resources
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve has a number employers can call with any veteran related questions (select option 1) between 8 AM and 6 PM ET (M-F);
Veterans Employment Toolkit

25. Accommodations The Job Accommodations Network (JAN) www.askjan.org
Veterans Employment Toolkit
National Center for PTSD
Americans with Disabilities Act

26. Thank you for Hiring Veterans