We are currently in the midst of a trend in America to hire out-processing military personnel and veterans. Some of the largest companies in the world, including Apple, Amazon, AT&T, BAE Systems, Chase Bank, Coca Cola, CVS, General Dynamics, Kellogg’s, Microsoft and many, many more, have made hiring veterans a top priority.
Why then, do many veterans still report that they are struggling to find work? According to various military sites, out-processing military personnel find it difficult to define what they did while they were in the military and how that experience translates to the civilian workforce. Because they find it challenging to define what they do in terms, which civilian/corporate recruiters and human resource professionals can understand, they are often passed over for prime employment opportunities.
Because CPI has a dedicated team of professionals who focus on hiring veterans everyday, we thought we’d find out how one of our defense recruiters handles the question, “how do you help veterans bridge the gap from active duty to the civilian workforce?”
Greg Allen has been with CPI for nearly seven years. During that time, he has received in-depth training on CPI’s well documented and award winning veteran recruitment process. He has also acquired a better understanding of what it takes to help our nation’s heroes transition from their military world into the civilian workforce. “Beyond my training, it’s just a question of really listening to what they have to say,” Allen said, of the military personnel and veterans he works with everyday. 
“I’ve actually been lucky enough to receive guidance from the CPI management team. I’ve also learned a lot from the more tenured veterans I’ve come across.” Allen goes on to say that the more experienced veterans he works with are more than happy to share their insights about how to communicate with other veterans. “They speak their own language and it’s my job to decipher that information into terms, which our clients can understand. It’s like learning a foreign language and I’m the interpreter,” said Allen. In terms of skills and employment, this language is categorized by something called an MOS code, which stands for Military Occupational Specialty Code, as defined by both the Army and the Marines. The Air Force uses a coding system called Air Force Specialty Code or AFSC. It’s the CPI defense team’s job to interpret and understand military codes, and they are trained to match those skill codes with more traditional employment opportunities.
To get started, contract Greg Allen at greg.allen@cpijobs.com or at 248.886.5247. To view all jobs, please visit www.cpijobs.com
