Help and Jobs for U.S. Veterans

By Paige Blankenship, Human Resources Communications at Xerox Services

Returning to civilian life can present opportunities and challenges for veterans, so the Xerox Military, University and Disability Outreach team is always on the lookout for new avenues to connect with people in transition from military to civilian careers. Last year, we hired more than 1,700 veterans in various positions throughout the United States, in large part because of this group’s efforts.

“It just makes good business sense to hire veterans, and Xerox has a strong commitment to military recruitment,” said Amber Hayes, a member of the Global Talent Acquisition team. “We have a long history and a focused program that encourages veterans to apply for positions throughout the company.”

The team is active in a variety of ways ranging from one-on-one advice concerning resumes, interviewing, and job search techniques, to broader presentations to groups.

In the past year, we’ve had job placements for veterans as customer care agents, image processors, data analysts, help desk specialists, systems developers, leadership roles and many other positions.

“We are grateful for the service of our employees deployed with the U.S. military,” Amber said. “We recognize their sacrifices— and those of their families. Their experiences help create the diverse workforce that makes us a worldwide leader.”

The 100,000 Jobs Mission Challenge

In 2011, to support the U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama’s Joining Forces program, President Barack Obama challenged businesses to hire or train 100,000 veterans and military spouses.

“Xerox has always supported corporate initiatives to identify, interview and recruit individuals with disabilities, military veterans and military spouses for open positions within the company,” said Carla Webster of the Military, University and Disability Team. “But after receiving the challenge from President Obama, we knew we had to up our game.”

Xerox joined the 100,000 Jobs Mission in 2013 and is supporting the cause through our pledge to hire 10,000 veterans by 2018. Since 2014, Carla pointed out, we have hired more than 2,000 veterans.

Xerox has several ongoing initiatives that allow us to reach these individuals directly, and encourage them to join the Xerox family. We highlight three of them in this article.

Virtual Recruiting Services

Through our partnership with VR, a virtual recruitment center that connects military-friendly employers with service members, veterans, and military spouses, our recruiters can participate in a monthly, three-hour virtual career fair to assist veterans with questions regarding our company and employment opportunities.

National Chamber of Commerce: Hiring Our Heroes

Our employees participate in a nationwide initiative to help veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment that launched in 2011.

Thanks to more than 670 live Hiring Our Heroes job fairs throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, Xerox team members from around the country are able to participate. Their goals are to educate people about our business, provide tips and tricks on transitioning to civilian work life—and, hopefully, enlist new recruits to our company.

Military Spouse Employment Program

The Military Spouse Employment Program (MSEP), part of the Department of Defense’s Spouse Education and Career Opportunities initiative, seeks to strengthen the education and career opportunities of military spouses. By providing career exploration opportunities, the program helps military spouses understand their skill sets better, explore their interests, and create a path to help them work toward their work goals.

During MSEP Career Fairs, Xerox representatives can meet one-on-one with potential hires, educate them about what we do, and work together on matching the right candidates to the right jobs within our organization.

“As I transitioned from a military career to a civilian career, I quickly realized I needed to translate my skills into terms that civilian hiring mangers could understand,” said Beth Rowley, U.S. Navy veteran and current Xerox Business Development vice president. “Xerox recognized the number of skills the Navy bestowed upon me — the ability to effectively manage, appraise, monitor and develop service members — and led me to the wonderful job opportunity I found with Xerox. I am truly grateful.”