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Someone asked me about the inspiration for our Military Commitment Program a while back. I gave it some thought and penned this post. Of course, since I finished writing this, so much about our world has changed, and yet so much of it hasn’t. Our gratitude to the military has increased, if anything, and our commitment remains solid. So, in recognition of May as Military Appreciation Month, I share my thoughts with you all.

Thinking about the question, I realized creating our Military Commitment Program wasn’t the result of a single, galvanizing incident or experience. There really wasn’t a “lightbulb” inspirational moment. It wasn’t a program or a commitment that sprang from zero to sixty. It came from a lifelong appreciation along with our ongoing efforts to offer our expertise. It’s a formalization and renewed commitment to things we’d already been focused on.

As a child, my parents, like many other parents I’m sure, instilled in me an appreciation for those in society who choose keeping our country and communities safe and peaceful as their job. That includes first responders of all kinds and, especially, our military. Beyond this general appreciation and respect, I have family members who have served in the military. My uncle is a retired Marine fighter pilot and my cousin is also a Marine; an instructor for the Osprey. These were both drivers of ATR establishing a formal program.

Another reason, absolutely, was seeing some of our military struggle in their return to the community. Statistics show that homelessness is a significant problem for veterans, as is difficulty finding employment. I’m not unique in wanting to help by any means, but I am using what I know to do so. Our veterans face challenges and I can’t fix everything, but I can make a commitment to assist with one of the things that helps people live a more satisfying life – finding a job.

Yet another reason we’ve made this commitment is, I guess, sort of selfish. I know that our veterans and military personnel about to separate are men and women of exceptional talent and commitment. Beyond all the pomp and circumstance, these are talented people and we are in the business of finding talented people for our clients. We need you!

Prior to the economic fallout of the coronavirus, we were in a historic low unemployment period. It’s been that way in IT and engineering for several years now. Although many areas of the economy have been nearly completely shut down and face an uncertain future at the moment, many industries are growing and need people. There are still great opportunities out there and they will only increase as our economy begins to slowly reopen and recover.

While I certainly believe that our veterans deserve whatever “extra” assistance or appreciation we show them, our program is no handout or gift. You are smart talented people who could use some extra help navigating the challenging nature of the job search. In one way, it’s no different than the assistance ATR offers every job seeker, but the transition from military to civilian life and the career landscape are different.

At the same time, you deserve every bit of attention and assistance that we can offer! The current situation reminds us clearly of why it is important to have a strong military. I think almost everyone admires and wants to show their thanks. We feel that way and have focused on helping in the best way we can. A formal commitment simply helps us more effectively deliver on our promise of assistance.

We need you as much as you may need us, even more perhaps! We’ve got clients with positions to fill and we need talented workers. Simple as that. Every day we offer our expertise to help our candidates find meaningful work. Matching people with the companies that need them is what we do; we’re good at it, and we love it! Being able to do that for such a deserving group of job seekers is a privilege.

Learn more about our program here or contact us for career assistance.

 

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