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Ted Daywalt — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:49:33 +0000

VetJobs Agency Eagle
Issue 10:11, Sunday, November 1, 2009
www.vetjobs.com

VetJobs is an appropriate employment service delivery system for EEOC, VEVRAA/JVA and OFCCP compliance support!

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and other recruitment advertising agencies.

The VetJobs Agency Eagle is the VetJobs newsletter for recruitment advertising agencies.

This issue sponsored by Employer Support for the Guard & Reserve and TECHEXPO Top Secret

Contents:

1. Message from the Top

2. EDGE Report

3. US Brain Drain

4. Health Care Costs Projections

5. Salary Increase Projections

6. Flag Etiquette

7. National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of September 29, 2009

8. Significant Events this Month in Military History

Thank you for reading the VetJobs Agency Eagle recruitment ad agency newsletter. If you like this newsletter, please go to http://www.weddles.com/poll.htm and vote VetJobs for the WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Award.

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1. Message from the Top

Happy 10th Birthday to VetJobs!

As of 11:00 AM on November 11, VetJobs will have been serving the hiring needs of your clients seeking to hire veterans and their family members for ten years! During that time, millions of veterans have used the VetJobs site and employers have hired tens of thousands of veterans using VetJobs. Thanks to your assistance, thousands of employers have been able to reach and hire veterans, transitioning military, wounded warriors, disabled veterans and their family members.

VetJobs is pleased to be sponsored and partially owned by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. In fact, VetJobs been endorsed by more veteran service organizations than any other site. VetJobs has been endorsed by the Vietnam Veterans of America, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Association of the United States Navy, the Veterans of Modern Warfare, the Student Veterans of America, Hope4Heroes, and various intelligence related organizations. Being recognized and used as their job board by so many important veteran service organizations has kept VetJobs in the forefront of reaching those veterans seeking employment. Additionally, VetJobs materials are now used in state and federal Department of Labor offices, DOD Transition Assistance Program and Army Career & Alumni Program offices worldwide, as well as Veteran Administration offices. This phenomenal reach has assisted your clients and our member employers in identifying qualified candidates to hire from the transitioning military and veteran market place!

Due to VetJobs’ leading position in the industry, VetJobs is regularly cited in the press, radio and TV. VetJobs has been highlighted in USA Today, regularly quoted by Military Times, various news services, and was on the CBS 60 Minutes program regarding USERRA last November.

Due to the impact VetJobs has had in the employment market, VetJobs has been elected to the Board of Governors of the International Association of Employment Web Sites, been appointed to the Small Business Council of the US Chamber of Commerce and has been subpoenaed to testify before the President’s Commission on the National Guard and Reserve. VetJobs has testified before Congress and worked with members of Congress regarding veteran and employment issues on many occasions. VetJobs has developed a national reputation for being a major advocate for transitioning military, veterans, wounded warriors, disabled veterans and their family members.

Important to your clients, over the last ten years VetJobs has come to be recognized by the industry evaluators as THE leading military related job board on the Internet. VetJobs awards include: CareerXRoads Top Site; seven year recipient of AIRS Top Recruiting Site; six year recipient of WEDDLE’s prestigious User’s Choice Award; four year recipient of Workforce Management’s Top 10 Recruiting Site; and was the only military job board selected by Reader’s Digest in its list of 18 top sites! Notably, BusinessWeek is running an article about VetJobs which identifies VetJobs as the leading military job board in the November 16 issue, which comes out November 7 in time for Veterans Day. No other military related job board has received all these prestigious recognitions!

It has been an exciting ten years. But the bottom line for the staff at VetJobs and our veteran service organization partners is that millions of veterans and their family members have come to the site seeking and receiving help and guidance on their job search, which in turn translated to tens of thousands of veterans and their family members being hired by your clients. The VetJobs mission is to assist veterans, transitioning military, wounded warriors, disabled veterans and their family members find jobs. Over the last ten years VetJobs has met that mission!

But it is you, our member employers who have made VetJobs what it is today. Because you continue to use VetJobs as a quality recruiting source, VetJobs has had one of the highest renewal rates in the industry.

Thank you for your support. The staff of VetJobs and I look forward to continue serving you in the coming years.

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In addition to VetJobs birthday, 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.

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On November 10 we celebrate the Marine Corps’ 234th birthday! If you see a Marine, say Semper Fi and Happy Birthday! To view an outstanding Marine Corps Birthday message, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7Bicfc9dp0

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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 in Afghanistan, Iraq and many other overseas locations. 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.

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On the economic front, the unemployment rate in September climbed to 9.8% while the unemployment rate for all veterans rose to 8.9%. The unemployment rate for many younger veterans who participate in the Guard and Reserve is exceptionally high due to DOD’s two year call up policy and heavy use of the Guard and Reserve to prosecute the wars. Too many employers will not now hire as a new employee someone who is active in the Guard and Reserve as the candidate will be gone for one to two years. While I recognize that many employers cannot run their businesses with employees gone for such extended periods, many are able to support the mission of the National Guard and Reserve. Anything you can do to assist by employing members of the Guard and Reserve is vital to the security of America.

The economy and what is happening to the job market seems to be on everyone’s mind. Yet even with 15 million people looking for work, many employers tell me they cannot find enough qualified people for good-paying career jobs. Economists say the main problem is an unequal match between available work and people qualified to do it. The unequal match will make it harder for the unemployment rate to drop down to a healthier level.

According to labor analysts, even during this recession companies are having a difficult time finding qualified accountants, health care workers, software sales representatives, actuaries, data analysts, physical therapists, morticians, pharmacists, and electrical engineers. Several pundants complain that there are six people for every job opening, the highest ratio on government records since 2000. They get these ratios by dividing the total number of unemployed by the total number of estimated jobs available. As the pundants generally are pushing a political or economic agenda, they disregard the fact that employers do not hire a candidate just to fill a job. As an employer, you know you hire “qualified” candidates who are capable of performing specified activities! That is the real world.

Recently there have been news reports that the recession is over or nearly over, and it may be in some areas. I use the word area to mean both geographic as well as industry sectors. But the economy is not one big monolith that moves uniformly. While some parts of the economy and sectors are in recovery others are still heading down. The bottom line is the U.S. economy is still shedding jobs and it is expected that the unemployment rate will rise above 10% in the months to come. While some have referred to this recovery as a jobless recovery, I prefer to use the term “less jobs recovery” as unlike the last recession, many of you are still hiring, but at a greatly reduced rate.

What is disconcerting in this recession is the credit markets have not yet recovered. Small-business lending and consumer lending have contracted, if not completely stopped in many areas. And mortgage lending is being entirely underwritten by the government, meaning more taxes to those left working. I believe the lack of lending to small businesses is perhaps the largest cause for concern in this economy because small businesses are and always have been the engines of innovation and job creation that brought America out of past recessions. Small businesses account for the largest proportion of real employment in the United States.

I hear from many employers of all sizes that they know they need to hire new employees because the ones left in the business since the many lay-offs are being over worked. But employers, especially small to medium size companies, are hesitant to start hiring in the current political climate. They are concerned about the ever expanding federal government and who is going to pay for the expanding government; about the way the leaders of the current Congress are attempting to raise taxes in the middle of a deep recession; about the threats of mandatory increased health care costs; and about the lack of access to capital. They are concerned about the way the federal government is now intervening and taking control of major industries and the financial system, thus destroying capitalism, our free enterprise system, and potentially leading the United States into socialism which has failed miserably in Europe.

On top of all this, the United States has one more potential major shock to the economic system coming around the start of January when the commercial real estate sub-prime market is expected to hit. No one seems to know if it will be as bad as the residential sub-prime market collapse, but all agree it will hurt the economy in a major way.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds. But this much is sure. If your clients need quality employees, they need to hire veterans. And VetJobs is the best place to find them!

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Finally, we welcome the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) as a new sponsor of our newsletters. Please read their message below. If your company has not signed a Statement of Support, then have your appropriate company representative visit www.esgr.mil and sign up immediately! Supporting our National Guard and Reserve is critical during this time of war. Your support is appreciated!

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As always, if there is anything we at VetJobs can do for you, please do not hesitate to call or email. Feel free to share the Early Eagle with other employers!

And remember, Freedom Is Never Free – Support Our Armed Forces and Veterans!

Best regards,

Ted Daywalt
President

/—-November Early Eagle sponsor is Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve—-\

Nominate Your Company for the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award!

It is only possible for our National Guard and Reserve members to perform at their best with the support of loved ones, friends, neighbors and, particularly, employers. Thousands of employers across the nation employ National Guard and Reserve members, fully aware that at any moment they may be called to serve. And when this happens, both the employee and employer face challenges. We are grateful for the many employers who remain patriotically steadfast in support of their military employees, both financially and emotionally, going well beyond the law. Supportive employers allow service members to perform their duties while alleviating concerns about their jobs and loved ones back home.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, invites nominations for the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award

Freedom Award recipients support their Guard and Reserve employees and their families in important ways, both large and small. Past recipients have provided differential pay during deployments, continued insurance benefits and sent comfort items in care packages. Some of the most valued assistance has been the support extended to deployed service members’ families. When one National Guard member was deployed, his employer filled his seat at his sons’ sports games. After another service member’s family hit hard times during a deployment, his employer stacked gifts under the family’s Christmas tree. And during the deployment of a single father, his employer sent his daughters off to school each morning with a wake up phone call. These seemingly small acts have a significant impact on the lives of National Guard and Reserve members and their families.

Any employer supportive of its National Guard and Reserve employees or their families is eligible for Freedom Award nomination. Past recipients of the award have ranged from a small family-owned farm in Iowa to large corporations, including Chrysler and Microsoft, to public sector employers like the City of Austin, Texas.

The 2010 recipients will be announced in the spring and honored in September at the 15th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award ceremony in Washington, D.C. Recipients of the 2009 award met with President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and received their awards at a ceremony with the keynote given by Dr. Jill Biden.

Visit www.freedomaward.mil/nominate.aspx? to submit a nomination.

\-----Please visit your November Early Eagle sponsor Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve at www.esgr.mil-----/

2. EDGE Report

Robert Half International recently issued the 2009 Employment Dynamics and Growth Expectations (EDGE) Report, which provides an overview of the current hiring environment, as well as a glimpse of what the post-recession staffing landscape will look like. Here are some findings of which you should be aware.

1) It is taking hiring managers 4.5 to 14.4 weeks to fill a vacancy. A shortage of qualified applicants was noted as the top hiring challenge.

2) Companies aren't focusing exclusively on full-time additions. 40% said they intend to bring in contract, part-time or temp employees.

3) 45% of workers plan to change employers or careers when the economy recovers.

4) Information Technology is expected to be a top area for change in the coming years. When managers were asked which departments will add positions first, technology ranked first.

/---November Agency Eagle sponsor is TECHEXPO Top Secret----\

TECHEXPO Top Secret’s next job fairs are:

11/17, TECHEXPO Top Secret Career Fair, BWI Marriott, 1743 West Nursery Road, Baltimore, MD, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pre-register at http://www.techexpoUSA.com/index_VJS.cfm

11/18, TECHEXPO Top Secret Career Fair, Ritz Carlton Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Boulevard, McLean, VA, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pre-register at http://www.techexpoUSA.com/index_VJS.cfm

TECHEXPO Top Secret job fairs bring you face to face with security-cleared professionals. For 2009 event schedule, contact Nancy Mathew 212-655-4505 x225 or NMathew@TechExpoUSA.com.

\-----Please visit your November Agency Eagle sponsor TECHEXPO Top Secret at www.techexpousa.com-----/

3. US Brain Drain

Joyce Gioia of the Herman Group reports that more than 50 percent of the science graduate students in the United States are foreign-born. Due to a lack of emphasis on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects and the fear that the curricula will be too challenging, native-born students have passed up these post-college options. Filling the void have been the foreign-born for whom a US graduate degree was and is a meaningful ticket to a prosperous future. A trend the Herman Group had forecasted numerous times is now official: Within the next five years, hundreds of thousands Chinese and Indian immigrants who in the past would have stayed and worked for US companies will go home permanently. This history-making trend was recently revealed in a study by Professor Vivek Wadhwa of Duke University. The Brain Drain is already affecting US companies and will have increasingly devastating consequences.

There are several reasons why this homecoming is taking place. First, there are increasing job opportunities for the foreign students at home. In the last two years, the economies in India and China both grew much faster that the US. Not only are they welcomed with open arms, but because they have studied abroad, they have a better understanding of how to do business in the US. China even offers financial assistance and housing incentives to lure skilled workers home.

Second, because the Asian cultures are so different from those of the US, there is a strong comfort factor that is missing for workers choosing to stay. They miss their loved ones and rarely enjoy the same support systems.

Finally, US immigration laws and attitudes (fueled by 9/11 and recent economic challenges) discourage immigrants from staying. The now long and arduous process of obtaining one of the relatively few H1-B visas or applying for green card status dishearten even the most enthusiastic. The same situations apply to graduate students from South America, Africa, and the Middle East.

4. Health Care Costs Projections

SHRM reports that U.S. employers will see an increase in their medical benefit expenditures of 7% in 2010, creating significant affordability challenges for employers and employees. The study findings show that many employers are preparing to take action by embracing new approaches to benefit management that could transform the current model of health care delivery. To receive resources on this topic, visit SHRM's Hot Topics Express Request service at http://messaging.shrm.org/ct/L7auMFp1qzfx/ and select key term HEALTH CARE COSTS (BENEFITS).

5. Salary Increase Projections

SHRM reports that corporate salary budget increases have dropped to historic lows. New surveys indicate that the economic downturn continues to put pressure on employee salaries, though projections for 2010 suggest improvement. To receive resources on this topic, visit SHRM's Hot Topics Express Request service and select key term SALARY INCREASE PROJECTIONS (COMPENSATION).

6. Flag Etiquette

The “Star Spangled Banner” has been designated as the national anthem of the United States of America since 1931. During the playing of the anthem, when the flag is displayed, persons not in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with their right hand over their heart. Those in uniform should begin saluting the flag at the first note of the music and hold the salute until the last note of the anthem is played. Veterans in civilian clothes have the option of saluting or placing their hand over their heart. Those veterans wearing veteran service organization caps or uniforms of other patriotic organizations should salute.

7. National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of October 27, 2009

The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 108,131; Navy Reserve, 6,432; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 13,315; Marine Corps Reserve, 8,146; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 683. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been activated to 136,707, including both units and individual augmentees. A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel who are currently activated may be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2009/d20091027ngr.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 June 25, 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 attacking German troops near the Rhine-Marne Canal in France. (World War I)

1918 – World War I ends at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month with the signing of an Armistice. (World War I)

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 Nui Chom 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 received the Medal of Honor 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.

1999 – VetJobs went live on the Internet.

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VetJobs is exclusively sponsored and partially owned by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (www.vfw.org) and endorsed by The Vietnam Veterans of America (www.vva.org), the Naval Reserve Association (www.navy-reserve.org), the Veterans of Modern Warfare (www.vmwusa.org), the Student Veterans of America (www.studentveterans.org), the Military Order of the Purple Heart (www.purpleheart.org) and Hope4Heroes (www.hope4heroes.org).

You were opted-in when you as a recruitment ad agency brought an employer member to VetJobs, were referred to VetJobs or were part of an organization which opted-in to VetJobs.

To REMOVE or CHANGE your subscribed address, click here:
http://mh.databack.com/c.php?L=agencyeagle&E=#email#

VetJobs
P. O. Box 71445
Marietta, GA 30007-1445
877-Vet-Jobs (877-838-5627)
770-993-5117 Office
770.993.2875 Fax

Veterans make the best employees!
Freedom Is Never Free – Support Our Armed Forces and Veterans!

VetJobs is an appropriate employment service delivery system for EEOC, VEVRAA/JVA and OFCCP compliance support!

CareerXRoads Top Site
Seven year recipient of AIRS Top Recruiting Site
Six year recipient of WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Award
Four year recipient of Workforce Management Top 10 Recruiting Site
Only military job board selected by Reader’s Digest

VetJobs is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business

Ted Daywalt — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:48:16 +0000

VetJobs Veteran Eagle
Issue 10:11, Sunday, November 1, 2009
www.vetjobs.com

The Veteran Eagle is a newsletter for veterans, transitioning military, their family members and friends and supporters of VetJobs. Feel free to forward the newsletter to veterans and friends.

This month’s Veteran Eagle is sponsored by: Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve and TECHEXPO Top Secret

Contents:

1. Message from the Top

2. Companies Honoring Active Military & Veterans on Veterans Day

3. Call to Action Assisting Student Veterans

4. AMVETS DVD Task Force

5. Board of Veterans Appeals Expanded

6. VA Links Parkinson’s to Agent Orange

7. VA Staffs Office for Survivors of Veterans

8. Droves of Recruits to Ease Burden on Troops

9. Veterans Curation Project

10. Flag Etiquette

11. National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of October 27, 2009

12. Significant Events this Month in Military History

Thank you for reading this VetJobs Veteran Eagle newsletter. If you like the newsletter and what VetJobs, the VFW and endorsing veteran service organizations do to assist veterans and their family members find employment, please go to www.weddles.com/poll.htm and vote VetJobs for the WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Award!

From the VFW:
VETERANS DAY – NOVEMBER 11, 2009
Show Your Pride and Patriotism http://www.vfwstore.org/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=238

VFW INSURANCE
The Veterans of Foreign Wars offers great insurance benefits including auto, health and life. To find out more about these plans and other Insurance Benefits go to www.vfwinsurance.com

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1. Message from the Top

Happy 10th Birthday to VetJobs! As of 11:00 AM on November 11, VetJobs will have been serving the employment needs of transitioning military, veterans, wounded warriors, disabled veterans and their family members for ten years!. During that time, millions of veterans have used the site as a resource for guidance on how to conduct a job search, interviewing, career advice, referral to other appropriate career sites, to find military related job fairs, and most of all, to apply to thousands of military friendly employers who want to hire transitioning military, veterans, wounded warriors, disabled veterans and their family members!

So many new items came with Version 4.0 it would take many pages to describe everything VetJobs offers today. Recent changes include the expansion of the veteran and spouse resource pages that are full of new information. A frequently used tool is the Career Advisor, a career assessment test from one of the country’s leading testing firms, Candidate Resources, Inc (CRI), of Grand Prairie, TX. The test would normally cost $250, but CRI has donated thousands of tests to veterans and their family members. CRI is a true supporter of the military!

VetJobs is pleased to be sponsored and partially owned by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. In fact, VetJobs been endorsed by more veteran service organizations than any other site. VetJobs has been endorsed and has alliances with the Vietnam Veterans of America, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Association of the United States Navy, the Veterans of Modern Warfare, the Student Veterans of America, Hope4Heroes, and various intelligence related organizations. Being recognized and used as their job board by so many important veteran service organizations has kept VetJobs in the forefront of assisting veterans who need help! Visit the VetJobs Alliances page to see the many companies and non-profits with whom VetJobs has become aligned over the last ten years. Additionally, VetJobs materials are now used in state and federal Department of Labor offices, DOD Transition Assistance Program and Army Career & Alumni Program offices worldwide, as well as Veteran Administration offices.

Due to the impact VetJobs has had in the employment market, VetJobs has been elected to the Board of Governors of the International Association of Employment Web Sites, been appointed to the Small Business Council of the US Chamber of Commerce and has been subpoenaed to testify before the President’s Commission on the National Guard and Reserve. VetJobs has testified before Congress and worked with members of Congress regarding veteran and employment issues on many occasions. VetJobs has developed a very strong national reputation for being a major advocate for transitioning military, veterans, wounded warriors, disabled veterans and their family members.

Importantly, over the last ten years VetJobs has come to be recognized by the industry evaluators as THE leading military related job board on the Internet. VetJobs awards include: CareerXRoads Top Site; seven year recipient of AIRS Top Recruiting Site; six year recipient of WEDDLE’s prestigious User’s Choice Award; four year recipient of Workforce Management’s Top 10 Recruiting Site; and was the only military job board selected by Reader’s Digest in its list of 18 top sites! Notably, BusinessWeek is running an article about VetJobs which identifies VetJobs as the leading military job board in the November 16 issue, which comes out November 7 in time for Veterans Day. No other military related job board has received these prestigious recognitions!

It has been an exciting ten years. But the bottom line for the staff at VetJobs and our veteran service organization partners is that millions of veterans and their family members have come to the site seeking and receiving help and guidance on their job search. Thousands over the last ten years have taken advantage of the ability to call and get personal job counseling. More importantly, tens of thousands have found jobs applying to the employers who use VetJobs. And many more were able to get good jobs elsewhere due to the career advice, guidance and referrals to other sources and employers they received from the VetJobs site, their calls and email inquiries. Our mission is to help our brothers, sisters and their family members get jobs, and over the last ten years VetJobs has met that mission!

It is you, the transitioning military, veterans, wounded warriors, disabled veterans and your family members who have made VetJobs what it is today. Because of your service and commitment to our country, VetJobs, our partner veteran service organizations and alliance partners are committed to serving your needs in finding quality employment.

Thank you for serving. I and the staff of VetJobs look forward to continue serving you in the coming years.

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This past week I attended an incredible roundtable meeting of organizations working on the local level to assist wounded warriors. The roundtable is being run under the auspices of the CSRA Wounded Warrior Care Project. Executive Director Laurie Ott has brought together federal agencies, local schools, non-profits, politicians and businesses that can assist wounded warriors at the Eisenhower Army Medical Center. Importantly, she has created a forum for organizations to exchange information. Some of these organizations did not know the others existed or what they offered. As a result, the support for our wounded warriors in the August area is greatly enhanced! This is a program that needs to be duplicated nationwide. See Article 9 below to learn of a program that the CSRA Wound Warrior Care Project is assisting. To learn more about what the CSRA Wounded Warrior Care Project is doing please visit http://www.csrawwcp.org/, or contact Laurie Ott at laurie.ott@csrawwcp.org.

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On the economic front, the unemployment rate in September climbed to 9.8% while the unemployment rate for all veterans rose to 8.9%. The unemployment rate for many younger veterans who participate in the Guard and Reserve is exceptionally high due to DOD’s two year call up policy and heavy use of the Guard and Reserve to prosecute the wars. Too many employers will not now hire as a new employee someone who is active in the Guard and Reserve as the candidate will be gone for one to two years. Employers cannot run their businesses with employees gone for such extended periods.

The economy and what is happening to the job market seems to be on everyone’s mind. For many, it is a brutal job market. Yet even with 15 million people looking for work, many employers cannot find enough qualified people for good-paying career jobs. Economists say the main problem is an unequal match between available work and people qualified to do it. The unequal match will make it harder for the unemployment rate to drop down to a healthier level.

Millions of jobs with attractive pay and benefits that once drew legions of workers to the auto industry, construction, Wall Street and other sectors are gone, many forever. Many jobs moved to other areas of the country, but the emplyees cannot afford to move. And the people who lost those jobs generally lack the right experience for new positions popping up in healthcare, energy, biotechnology, information technology and engineering. Many of these specialized jobs were hard to fill even before the recession. But during downturns, recruiters tend to become even choosier and less willing to take financial risks on untested workers.

According to labor analysts, even during this recession companies are having a difficult time finding qualified accountants, health care workers, software sales representatives, actuaries, data analysts, physical therapists, morticians, pharmacists, and electrical engineers. In this last sentence note again the use of the descriptive adjective, qualified. Several pundants complain that there are six people for every job opening, the highest ratio on government records since 2000. They get these ratios by dividing the total number of unemployed by the total number of estimated jobs available. As the pundants generally are pushing a political or economic agenda, they disregard the fact that employers do not hire a candidate just to fill a job. Rather, employers hire “qualified” candidates who are capable of performing specified activities! That is the real world.

Recently there have been news reports that the recession is over or nearly over, and it may be in some areas. I use the word area to mean both geographic as well as industry sectors. But the economy is not one big monolith that moves uniformly. While some parts of the economy and sectors are in recovery others are still heading down. The bottom line is the U.S. economy is still shedding jobs and it is expected that the unemployment rate will rise above 10% in the months to come. While some have referred to this recovery as a jobless recovery, I prefer to use the term “less jobs recovery” as unlike the last recession, many employers are still hiring, but at a greatly reduced rate. There are jobs available, but the competition is fierce even if you are qualified.

If you are a student of history, you will remember that the Great Depression lasted ten years in the United States, but only about four years in Europe. Unfortunately, the current administration and Congress are repeating many of the same errors today that kept America in the Great Depression for so long during 1930’s. If you are concerned about these events, tell your members of congress that their behavior and activities are not helping the economy recover, making it harder for our veterans and family members to find quality jobs.

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As always, if there is anything we at VetJobs can do for you, please do not hesitate to call or email.

Remember, Freedom Is Never Free – Support Our Armed Forces and Veterans

Best regards,

Ted Daywalt
President

/—-November Veteran Eagle sponsor is Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve—-\

Nominate Your Employer for the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award!

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, invites nominations for the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award

Freedom Award recipients support their Guard and Reserve employees and their families in important ways, both large and small. Past recipients have provided differential pay during deployments, continued insurance benefits and sent comfort items in care packages. Some of the most valued assistance has been the support extended to deployed service members’ families. When one National Guard member was deployed, his employer filled his seat at his sons’ sports games. After another service member’s family hit hard times during a deployment, his employer stacked gifts under the family’s Christmas tree. And during the deployment of a single father, his employer sent his daughters off to school each morning with a wake up phone call.
These seemingly small acts have a significant impact on the lives of National Guard and Reserve members and their families.

Visit www.freedomaward.mil/nominate.aspx? to submit a nomination.

\—–Please visit your November Veteran Eagle sponsor Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve at www.esgr.mil—–/

2. Companies Honoring Active Military & Veterans on Veterans Day

Many restaurants, attractions and retail establishments now honor veterans (and some their families) on Veterans Day or days surrounding Veterans Day. Here is a list of those of which VetJobs is aware offering special deals. Requirements vary, but you will need one of the following: DD-214, military ID card, driver’s license indicating you were military, military leave and earnings statement, veterans service organization membership card or photograph in uniform or wearing uniform that identifies you as a veteran to participate with these great companies who are honoring veterans. As a general rule, when you are shopping or traveling, ask if the store, restaurant or hotel has a military discount. You will be surprised at how many offer these discounts. Enjoy and bon appetite!

-Free Applebee’s meals on Veterans Day
http://www.applebees.com/vetsday/

-McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants, Sunday, November 8 http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/featured-promotion/Veterans-Appreciation-Day.aspx

-Golden Corral Military Appreciation, Monday, November 16, http://www.goldencorral.com/military/#

-Knotts Berry Farm, November 1 through November 26
http://www.knotts.com/public/admission/prices/deals.cfm

-Lowes – 10% off on Veterans Day
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pg&p=Promos/veteransDay07.html&lks=hpsm1

-Home Depot – 10% discounts
http://www.homedepot.com

-Disney’s Armed Forces Salute at Disney Parks
http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/blog.php?b=322

-Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks – free park admission
http://commerce.4adventure.com/store/os_application.asp

/—November Veteran Eagle sponsor is TECHEXPO Top Secret—-\

TECHEXPO Top Secret’s next job fairs are:

11/17, TECHEXPO Top Secret Career Fair, BWI Marriott, 1743 West Nursery Road, Baltimore, MD, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pre-register at http://www.techexpoUSA.com/index_VJS.cfm

11/18, TECHEXPO Top Secret Career Fair, Ritz Carlton Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Boulevard, McLean, VA, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pre-register at http://www.techexpoUSA.com/index_VJS.cfm

Interview with leading government contractors. Full schedule of event details, & pre-registration at http://www.techexpoUSA.com/index_VJS.cfm. For professionals with active security clearance only. Free admission

\—–Please visit your November Veteran Eagle sponsor TECHEXPO Top Secret at www.techexpousa.com—-/

3. Call to Action Assisting Student Veterans

VFW National Commander Tradewell has issued a ‘call to action’ by asking VFW Posts nationwide to mobilize their resources on behalf of student veterans and assist those needing transportation to a VA regional office or college campus. “Today, I urge every VFW Post to reach-out to their respective student veteran communities. One easy way to do this is to first determine if there is a Student Veterans of America (SVA) chapter on campus. The SVA has a chapter locator that can be accessed by going to their website: http://www.studentveterans.org/chapters/chapterlocator.php and makes it easy to contact the student group and offer assistance. Since one of the SVA’s primary goals is to connect with groups with resources from outside their campuses to help meet the common needs of student veterans, they can help coordinate with VFW Posts and students needing transportation assistance. Otherwise, I encourage any VFW Post with a college campus anywhere in their vicinity, to contact the campus veteran’s representative or Dean’s office to help facilitate assistance.”

4. AMVETS DVD Task Force

AMVETS Task Force DVD is an appeal to patriotic Americans to donate their new and used DVDs which will then be shipped to our fighting men and women overseas. For more information, visit http://www.amvets.org/taskforcedvd

5. Board of Veterans Appeals Expanded

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki announced the addition of four new Veterans Law Judges to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA), which will enable the board to increase the number of cases being decided. BVA is an appeals body where veterans, their dependents, or their survivors can go when they’re not satisfied with decisions about claims for benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The board currently has 60 Veterans Law Judges. VA provides a pamphlet entitled, How Do I Appeal, to anyone who isn’t satisfied with the results of a benefits claim that was decided by a VA regional office, medical center or another local VA office. For more information about BVA or to download a copy of the pamphlet, visit VA’s Gateway to VA Appeals webpage at www.va.gov/vbs/bva.

6. VA Links Parkinson’s to Agent Orange

Stars and Stripes reports Veterans Affairs officials added three new illnesses to the list of diagnoses connected to Agent Orange, allowing quicker health care claims for Vietnam veterans suffering from Parkinson’s disease, hairy cell leukemia and ischemic heart disease. The move follows a study by the nongovernmental Institute of Medicine. The group has been studying the effects of Agent Orange since the early 1990s and this summer suggested a link between those diseases and the toxic Agent Orange chemicals. In a statement, VA secretary Eric Shinseki said the additions bring to 12 the number of “presumed” sicknesses linked to Agent Orange. Others include prostate cancer and Hodgkin’s disease. VA officials said that up to 250,000 veterans may benefit from the latest change. In a statement, Veterans of Foreign Wars national commander Thomas Tradewell Sr., a Vietnam veteran, called the additions a significant change and praised Shinseki for the move.

7. VA Staffs Office for Survivors of Veterans

VA News service reports that to strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs programs for survivors of the nation’s veterans and service members, the VA has staffed an office to serve as their advocate, with a charter that includes creating or modifying programs, benefits and services. The office serves as the primary adviser to the secretary on all issues affecting the survivors and dependents of deceased veterans and service members. It will monitor VA’s delivery of benefits to survivors, make appropriate referrals to VA offices for survivors seeking benefits, and explore innovative ways of reaching survivors who are not receiving the VA benefits for which they are eligible. VA benefits for eligible survivors include educational assistance, home-loan guaranties, health-care insurance, and dependency and indemnity compensation. Known as DIC, this is a monthly payment to the survivors of some people who die on active duty and some seriously disabled veterans. The establishment of this office was authorized in the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2008. For more information, call 800-827-1000 or visit the VA Web site at www.va.gov/.

8. Droves of Recruits to Ease Burden on Troops

The U.S. military reported the biggest surge in recruits since the end of the draft – an increase that likely will relieve pressure on troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan by allowing them to spend more time at home between overseas deployments. The U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force sent about 169,000 new recruits for training in the fiscal year that ended September 30. The Pentagon said this was the highest figure since 1973, the first year of the modern all-volunteer force. The numbers also exceed the Pentagon’s goal for the year of 164,000 new service members.

9. Veterans Curation Project

The mission of the Veterans Curation Project (VCP) is to provide wounded veterans with job training through the rehabilitation and preservation of archaeological collections owned or administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. On October 20, 2009, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Center of Expertise (CX) for Curation and Management of Archeological Collections (CMAC), St. Louis District, conducted a public opening of a groundbreaking new project. At the VCP laboratory in Augusta, GA, Iraq and Afghanistan returnees along with Vietnam era veterans are taking part in archaeological curation training under the Wounded Warrior Care Project. Two additional laboratories will open in St. Louis, MO, and Washington, DC. The skills obtained by the Wounded Warriors participating in the VCP are readily transferable to jobs in health care, police, fire, administrative, government and engineering career fields. The Augusta VCP, working in collaboration with the CSRA Wounded Warrior Care Project, the VA and the Georgia Department of Labor will assist VCP participants in job preparation and placement. To learn more about this exciting new program, contact “Sonny” Trimble at Michael.K.Trimble@usace.army.mil.

10. Flag Etiquette

11. National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of October 27, 2009

12. Significant Events this Month in Military History

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 attacking German troops near the Rhine-Marne Canal in France. (World War I)

1918 – World War I ends at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month with the signing of an Armistice. (World War I)

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).

1979 – Iranian militants seized the US Embassy in Tehran, held 65 Americans hostage.

1999 – VetJobs went live on the Internet.

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VetJobs is exclusively sponsored and partially owned by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (www.vfw.org) and endorsed by The Vietnam Veterans of America (www.vva.org), the Association of the US Navy (www.navy-reserve.org), the Veterans of Modern Warfare (www.vmwusa.org), the Student Veterans of America (www.studentveterans.org), the Military Order of the Purple Heart (www.purpleheart.org) and Hope4Heroes (www.hope4heroes.org).
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You were opted-in when you posted a resume, were referred to VetJobs or were part of a military organization which opted-in to VetJobs. To REMOVE or CHANGE your address, click this URL: http://mh.databack.com/c.php?L=vetjobs&E=#email#

VetJobs
P. O. Box 71445
Marietta, GA 30007-1445
770-Vet-Jobs (877-838-5627)
770-993-5117 Office
770.993.2875 Fax

Veterans make the best employees!
Freedom Is Never Free – Support Our Armed Forces and Veterans!

VetJobs is an appropriate employment service delivery system for EEOC, VEVRAA/JVA and OFCCP compliance support!

Seven year recipient of AIRS Top Recruiting Site
Six year recipient of WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Award
Four year recipient of Workforce Management Top 10 Recruiting Site
Only military job board selected by Reader’s Digest
CareerXRoads Top Recruiting Site

VetJobs is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business

Ted Daywalt — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:45:31 +0000

VetJobs Early Eagle
Issue 10:11, Sunday, November 1, 2009
www.vetjobs.com

VetJobs is an appropriate employment service delivery system for EEOC, VEVRAA/JVA and OFCCP compliance support!

The VetJobs Early Eagle is for member employers, recruiters, friends and supporters of VetJobs. Feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and other employers.

This issue sponsored by Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve and TECHEXPO Top Secret

Contents:

1. Message from the Top

2. EDGE Report

3. Veterans Curation Project

4. US Brain Drain

5. Health Care Costs Projections

6. Salary Increase Projections

7. Flag Etiquette

8. National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of October 27, 2009

9. Significant Events this Month in Military History

Thank you for reading the VetJobs Early Eagle employer newsletter. If you like this newsletter and what VetJobs and the VFW do to assist veterans and their family member find employment, please go to http://www.weddles.com/poll.htm and vote VetJobs for the WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Award!

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1. Message from the Top

Happy 10th Birthday to VetJobs!

As of 11:00 AM on November 11, VetJobs will have been serving the hiring needs of employers seeking to hire veterans and their family members for ten years! During that time, millions of veterans have used the VetJobs site and employers have hired tens of thousands of veterans using VetJobs. Thousands of employers have made use of the Employer Resources section of VetJobs, as well as called VetJobs for assistance regarding employment campaigns to reach veterans, transitioning military, wounded warriors, disabled veterans and their family members.

VetJobs is pleased to be sponsored and partially owned by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. In fact, VetJobs been endorsed by more veteran service organizations than any other site. VetJobs has been endorsed and has alliances with the Vietnam Veterans of America, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Association of the United States Navy, the Veterans of Modern Warfare, the Student Veterans of America, Hope4Heroes, and various intelligence related organizations. Being recognized and used as their job board by so many important veteran service organizations has kept VetJobs in the forefront of reaching those veterans seeking employment. Additionally, VetJobs materials are now used in state and federal Department of Labor offices, DOD Transition Assistance Program and Army Career & Alumni Program offices worldwide, as well as Veteran Administration offices. This phenomenal reach has assisted our member employers in identifying qualified candidates to hire from the transitioning military and veteran market place!

Important to our member employers, over the last ten years VetJobs has come to be recognized by the industry evaluators as THE leading military related job board on the Internet. VetJobs awards include: CareerXRoads Top Site; seven year recipient of AIRS Top Recruiting Site; six year recipient of WEDDLE’s prestigious User’s Choice Award; four year recipient of Workforce Management’s Top 10 Recruiting Site; and was the only military job board selected by Reader’s Digest in its list of 18 top sites! Notably, BusinessWeek is running an article about VetJobs which identifies VetJobs as the leading military job board in the November 16 issue, which comes out November 7 in time for Veterans Day. No other military related job board has received all these prestigious recognitions!

It has been an exciting ten years. But the bottom line for the staff at VetJobs and our veteran service organization partners is that millions of veterans and their family members have come to the site seeking and receiving help and guidance on their job search, which in turn translated to tens of thousands of veterans and their family members being hired by you, our member employers. The VetJobs mission is to assist veterans, transitioning military, wounded warriors, disabled veterans and their family members find jobs. Over the last ten years VetJobs has met that mission!

Thank you for your support. The staff of VetJobs and I look forward to continue serving you in the coming years.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds. But this much is sure. If you need a quality employee, hire a veteran. And VetJobs is the best medium to reach the veteran candidate market!

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As always, if there is anything we at VetJobs can do for you, please do not hesitate to call or email. Feel free to share the Early Eagle with other employers!

And remember, Freedom Is Never Free – Support Our Armed Forces and Veterans!

Best regards,

Ted Daywalt
President

/—-November Early Eagle sponsor is Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve—-\

Nominate Your Company for the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award!

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, invites nominations for the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award

Visit www.freedomaward.mil/nominate.aspx? to submit a nomination.

\-----Please visit your November Early Eagle sponsor Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve at www.esgr.mil-----/

2. EDGE Report

1) It is taking hiring managers 4.5 to 14.4 weeks to fill a vacancy. A shortage of qualified applicants was noted as the top hiring challenge.

2) Companies aren't focusing exclusively on full-time additions. 40% said they intend to bring in contract, part-time or temp employees.

3) 45% of workers plan to change employers or careers when the economy recovers.

4) Information Technology is expected to be a top area for change in the coming years. When managers were asked which departments will add positions first, technology ranked first.

/---November Early Eagle sponsor is TECHEXPO Top Secret----\

TECHEXPO Top Secret’s next job fairs are:

11/17, TECHEXPO Top Secret Career Fair, BWI Marriott, 1743 West Nursery Road, Baltimore, MD, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pre-register at http://www.techexpoUSA.com/index_VJS.cfm

11/18, TECHEXPO Top Secret Career Fair, Ritz Carlton Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Boulevard, McLean, VA, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pre-register at http://www.techexpoUSA.com/index_VJS.cfm

TECHEXPO Top Secret job fairs bring you face to face with security-cleared professionals. For 2009 event schedule, contact Nancy Mathew 212-655-4505 x225 or NMathew@TechExpoUSA.com. http://www.TechExpoUSA.com

\-----Please visit your November Early Eagle sponsor TECHEXPO Top Secret ----/

3. Veterans Curation Project

4. US Brain Drain

Joyce Gioia of the Herman Group reports that more than 50% of the science graduate students in the United States are foreign-born. Due to a lack of emphasis on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects and the fear that the curricula will be too challenging, native-born students have passed up these post-college options. Filling the void have been the foreign-born for whom a US graduate degree was and is a meaningful ticket to a prosperous future. A trend the Herman Group had forecasted numerous times is now official: Within the next five years, hundreds of thousands Chinese and Indian immigrants who in the past would have stayed and worked for US companies will go home permanently. This history-making trend was recently revealed in a study by Professor Vivek Wadhwa of Duke University. The Brain Drain is already affecting US companies and will have increasingly devastating consequences.

5. Health Care Costs Projections

6. Salary Increase Projections

7. Flag Etiquette

8. National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of October 27, 2009

9. Significant Events this Month in Military History

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 attacking German troops near the Rhine-Marne Canal in France. (World War I)

1918 – World War I ends at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month with the signing of an Armistice. (World War I)

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).

1979 – Iranian militants seized the US Embassy in Tehran, held 65 Americans hostage.

1999 – VetJobs went live on the Internet.

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VetJobs is exclusively sponsored and partially owned by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (www.vfw.org) and endorsed by the Vietnam Veterans of America (www.vva.org), the Naval Reserve Association (www.navy-reserve.org), the Veterans of Modern Warfare (www.vmwusa.org), the Student Veterans of America (www.studentveterans.org), the Military Order of the Purple Heart (www.purpleheart.org) and Hope4Heroes (www.hope4heroes.org).
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
You were opted-in when you became a paid employer member, were referred to VetJobs or were part of an organization which opted-in to VetJobs.

To REMOVE or CHANGE your subscribed address, click here:
http://mh.databack.com/c.php?L=earlyeagle&E=#email#

VetJobs
P. O. Box 71445
Marietta, GA 30007-1445
877-Vet-Jobs (877-838-5627)
770-993-5117 Office
770.993.2875 Fax

Veterans make the best employees!
Freedom Is Never Free – Support Our Armed Forces and Veterans!

VetJobs is an appropriate employment service delivery system for EEOC, VEVRAA/JVA and OFCCP compliance support!

VetJobs is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business

Ted Daywalt — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:14:00 +0000

VetJobs Agency Eagle
Issue 10:10, Thursday, October 1, 2009
www.vetjobs.com

VetJobs is an appropriate employment service delivery system for EEOC, VEVRAA/JVA and OFCCP compliance!

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and other recruitment advertising agencies.

The VetJobs Agency Eagle is the VetJobs newsletter for recruitment advertising agencies.

This issue sponsored by TECHEXPO Top Secret

Contents:

1. Message from the Top

2. VetJobs Case Study

3. US Chamber Veteran Event in November

4. History of Columbus Day

5. History of Navy Day

6. Discriminatory Twist in Networking Sites Puts Recruiters in Peril

7. Flag Etiquette

8. National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of September 29, 2009

9. Significant Events this Month in Military History

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1. Message from the Top

Every once in awhile you find information that reinforces what you are doing. You know you are doing the right thing and are a leader in your space, but you are always looking for hard, concrete data to back up your position. This month VetJobs had that happen when I was given the results of a campaign Maid Brigade was running on VetJobs and on Military.com/Monster.com. The results are described in article 2 below. The results confirm again that VetJobs has the best market penetration in the transitioning military and veteran market space. The bottom line is VetJobs delivered 845 quality candidates to only 44 from Military.com/Monster.com. The data was captured by Google Analytics. This information is now on www.vetjobs.com in our new Media Kit.

If you need to reach transitioning military and veteran candidates for one of your clients, or if you have a client in need of EEOC, VEVRAA/JVA and OFCCP compliance support, please consider proposing VetJobs as a recruiting site! VetJobs can deliver for your customers!

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OFCCP – The mere pronouncing of the letters will give many of your clients and HR managers the chills. The acronym stands for Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program, a division of the US Department of Labor (DOL). The law that created OFCCP was meant to promote compliance with equal employment and non-discrimination among Federal contractors, but in the process of writing applicable statutory regulations, bureaucrats at DOL have “re-interpreted” the law so it applies to just about any organization over 50 employees.

In FY 2008, OFCCP made total financial assessments, the new politically correct way to say fines at DOL, of $67,510,892 in back pay and annualized salary and benefits for a record 24,508 American workers who had allegedly been subjected to unlawful employment discrimination. This marks the fourth consecutive year that OFCCP has posted record enforcement numbers. FY 2009 has already surpassed the $67 million in assessments. The 2008 monetary assessments reflected a 133% increase over financial assessments obtained in FY 2001. This also represents a 30.8% increase over assessments of $51,680,950 received for 22,251 workers in FY 2007

OFCCP reportedly quadrupled their staff last year and now many of the new auditors are hitting the streets conducting audits of your clients. The FY 2010 budget request includes a program increase of $25,600,000 to fund another 213 FTEs and a new case management system. Obviously, DOL has found a real money maker for the government.

It is well understood that OFCCP intends to audit significantly more construction contractors than it has in previous years in light of the increase in federal construction contractors resulting from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). And OFCCP is targeting many large defense related contractors where the potential for assessments are the greatest.

To learn more about OFCCP compliance, I strongly recommend you and your clients visit http://www.dol.gov/esa/ofccp/regs/compliance/ofcpcomp.htm and read the areas on compliance and the FAQs as an OFCCP auditor may be visiting you soon. There are strict (if not onerous) requirements for record keeping regarding job postings and resume searches. You need to be aware of these myriad record keeping requirements so as to protect your clients (some of which conflict with EEOC) or they will be paying assessments.

When your client is going through an audit, they cannot tell the auditor they will provide the requested data in a few days or weeks. They have to have all the data available during the audit. A rhyme has started making the circuit for those who have been audited that goes: have the right data right now or write a check!

With the increased number of audits taking place, I am hearing of some strange activity that is not covered on the OFCCP internet site, in the FAQs or the final rules when it comes to how the audits are taking place.

Here are some examples:

- Several national members have seen a distinct pattern in the audits. When an auditor conducts a desk audit and does not find anything on which to give an assessment, the auditor’s superiors, particularly at the regional level, tell the auditor to go back and dig deeper until they can find something on which to assess. The obvious goal of the return visits and deeper digging is to levy an assessment. This no longer sounds like a government audit, but does sound very much like a person who has to meet a quota!

-When companies have membership on various job boards, the recruiters who conduct resume searches frequently all use the same access codes. In one audit, I am told the auditor looked at the various resume searches conducted on a major job board and asked which recruiter did which resume search. The company did not keep track of who was doing each search, so could not answer specifically. The company was reportedly hit with an assessment. On the VetJobs site, we make it possible for an administrator to assign access codes to each recruiter so the company can track which recruiter conducted which resume searches. All the required data for an OFCCP audit is captured for each identified recruiter.

-Last month, a major government contractor was receiving a desk audit and the auditor asked for something no one had heard of before. Many companies use job posting services to broadcast their jobs to various job boards. In the past, auditors accepted the batches as proof that the jobs had been posted to the listed sites. However, this auditor asked to see a screen print of a specific job on specific job boards from a date last year. Of course, no one has been keeping such records as this “new” requirement is not listed on the DOL OFCCP site or in any of the final rules. The government contractor was reportedly hit with an assessment since they could not produce a screen shot.

After hearing about this latest incident, VetJobs is now working on a program that will capture screen shots of all jobs posted via the FTP batch system and keep the data for the required two years. We hope to have the system live in sixty days.

There have been other disturbing incidents reported to VetJobs. The incidents seem to indicate that the sole goal of some audits is to raise money and we are looking to verify the reports. If you have heard of a strange or disturbing incident during an audit of one of your clients, I would like to hear about it. You can send it to me at info@vetjobs.com.

The bottom line here is OFCCP is not something to be treated lightly when it comes to the onerous record keeping required of your client’s company. The assessments are growing and it is quite apparent that OFCCP is being used by DOL as a money maker. So prepare well. Be sure the internet sites you recommend to your clients can truly provide them OFCCP compliance support. Caveat emptor really does apply in this arena. If you have questions, feel free to contact me via email or call me at 877-838-5627. I look forward to hearing from you.

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This month we celebrate the 234th birthday of the United States Navy. At an October 13, 1775 meeting in Philadelphia, the Continental Congress voted to fit out two sailing vessels, armed with ten carriage guns, as well as swivel guns. The frigates were to be manned by crews of eighty and to cruise the Atlantic for three months to intercept transports carrying munitions and stores to the British army in America. This was the original legislation out of which the Continental Navy grew and as such constitutes the birth certificate of the Navy. If you meet a current or former member of the Navy, say Happy Birthday!

Other events celebrated this month include:

October 12 – Columbus Day

October 13 – Navy Day.

September 15 through October 15 – Hispanic Heritage Month

October 31 – Halloween.

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Have you ever been to a function where the United States flag is presented and seen people who do not put their hand over their heart as the flag goes by? Or been to a political event and seen individuals who do not rise when the group is saying the Pledge of Allegiance? Unfortunately, this is happening more now than in the past. Much of this improper behavior is due to ignorance. Much can be attributed to the fact that many schools in the effort to be politically correct do not teach flag manners – how to honor and display the American flag.

Case in point, I was recently at a town hall meeting where four protestors deliberately sat through the presentation of the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. This was disturbing to many of the attendees, and while it is the right of the protesters to make a political statement by refusing to honor the flag of our country, I considered it an insult and a public display of their gross ignorance. There are better ways to protest than to dishonor the flag of the United States.

An unfurled flag symbolizes the love and pride that we have as a nation. The flag is a poignant reminder of America’s greatness and our fortune to live in a country which values freedom above all else. The flag signifies the commitment made by our forefathers and fallen comrades who battled bravely to defend the honor of this sacred emblem of a free federal republic that signifies American unity, power and purpose as a nation. Our flag continues the promise of liberty, justice and freedom for all. The flag reflects America’s continuing pledge to uphold our democratic based ideas and work for peace throughout the world.

So starting with this newsletter, I will be adding a paragraph each month on how to properly display the flag – See article 7 below. Be sure to fly your flag at both home and at your place of work. If you need a flag, a great place to buy one is at the VFW Store at www.vfwstore.org.

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On the economic front, the US economy may have bottomed out and is slowly starting to climb out of the recession. Many pundits and politicians like to claim it is due to the stimulus package passed by congress, but I rather doubt that is the reason since less than five percent of the stimulus package has been spent! For many sectors, the federal stimulus may provide the economic shot in the arm that is critical to stemming catastrophic job and population losses. But these short-term stimulus projects must be conceived, developed, and managed in the context of a longer-term plan for economic health of the economy. If the economy is indeed resetting itself, as the data suggest, then communities and regions must commit to a longer-term vision, strategies, and implementation plans to ensure continued growth.

Some indications that the economy is improving include:

- Jobless claims fell to the lowest level since July

- The Federal Reserve reported that American households were $2 trillion richer on June 30 than they were three months earlier, the first time in two years that household net worth had increased.

- The Conference Board reported the index of leading economic indicators rose 0.6% in August, the fifth straight increase.

- In some markets home prices have increased the most since 2005.

- Gross domestic product contracted at a 1.2% annual rate from April to June, the smallest drop in a year.

- The “cash for clunkers” effort and first-time homebuyer credits are giving manufacturing and housing, the two areas at the center of the economic slump. The plans were a boost last quarter, but will not help as the economy moves forward.

- Many economists predict the worst is over and the third quarter will be a strong growth quarter.

- The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index has jumped 57% since it reached a 12-year low on March 9 of this year.

- Encouraged by government subsidies to buy cars, U.S. consumer spending soared 1.3% in August. This is the fastest increase since the post-9/11 shopping binge eight years ago

- Declines in business stockpiles, which dropped last quarter at the fastest pace on record, have set the stage for a pickup in manufacturing.

- The drag from housing is dissipating. Sales of new homes rose last month to the highest level in almost a year.

- And finally, payroll decline is slowing.

While all this is good news, we still have a long, long way to go before the economy is sound again. Importantly, while the worst of the housing sub-prime debacle caused by the Congress and the socialistic Community Re-investment Act has passed, the country still faces the possibility of a similar debacle in the commercial real estate sector. How that will play out is still very much up in the air.

Let us hope that some of our leaders in Congress will follow the much heralded moves by European governments away from socialism to capitalism. Europe had been the largest test bed for socialism in world history and all the European states have concluded socialism does not work. The ideas were great until they had to start paying the bills. Hopefully our government leaders will learn from the European experience!

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Please look at article 3 below concerning a special program called Business Steps Up: Hiring Our Heroes Summit sponsored by the United States Chamber of Commerce. If you can attend on November 12, you will be participating in a very exciting program. I will be participating in the program and look forward to seeing you there!

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Also, be sure to read article 6 below about the legal perils of using social networking sites (SNS) as a sourcing tool for candidates. SNS can be effective in some cases, but if used exclusively as a source will have serious EEOC, JVA and OFCCP compliance issues. And those issues mean your clients may pay some serious fines. So beware.

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Finally, October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime, and women 20 to 24 are at the greatest risk. Most cases of domestic violence are never reported to the police. And men are victims, too. More than 834,000 men report being domestically assaulted annually. People who are abused often feel as though no one will believe them, or they think they have nowhere to go for help.

While we cannot concern ourselves with every detail of a person’s life, we can be aware of changes in behavior, moods and certainly appearance of those around us. If you are in a leadership position, part of the responsibility of being a leader is taking care of those for whom you are responsible. It is your responsibility to make sure your people are OK, both at work and at home. The mark of a good leader is the ability to listen and then act.

Please be aware. For more information, visit the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence at http://dvam.vawnet.org/. No one deserves to be abused!

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As always, if there is anything we at VetJobs can do for you, please do not hesitate to call or email. Feel free to share the Agency Eagle with your clients!

And remember, Freedom Is Never Free – Support Our Armed Forces and Veterans!

Best regards,

Ted Daywalt
President

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2. VetJobs Case Study

Maid Brigade recently posted information on VetJobs, Military.com/Monster.com and other sites. Maid Brigade used Google Analytics to track their responses. After seven weeks, here are the responses the company received from the various sources:

Source/Medium Visits
walletpop.com/referral 813
(direct)/(VetJobs) 556
vjw2.vetjobs.com/referral 257
maidbrigade.com/referral 251
maidbrigadefranchise.com/referral 110
mail.google.com/referral 110
Google/organic 61
franchise.org/referral 48
military.com/referral 44
vetjobs.com/referral 32

In the above information, the 556 direct applicants were attributed to flyers VetJobs distributed at various veteran service organization (VFW, VMW, VVA and AUSN) conferences. The flyers were the only advertised source where candidates had to type in a URL. The 257 vjw2.vetjobs.com and the 32 vetjobs.com were referral accessions directly from the VetJobs site to a Maid Brigade URL.

RESULTS

The combined total for VetJobs is 845. Military.com/Monster.com delivered only 44. In total, VetJobs delivered 19.2 more applicants than did Military.com/Monster.com.

On the direct site to site referrals where candidates clicked on a hotlink to go to the Maid Brigade promotional URL, VetJobs delivered 289 versus Military.com/Monster.com 44. On site to site referrals VetJobs delivered 6.5 times more applicants that Military.com/Monster.com.

This case study confirms again the effectiveness of VetJobs and how VetJobs dominates the military and veteran market space.

3. US Chamber Veteran Event in November

On November 12 the United States Chamber of Commerce’s National Chamber Foundation will host its second annual Business Steps Up: Hiring Our Heroes summit to focus on employment issues facing returning military, veterans, reservists, National Guard and their families. Key leaders of the U.S. military and members of the veteran’s affairs community, including keynote speaker General Eric Shinseki, will discuss ways the private sector can support our returning military personnel while benefitting from that workforce’s extensive training and experience. For more information, please visit http://ncf.uschamber.com/businessstepsup2009/. If you attend, please be sure to tell the Chamber you heard about the event via VetJobs Early Eagle!

/—October Agency Eagle sponsor is TECHEXPO Top Secret—-\

TECHEXPO Top Secret’s next job fairs are:

10/6, TECHEXPO Top Secret Career Fair, Doubletree Hotel Colorado Springs, 1775 E Cheyenne Mountain Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pre-register at http://www.techexpoUSA.com/index_VJS.cfm
10/6, TECHEXPO Top Secret Career Fair, Doubletree Hotel Colorado Springs, 1775 E Cheyenne Mountain Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pre-register at http://www.techexpoUSA.com/index_VJS.cfm

10/20, TECHEXPO Top Secret Career Fair, BWI Marriott, 1743 West Nursery Road, Baltimore, MD, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pre-register at http://www.techexpoUSA.com/index_VJS.cfm

10/21, TECHEXPO Top Secret Career Fair, Sheraton Reston, 11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pre-register at http://www.techexpoUSA.com/index_VJS.cfm

\—–Please visit your October Agency Eagle sponsor TECHEXPO Top Secret —-/

4. History of Columbus Day

The first recorded celebration honoring the discovery of America by Europeans took place on October 12, 1792 in New York City. The event, which celebrated the 300th anniversary of Columbus’ landing in the New World, was organized by The Society of St. Tammany (also known as the Columbian Order). San Francisco’s Italian community held their first Columbus Day celebration in 1869. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison urged citizens to participate in the 400th anniversary celebration of Columbus’ first voyage. It was during this event that the Pledge of Allegiance, written by Francis Bellamy, was recited publically for the first time. Colorado was the first state to observe the holiday in 1905. In 1937, President Roosevelt proclaimed October 12 as “Columbus Day” and in 1971, President Nixon declared the second Monday of October a national holiday.

5. History of Navy Day

In the United States, the Navy League of the United States organized the first Navy Day in 1922, holding it on October 27 because it was the birthday of the Navy-supporting President Theodore Roosevelt. Although meeting with mixed reviews the first year, in 1923 over 50 major cities participated, and the United States Navy sent a number of its ships to various port cities for the occasion. The 1945 Navy Day was an especially large celebration, with President Harry S. Truman reviewing the fleet in New York Harbor. In 1949, Louis A. Johnson, secretary of the newly-created Department of Defense, directed that the U.S. Navy’s participation occur on Armed Forces Day in May, although as a civilian organization the Navy League was not affected by this directive, and continued to organize Navy Day celebrations as before. In the 1970s, the “birthday” of the Continental Navy was found to be October 13, 1775, and so CNO Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt worked with the Navy League to define October 13 as the new date of Navy Day.

6. Discriminatory Twist in Networking Sites Puts Recruiters in Peril

The following information is summarized from an article by Fay Hansen at Workforce Management.

Sourcing applicants from Twitter or LinkedIn or screening candidates through Facebook or MySpace may open employers to discrimination charges.

In the rush to cut recruiting budgets and avoid the avalanche of résumés now generated by job boards, employers are increasingly tapping professional and social networking sites as a sourcing tool. Some employers now rely heavily or even exclusively on Twitter or LinkedIn to fill open positions. While this approach may create short-term cost savings and new efficiencies, it may also skew applicant pools and trigger discrimination lawsuits.

“Networking sites, including Twitter, exclude whole populations,” says Jessica Roe, managing partner at Bernick, Lifson, Greenstein, Greene & Liszt in Minneapolis. “We are going to end up with a very homogenous workforce. The social networks represent limited social groups and very small labor pools. It’s an enormous issue……Social networking sites are problematic because the population is limited and highly selective,” Roe notes. “I anticipate more race and age claims over the next two years, and a significant portion will be from sourcing through social networking sites, where the users are generally white and age 20 to 40. We’ll see lawsuits.” According to the latest data from Quantcast, only 5% of LinkedIn users are black and only 2% are Hispanic.

Using networks for recruiting is ripe with risk for future discrimination claims, says Pamela Devata, a partner at Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago. “Sourcing from professional network sites such as LinkedIn carries a risk that the method could be challenged on discrimination grounds,” Devata says. “It represents a hiring pool that is not open to the general population. Using a limited network may have a disparate impact. If hiring through these networks can be challenged, it will be.” Employers should consider the risk of litigation arising from disparate impact claims.

Employers who rely heavily on professional and social networks for sourcing candidates may also encounter record-keeping issues. “When the OFCCP [Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs] or plaintiffs’ attorneys come along with a discovery request and want to see the trail for recruiting, these employers are going to come up short,” Mollica warns. “The problem they will have created is that the data and the paper will not be there, and they will only have evidence in digital form on smart phones and flash drives. How will they pull it together? Employers will be left throwing up their hands. Worse yet, when the EEOC comes knocking to investigate a complaint, the records are in a digital mist, and that could be a terrible problem. It’s risky because the records aren’t there.”

When sourcing is complete and recruiters move into the selection phase, using social networks to screen candidates generates additional legal risks. “The use of the Internet to screen candidates exposes recruiters to information on individuals who are members of groups protected under federal law,” Mollica notes. Some of the information recruiters gain from Facebook or MySpace pages, such as race and gender identification, would normally be available on applications or in interviews. “But identifiers that might not normally be apparent, such as religion, pregnancy, age and sexual orientation, may be revealed on social networking sites,” Mollica notes. “The risk is that visiting Facebook or MySpace pages or even Googling candidates may reveal information that no employer should have in a properly constructed application or interview.” Consequently, recruiters must think carefully about what they may find before they troll social networking sites.

In addition, record keeping becomes an issue. “It is perilous to search the Internet for information about candidates without keeping a record,” Mollica notes. “But where does that record live? On every office computer, on the recruiter’s home computer, on smart phones? What happens is that a judge or jury draws an inference that if you didn’t maintain records, the records must have been prejudicial.”

7. Flag Etiquette

The Flag Code, a national guideline on ways in which the flag is to be respected, states that no disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America. When rendering the Pledge of Allegiance, persons should stand at attention, face the flag, and if in uniform, salute, or otherwise place the right hand over the heart. Persons wearing the caps of veteran service organizations may salute. Uniformed organizations like Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts should render respect to the flag in accordance with the traditions of the organization whose uniform they are wearing.

8. National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of September 29, 2009

The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 109,188; Navy Reserve, 6,405; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 15,949; Marine Corps Reserve, 8,559; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 656. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been activated to 140,757, including both units and individual augmentees. A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel who are currently activated may be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2009/d20090929ngr.pdf

9 Significant Events this Month in Military History

1781 – British troops under General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington at Yorktown, Virginia, effectively ending the American Revolution.

1775 – The US Navy was established.

1901 – The first British Navy submarine was commissioned.

1944 – Battle of Leyte Gulf

1950 – The invasion of North Korea started.

1952 – Battle of Hill 598 began, Korean War

1957 – The Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, first man-made earth satellite.

1962 – The U.S. began its blockade of Cuba to compel the Russians to remove long-range missiles aimed at the United States.

1964 – The Chinese exploded their first atomic bomb.

1965 – The Battle of the La Drang Valley, Vietnam War.

1968 – The Bombing of North Vietnam ended.

1969 – Battle of Loc Ninh, Vietnam War

1971 – Operation Jefferson Glenn, the last major operation in which US ground forces participated in Vietnam

1973 – Egypt and Syria launched military offensive against Israel

1983 -Terrorist attack on Marine Barracks, Beirut

1983 – Operation Urgent Fury, Grenada

1993 – Battle of Bakhara Market, Mogadishu, Somalia

2000 – Bombing of the USS Cole by Al-Qaeda terrorists

2001 – Operation Enduring Freedom began in Afghanistan

2001 – War on Terror Began

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VetJobs is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business

Ted Daywalt — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:38:30 +0000

VetJobs Early Eagle
Issue 10:10, Thursday, October 1, 2009
www.vetjobs.com

VetJobs is an appropriate employment service delivery system for EEOC, VEVRAA/JVA and OFCCP compliance support!

The VetJobs Early Eagle is for member employers, recruiters, friends and supporters of VetJobs. Feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and other employers.

This issue sponsored by TECHEXPO Top Secret and CRI University

Contents:

1. Message from the Top

2. US Chamber Veteran Event in November

3. History of Columbus Day

4. History of Navy Day

5. New Al Qaeda Bomb Technique Seen As Severe Threat to Airline Security

6. Discriminatory Twist in Networking Sites Puts Recruiters in Peril

7. Flag Code

8. National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of September 29, 2009

9. Significant Events this Month in Military History

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1. Message from the Top

OFCCP – The mere pronouncing of the letters is starting to give many human resource managers the chills. The acronym stands for Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program, a division of the US Department of Labor (DOL). The law that created OFCCP was meant to promote compliance with equal employment and non-discrimination among Federal contractors, but in the process of writing applicable statutory regulations, bureaucrats at DOL have “re-interpreted” the law so it applies to just about any organization over 50 employees.

OFCCP reportedly quadrupled their staff last year and now many of the new auditors are hitting the streets conducting audits. The FY 2010 budget request includes a program increase of $25,600,000 to fund another 213 FTEs and a new case management system. Obviously, DOL has found a real money maker for the government.

To learn more about OFCCP compliance, I strongly recommend you visit http://www.dol.gov/esa/ofccp/regs/compliance/ofcpcomp.htm and read the areas on compliance and the FAQs as an OFCCP auditor may be visiting you soon. There are strict (if not onerous) requirements for record keeping regarding job postings and resume searches. You need to be aware of these myriad record keeping requirements (some of which conflict with EEOC) or you will be paying assessments.

When you are going through an audit, you cannot tell the auditor you will provide the requested data in a few days or weeks. You have to have all the data available during the audit. A rhyme has started making the circuit for those who have been audited that goes: have the right data right now or write a check!

Here are some examples:

There have been other disturbing incidents reported to VetJobs whose sole goal seems to be to raise money and we are looking to verify the reports. If you have had a strange or disturbing incident during an audit, I would like to hear about it. You can send it to me at info@vetjobs.com.

The bottom line here is OFCCP is not something to be treated lightly when it comes to the record keeping required of your company. The assessments are growing and it is quite apparent that OFCCP is being used by DOL as a money maker. So prepare well. Be sure the internet sites you use can truly provide you OFCCP compliance support. Caveat emptor truly applies in this arena. If you have questions, feel free to contact me via email or call me at 877-838-5627. I look forward to hearing from you.

Other events celebrated this month include:

October 12 – Columbus Day

October 13 – Navy Day.

September 15 through October 15 – Hispanic Heritage Month

October 31 – Halloween.

For members of the military who have served and fought for our country, few things evoke such strong emotion as seeing the flag presented at a ceremony to honor an event or seeing a flag draped over a coffin as a sign of mourning for a hero or loved one.