RSSIssue 8:11, Thursday, November 1, 2007
www.vetjobs.com
The VetJobs Early Eagle is for member employers, recruiters, friends and supporters of VetJobs.
VetJobs is exclusively sponsored and partially owned by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (www.vfw.org). VetJobs is the only job board endorsed by: The Vietnam Veterans of America (www.vva.org), The Naval Reserve Association (www.navy-reserve.org) and The Veterans of Modern Warfare (www.modernveterans.com).
Contents:
1. Message from the Top
2. VetJobs Recommends: The Wall: 25th Anniversary Commemorative Book
3. HR professionals targeted by bogus EEOC emails
4. VVA Sponsoring 25th Anniversary Parade celebrating The Wall
5. Tech pay approaches all-time high
6. Advancement trumps green as recruitment tool
7. National Guard and Reserve mobilized as of October 24, 2007
8. Significant events this month in military history
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1. Message from the Top
On November 11 our country celebrates Veterans Day. And simultaneously, VetJobs celebrates its eighth anniversary and the start of its ninth year assisting employers to reach transitioning military, veterans and their family members. The staff of VetJobs thanks everyone who has helped make VetJobs the leading job board on the Internet to reach the military market!
For four years in a row VetJobs has been voted to the WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Award, marking VetJobs as one of the top 30 out of over 40,000 employment sites. Only 14 job boards have achieved this recognition for all four years and VetJobs is the only military related job board to achieve this recognition! Additionally, VetJobs was identified as a Top 10 Recruiting Site by Workforce Management. Again, VetJobs was the only military related job board to achieve this distinction. VetJobs, in conjunction with our sponsor, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, is proud to have helped tens of thousands of veterans and their family members to find quality jobs with the employers who use the site.
This past year saw VetJobs being endorsed by the Vietnam Veterans of America, the Naval Reserve Association and the Veterans of Modern Warfare. These are important endorsements and reinforce the fact that VetJobs is the leading military related job board.
VetJobs will soon have a new face and many new functions. The VetJobs team has been working hard on updating the site and will shortly launch version 4.0. If all goes well, the new site should be launched by the end of November. As many of you know, VetJobs was one of the first sites to provide on demand, real time OFCCP support. VetJobs will continue to add new products in support of our customers.
On November 11 we celebrate Veterans Day. Originally known as Armistice Day, it was created by an Act of Congress on May 13, 1938. It set the 11th of November of each year as a legal holiday to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and be known as Armistice Day, which was set in remembrance of the end of World War I. The Armistice was signed at 11:00 AM on the 11th day of the 11th month. In 1954, after World War II had required the greatest military mobilization in the history of the United States and following the Korean War, the 83rd Congress amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word Armistice and inserting the word Veteran. With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became known as Veterans Day, a day to honor American veterans of all wars. We will forever be in the debt of our veterans as they are the guarantors of our freedoms. Let us honor them accordingly.
And in November we celebrate the establishment of the United States Marine Corps! On November 10 we celebrate the Marine Corps’ 232nd birthday! If you see a Marine, say Semper Fi and Happy Birthday!
And of course November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. The tradition of the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving is steeped in myth and legend. Few people realize that the Pilgrims did not celebrate Thanksgiving, though some of their descendants later made a “Forefather’s Day” that usually occurred on December 21 or 22. Several Presidents, including George Washington, made one-time Thanksgiving holidays. In 1827, Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale began lobbying Presidents for the instatement of Thanksgiving as a national holiday, but her lobbying was unsuccessful until 1863 when Abraham Lincoln finally made it a national holiday with his 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation. Now Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. This was set by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 and was approved by Congress in 1941, who changed it from Abraham Lincoln’s designation as the last Thursday in November, which could occasionally end up being the fifth Thursday and hence too close to Christmas for businesses.
As you celebrate Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, please remember our troops who are serving in defense of our country. For many of the troops overseas, their holidays will be celebrated at the tip of the spear as they continue the fight in the War on Terrorism.
Today’s military is an all volunteer military. They are highly educated and well trained. In fact, the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq represent the most sophisticated, technologically superior military that the world has ever seen. These military personnel serve to honor their country and defend our rights and way of life. They WANT to serve. Due to their training and mental attributes, they also make the best employees a company could ever want.
On the economic front, the economy is seeing the unemployment rate at the lowest point it has been in six years, and the U.S. has created more new jobs than all the other major industrialized countries combined. Job seekers across the United States continue to benefit from the strong economy while employers face an increasing shortage of qualified candidates. Employment numbers are definitely up, the deficit is down, and the stock market is growing at a healthy pace. Tech job salaries are approaching all time highs (see article 5 below) and what candidates seek is changing (see article 6 below).
The economy grew at an annual rate of 3.9% in the third quarter of 2007, the fastest pace in 1 1/2 years according to the Commerce Department. Surging exports and stronger consumer spending helped counterbalance the weakening housing sector. The gross domestic product report suggests that the economy is thus far holding up well to the strains in the housing and credit markets, which had intensified during the third quarter. And the national unemployment rate dropped in September to 4.5%, not seasonally adjusted. The country, like most around the world, is in a labor shortage. With this shortage, veterans make a great source of talent for your company.
Finally, if you are in the Washington, DC area on November 10 be sure to attend the Vietnam Veterans of America’s Parade to honor the 25th Anniversary of The Wall.
As always, if there is anything we at VetJobs can do for you, please do not hesitate to call or email.
And remember, Freedom Is Never Free – Support Our Armed Forces and Veterans!
Best regards,
Ted Daywalt
President
Veterans are the Face of America and the reason for our freedom. Celebrate VETERANS DAY on November 11th. Visit http://www.vfwstore.org/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=228
2. VetJobs Recommends: The Wall: 25th Anniversary Commemorative Book
From time to time VetJobs finds a book or movie that is too good to pass up. This month, VetJobs recommends The Wall: 25th Anniversary Commemorative Book
The first object left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was a Purple Heart. It was hurled into the wet cement while the memorial was still under construction by the brother of a dead soldier. Since then, hundreds of military medals and awards have been carried to the Wall and left there in honor of the fallen. As the Wall’s 25th Anniversary approaches, over 100,000 items now make up the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection. A selection of these precious tokens are featured in The Wall: 25th Anniversary Commemorative. Proceeds will go to assist VVA and VVAF’s honorable causes, including outreach programs, benefits assistance, and housing programs for Vietnam War, Gulf War, Afghan War, and Iraq War veterans. To order your copy of The Wall, please visit http://www.vva.org/25thEvent/keepsake.htm
3. HR professionals targeted by bogus EEOC emails
SHRM reports that corporate human resource professionals are being sent bogus, potentially harmful emails purporting to come from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC began receiving employer complaints about the emails October 19, 2007, and discovered they contained a Trojan Horse virus that is likely to harm a recipient’s computer if the user clicks on the referenced hyperlink and/or downloads the attached file. “The bogus emails appear to be targeting staff within company human resource departments,” the EEOC spokesman said. The source of the emails is still unknown, but the agency has referred the matter on to the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US CERT) and “is continuing to monitor the situation,” the spokesman said. US CERT coordinates response to computer-related attacks. The bogus email includes an EEOC logo under the subject line and contains purported language from the EEOC under the subject heading “Employer Liability for Harassment.”
4. VVA Sponsoring 25th Anniversary Parade celebrating The Wall
Vietnam Veterans of America is sponsoring a 25th Anniversary Parade celebrating and commemorating the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Saturday, November 10, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. “We’re expecting the largest gathering of veterans in Washington since the dedication of The Wall in 1982,” said VVA National President John Rowan. “We are inviting veterans of all wars to join us as we honor the men and women who served our nation during the Vietnam War.”
The festivities will begin at 10:00 a.m. with star-studded Opening Ceremonies at the parade’s starting point on the Mall at 7th Street between Jefferson and Madison Drives. The parade will step off at 11:00 a.m. It will consist of individual participants, including many prominent Vietnam veterans from all walks of life; military vehicles; floats; motorcyclists; and marching bands from around the country. The parade will end at the Washington Monument Grounds, where participants will take part in a variety of events, including unit reunions. “We are issuing a special, open invitation to everyone who served in the military during the Vietnam War era,” Rowan said. “Come and join us in Washington in a landmark event.” Application forms for individuals and groups who would like to join the parade are available at http://vva.org/25thEvent/event_info.htm or by calling toll free 877-727-2333.
5. Tech pay approaches all-time high
Techies were paid nearly record-high hourly wages in the third quarter, according to a new report released by staffing firm Yoh. Based on data compiled from 75 Yoh field offices and 5,000 technology professionals contracted in short- and long-term projects, pay increased an average of more than 5.5% for the quarter ended September 30, compared to the same period last year. Compared to the same months in 2006, hourly wages for techies in 2007 rose 6% in July, 4.64% in August, and 5.79% in September.
6. Advancement trumps green as recruitment tool
An ecologically friendly workplace is not high on many job seekers’ lists, to judge by the more than 6,200 professionals who set up career web sites that were analyzed by online job service Jobfox. The personal web pages showcase each site’s creator’s skills, talents and wish lists. According to Jobfox’s analysis, candidates most often seek:
• An opportunity to advance, cited by 55 percent.
• More leadership responsibility, 41 percent.
• Work/life balance, 38 percent.
• Leadership that is respected and admired, 36 percent.
• A sense of accomplishment, 36 percent.
• A higher salary, 28 percent.
• 401(k) matching fund, 28 percent.
• A flexible schedule, 27 percent.
• A collaborative environment, 22 percent.
• Performance bonuses, 20 percent.
7. National Guard and Reserve mobilized as of October 31, 2007
The total number currently on active duty in support of the partial mobilization of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 73,034; Navy Reserve, 5,895; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 7,033; Marine Corps Reserve, 7,589; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 347. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been mobilized to 93,898, including both units and individual augmentees. A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel, who are currently mobilized, can be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2007/d20071031ngr.pdf
8. Significant events this month in military history
1775 – Continental Congress establishes two battalions of Marines. Samuel Nicholas was appointed “Captain of Marines” on 28 November 1775, and promoted to major on 25 June 1776. Because of his senior status among other Marine officers of the Revolution, he is numbered as the first Commandant.
1775 – Americans under General Richard Montgomery capture the British fort of Saint Johns (War of Independence).
1861 – The Confederate raider Nashville captured and burned the Union clipper ship Harvey Birch in the Atlantic Ocean (Civil War).
1864 – Union General W.T. Sherman began his march to the sea from Atlanta, GA, in an effort to cut the Confederacy in two (Civil War).
1865 – Dr. Mary E. Walker, the first female surgeon in the Union Army, is presented with the Medal of Honor, the first woman to receive that award.
1910 – First airplane flight from the deck of a ship.
1917 – American troops were first engaged in fighting during World War I attacking German troops near the Rhine-Marne Canal in France
1918 – World War I ends at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
1942 – Operation Torch begins with Allied landings in northwest Africa (World War II).
1943 – U.S. Marines landed on Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, one of the bloodiest campaigns waged by American forces against the Japanese in the Pacific (World War II).
1965 – Battle of Chu Pon-ia Drang River, Vietnam. U.S. 1st Calvary fought North Vietnamese regulars for four days (Vietnam War).
1967 – American troops broke a North Vietnamese assault at Loc Ninh, near the Cambodian border (Vietnam War).
1968 – Battle of NuiChom Mountain. The 4th Bn, 31st Infantry, 196th Inf Bde fought and destroyed the 21st NVA Regiment on Nui Chom Mountain southwest of Da Nang, Vietnam in a fierce six day battle. Cpl Michael Crescenz won MOH as they fought inch by inch up the steep mountain. (Vietnam War)
1979 – Iranian militants seized the US Embassy in Tehran, held 65 Americans hostage.
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Veterans make the best employees!
Freedom Is Never Free – Support Our Armed Forces and Veterans!
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