Issue 13:02, Wednesday, February 1, 2012
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 and encourage them to subscribe.
This month’s Veteran Eagle is sponsored by: BNSF Railway, TECHEXPO Top Secret and iVetConnect
Contents:
1. Message from the Top
2. 2012 WEDDLEs User’s Choice Award Recipients
3. National Center for PTSD
4. New Law Will Give Tax Relief to Spouses of Disabled Veterans
5. Top High-paying Jobs for Veterans
6. Officials Announce New Law Enforcement Partnership to Protect Military Community
7. VETFORCE CVE Verification Survey
8. 3.6% Increase in Compensation and Pension Benefits
9. Early Retirement Program to be Implemented
10. National Guard (in Federal Status) and Reserve Activated as of January 31, 2012
11. 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 – - – - – - – -
VFW Insurance Programs
For information about various insurance plans sponsored by VFW National Headquarters, please visit www.vfwinsurance.com or call 1-800-821-2606, option 1
To join the VFW or to find out about eligibility, please visit https://www.vfw.org/oms/ssl/NewMember.aspx
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NOTE: If you have a resume in the VetJobs database, be sure to update your experience and refresh your resume at a minimum of every two weeks. VetJobs has many new customers using the resume database and as a general rule, they do not look at resumes over 30 days old.
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1. Message from the Top
For the ninth year in a row VetJobs has been elected to the WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Award (www.weddles.com)! Of the nine years this prestigious award in the internet world has been in existence, VetJobs is one of only four employment sites that have been voted in all nine years! The other three are CareerBuilder.com, Monster.com and DICE.com. Heady company for a niche site like VetJobs!
This award marks VetJobs as one of the top 30 job boards out of over 200,000 career sites on the Internet. Your votes have confirmed once again that VetJobs is the leading military related job board and one of the top career sites on the Internet! The staff of VetJobs wants to personally thank all of you who voted. We appreciate your support and will continue to work hard to earn your votes again for the 2013 WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Award.
See article 2 below for the thirty recipients of the 2012 WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Award. I congratulate the other three sites that have been selected all nine years along with VetJobs as they are the cream of the employment web sites on the Internet. When you are looking for a job, the list of 30 sites in article #2 is the place to start as they are recognized as the best of the best!
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As we move into 2012, VetJobs is expanding its services and adding four Virtual Career Fairs. Our first Virtual Career Fair will be March 1 through 15. Candidates will be able to start registering for the career fair later this month, so watch the Today at VetJobs box on our homepage for the registration. We will also be sending out a mass email to the recipients of the Veteran Eagle when the registration opens.
VetJobs will additionally be conducting some brick and mortar career fairs. Stay tuned as we are signing up some GREAT military employers!
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We celebrate several holidays in February:
February 2, marks the 111th anniversary of the inception of the Army Nurse Corps. If you meet an Army nurse, tell them Happy Birthday!
February 12 is Lincoln’s birthday.
February 14, we celebrate Valentine’s Day! Be sure to remember your special person.
On February 20 the country celebrates President’s Day. The original purpose of President’s Day was to honor Washington and Lincoln, but it is now the day we honor all of the presidents who have served these great United States.
February 22 is Ash Wednesday.
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On the economic front, indicators continue to be mixed, but the outlook for jobs in 2012 is slowly starting to improve, but not nearly fast enough. I find it interesting that there are growing reports questioning the unemployment reports. This is to be expected during an election year. But whether the unemployment rate is 8.5% or 10.0% (as claimed by some), the real issue is America needs incentives and a more favorable business climate to encourage employers to start hiring again!
On the plus side:
-December payroll jobs were up in 239 of the 372 metro areas
-A final reading on consumer sentiment for the month of January checked in at 75, higher than both a preliminary reading of 74 and an expected reading of 74.1, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan. The index is at its highest level since February 2011
-December leading economic indicators up 0.4%; seven components make positive contributions
-Orders for long-lasting goods climbed 3% in December from November, topping estimates of a 2% gain. Excluding the transportation segment, orders rose 2.1%, beating estimates of a 0.7% gain and marking the biggest month-to-month jump since March 2011.
On the negative side:
-December jobless rates down over the year in 329 of 372 metro areas
-The ADP National Employment Report shows the private sector added 170,000 jobs in January, fewer than the 185,000 anticipated.
-The December employment figures were revised down to 292,000 private sector jobs added from an initially reported 325,000.
-Fitch sliced the credit rating of Italy, Spain and three other eurozone countries on Friday. The ratings company affirmed Ireland’s rating and said its outlook is negative for all six sovereigns.
-A preliminary reading on U.S. gross domestic product for the fourth quarter showed the economy expanded at an annualized rate of 2.8%, up from 1.8% in the third quarter but slightly under estimates of 3%. The jump was the biggest since the second quarter of 2010.
-Sales of new U.S. single-family homes fell 2.2% in December to a 307,000-unit annualized rate. Economists had been expecting sales to climb to an annualized rate of 320,000. This was the first sales decline since August 2011 and the largest drop since July 2011.
The good news is that unemployment for all veterans in December fell to 7.7% (CPS). But the unemployment rate for the 18 to 24 year old veteran, a large number of who were in the National Guard and Reserve is at 31%. There were 74,000 unemployed veterans in that age group per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Did you or do you know of someone who suspects they were denied a job or lost their job because of their participation in the National Guard and Reserve? If so, I want to talk to them. I am testifying before the House Veterans Affairs Committee tomorrow and I will need some veterans for future testimonies. Please contact me at info@vetjobs.com if you have information. Your input will be kept confidential.
The hearing in the HVAC is important. Key decision makers now understand where the real unemployment problems are for veterans and are starting to work on solutions. VetJobs is honored to be part of the solution to the veteran unemployment problems.
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Be sure to check out the Upcoming Career Fairs page. VetJobs strives to list all military related job fairs worldwide. If you know of a job fair that is not listed, please forward the information to info@vetjobs.com.
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CORRECTION: Last month I stated: Welcome to 2012! Starting at midnight December 31, 2011, you have 525,600 minutes to spend in 2012. Seems I was wrong. Jim Hutcheson caught the error and pointed out that this is a leap year, so there is one extra day in February! Fortunately this error is only made once every four years. Thanks for catching it, Jim!
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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
/—February Veteran Eagle sponsor is BNSF Railway—-\
BNSF Railway, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., is actively seeking applicants with military experience. At BNSF, we salute those with service, value their skills and welcome the unique experiences of our service members. From skilled craftsmen to first-line supervisors, we filled over 5,000 positions in 2011. BNSF offers challenging and rewarding career opportunities for those in transition from military to civilian life as well as veterans, retirees and members of National Guard and Reserve components.
Today’s BNSF Railway, a product of nearly 400 different railroad lines that merged or were acquired over the course of 160 years, has been quietly delivering cars, coal, clothing, games and nearly anything else found in homes and businesses. While many different railroads combined to form BNSF, the people who worked at those railroads shared many traits. The people who built BNSF were — and continue to be — a unique breed, blending the forward-thinking of dreamers with the pragmatism of results-oriented business leaders. This heritage played a central role in settling and growing the American West, and today, BNSF continues to have a significant impact in meeting the needs of shippers and serving the economy. If you are seeking a challenging and rewarding career with a company that appreciates your military experience, then visit http://www.bnsf.com/careers/military/index.html to apply.
\—–Please visit your Veteran Eagle sponsor BNSF Railway—–/
2. 2012 WEDDLEs User’s Choice Award Recipients
For nine years recruiters and candidates have been able to vote for those Internet employment sites they think are the best of the Internet. This award is the pinnacle of achievement for an internet site as the award is vetted by the users! VetJobs congratulates these awardees as they are the best of the best!
Absolutely Health Care
AfterCollege.com
AHACareerCenter.org
AllHealthcareJobs.com
Career Network
CareerBuilder.com
Climber.com
CollegeRecruiter.com
CoolWorks.com
Dice.com
EHSCareers.com
EmploymentGuide.com
FlexJobs.com
Hcareers.com
HealthCareerWeb.com
HEALTHeCAREERS Network
HigherEdJobs.com
HospitalDreamJobs.com
Indeed.com
Job.com
Jobing.com
JobsinLogistics.com
Military.com
MilitaryHire.com
Monster.com
National Healthcare
Net-Temps
SimplyHired.com
SnagAJob.com
TopUSAJobs.com
VetJobs.com
/—February Veteran Eagle sponsor is TECHEXPO Top Secret—-\
TECHEXPO Top Secret’s next career fairs are:
2/7, The Ritz Carlton, Pentagon City – 1250 South Hayes St. Arlington, VA, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, pre-register at www.techexpousa.com
2/9, BWI Marriott – 1743 West Nursery Road Linthicum Heights, MD, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, pre-register at www.techexpousa.com
2/16, IBM Open House, Westin BWI – 1110 Old Elkridge Landing Road Linthicum Heights, MD, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, pre-register at www.techexpousa.com
2/16, IBM Open House, The Westin Huntsville – 6800 Governors West, NW Huntsville, AL, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, pre-register at www.techexpousa.com
2/29, Doubletree Hotel Colorado Springs – 1775 E. Cheyenne Mountain Blvd Colorado Springs, CO, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, pre-register at www.techexpousa.com
Interview with leading government contractors! Full schedule, event details, & pre-registration are available at www.TechExpoUSA.com. The career fair is for professionals with active or recent security clearances only. Free admission. If you attend a TECHEXPO career fair, please indicate you learned of the career fair from VetJobs.
\—Please visit your Veteran Eagle sponsor TECHEXPO Top Secret at www.techexpousa.com—-/
3. National Center for PTSD
The VA has launched a new National Center for PTSD. It is located at http://www.ptsd.va.gov/. While visiting this site, please consider getting on the ListServ distribution so that you can receive important PTSD Newsletters
/—February Veteran Eagle sponsor is iVetConnect—-\
If you are a transitioning, retiring or unemployed veteran and are curious about franchising, join this FREE webinar “Veterans Exploring Franchise Ownership”. There are a surprising number of parallels between your military experience and franchise ownership—this webinar will explain what those are, and cover critical information you need to know that you won’t find on the internet.
Laurie Pollock, Sr. Franchise Consultant, and Christian Germain, retired Army Captain and 2-time franchise owner will talk about how to evaluate franchise opportunities, best sources of information, franchises that discount their fees for veterans, and how to get funding and financing. They’ll also talk about a new Linked In group you may want to join – iVetConnect. The purpose of the group is to pair veterans with other veterans seeking business ownership. If you can’t fund a franchise alone, find a veteran business partner, pool your resources, start a franchise, and create jobs!
This month’s webinar date is Monday, February 6th at 4pm CT / 5pm ET.
To view the presentation, go to: https://join.me/VeteransFranchiseWebinar
To listen in, dial: 1.609.318.5900. Access Code: 419-432-252#
No registration required. If you’re unable to make the webinar, email a request to lauriepollock@franchoice.com for a free one-on-one consultation.
\—Please visit your Veteran Eagle sponsor iVetConnect at www.franchoice.com—-/
4. New Law Will Give Tax Relief to Spouses of Disabled Veterans
Tens of thousands of spouses of totally disabled veterans in Texas will qualify for significant property tax relief under a new law. Texas law already exempts veterans who are declared 100% disabled because of combat injuries or other service-related causes from paying property taxes on their home. As of January 1, the homestead exemption will also apply to a spouse after the veteran dies. Texas has about 300,000 disabled veterans, and nearly 25,000 of them are designated as 100% service-related disabled, according to the Texas Veterans Commission.
5. Top High-paying Jobs for Veterans
As veterans return from Iraq and Afghanistan seeking jobs, the big question looms: which jobs are turning out to be the most lucrative for veterans? PayScale.com has done some research on the subject and have come up with some interesting findings, including details on the specific skills veterans have that seem to be serving them well in finding a job. The other major conclusion of the study is that most veterans are having success finding high-paying careers in the technology sector.
In the study, PayScale.com looked at a few different aspects, including the jobs vets typically choose, their earnings, the companies that hire them and the skills they most commonly possess as civilian workers. According to the study, the top 15 most common, well-paid and quickly growing professions veterans choose include:
-Management Consultant, $87,000
-Program Manager, IT, $91,000
-Systems Analyst, $70,500
-FBI Agent, $77,600
-Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment, $62,400
-Systems Engineer (Computer Networking / IT), $67,300
-Information Technology (IT) Consultant, $74,000
-Intelligence Analyst, $69,500
-Helicopter Pilot, $58,600
-Network Engineer, IT, $62,500
-Project Manager, Construction, $66,000
-Technical Writer, $53,400
-Business Development Manager, $72,200
-Network Administrator, IT, $50,000
-HVAC Service Technician, $42,000
-Fireman, $41,900
6. Officials Announce New Law Enforcement Partnership to Protect Military Community
Officials from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Department of Defense, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) were joined by the New York Attorney General to announce the development of a database to combat consumer financial frauds directed at military members, veterans, and their families. The Repeat Offenders Against Military (ROAM) Database will track completed enforcement actions against companies and individuals who repeatedly scam military personnel. Read the full story http://1.usa.gov/AsBVcW
7. VETFORCE CVE Verification Survey
VET Force has been working with the veteran community, executive branch and legislative branch personnel to demystify and simplify VA’s verification process. Much of the information presented and discussed to date has been anecdotal. This survey is intended to provide quantitative feedback to help the VET Force to recommend policy, standards, process, statutory and regulatory changes that veteran business owners feel will improve VA’s verification program. If you are a veteran owned business, please participate at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N53V9V3
8. 3.6% Increase in Compensation and Pension Benefits
Veterans, their families, and survivors receiving benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs saw a 3.6% increase in their compensation and pension benefits beginning January 1, 2012. The new compensation rates will range from $127 monthly for a disability rated at 10% to $2,769 monthly for 100%. The cost of living adjustments (COLAs) also apply to disability and death pension recipients, survivors receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, disabled Veterans receiving automobile and clothing allowances, and other benefits. The full rates are available on the Internet at www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Rates/#BM01.
9. Early Retirement Program to be Implemented
Beginning January 1, 2012, the services are authorized to implement Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA). This is authorized by Section 504 in the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA, H.R. 1540) which reinstates the TERA provision that will allow officers and noncommissioned officers to retire with at least 15 years of service and receive retired pay at a reduced rate. TERA was authorized from 1991 to 1996 in conjunction with force reductions during that period. In addition to retirement pay, the program includes TRICARE coverage and is not available for Coast Guard personnel because that service is not implementing involuntary separations.
10. National Guard (in Federal Status) and Reserve Activated as of January 31, 2012
This week the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard announced a decrease in activated reservists while the Army and Air Force announced an increase. The net collective result is 1,393 more reservists activated than last week. At any given time, services may activate some units and individuals while deactivating others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 54,536; Navy Reserve, 4,518; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 9,438; Marine Corps Reserve, 5,224, and the Coast Guard Reserve, 763. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been activated to 74,479, including both units and individual augmentees. A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel who are currently activated may be found on line at http://www.defense.gov/news/d20120131ngr.pdf .
11. Significant Events this Month in Military History
1763 – Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years War in Europe
1778 – The American frigate Ranger carried the Stars and Stripes to a foreign port for the first time as it arrived in France
1795 – Navy Supply Corps established
1813 – The American ship USS Hornet sank the British sloop HMS Peacock in an action off the coast of Guiana (north coast of South America) during the war of 1812
1836 – Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna began his siege of the Alamo Spanish mission in San Antonio, Texas.
1863 – General Joseph Hooker organized the Army of the Potomac
1863 – The Confederate ship Nashville was destroyed by the Union ironclad vessel USS Montauk on the Ogeechee River in Georgia during the American Civil War
1865 – The battle of Petersburg (American Civil War)
1898 – The battleship USS Maine was sunk following an explosion in the harbor of Havana, Cuba.
1901 – Army Nurse Corps is established.
1916 – The German Fleet was given orders to attack armed Allied merchant ships without warning during WWI.
1916 – Beginning of the battle of Verdun, in France, which lasted ten months (WW I)
1917 – British intelligence intercepted the “Zimmerman telegram,” sent to the Mexican government by the German foreign minister, promising Mexico that the lands taken from it by the U.S. during the 1846-1848 war would be returned if Mexico entered World War I on Germany’s side and the Germans won. The message was promptly relayed to the U.S. Government
1942 – A Japanese submarine surfaced off the coast of California, shelling the coastline near the town of Ellwood.
1943 – Women’s Marine Corps Auxiliary established.
1943 – The German Afrika Korps defeated American forces during the battle of Kasserine Pass, in Tunisia (WW II)
1944 – Beginning of the German Army offensive against the Anzio bridgehead in Italy (WW II)
1944 – U.S. Marines seized Parry Island from Japanese forces, completing their takeover of the Marshall Islands in the Central Pacific (WW II)
1945 – U.S. Marines began the invasion of Iwo Jima in the Western Pacific (WW II)
1966 – Operation White Wing, a search and destroy mission during the Vietnam War.
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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.ausn.org), the Veterans of Modern Warfare (www.vmwusa.org), Student Veterans of America (www.studentveterans.org), Military Order of the Purple Heart (www.purpleheart.org), Hope4Heroes (www.hope4heroes.org), United States Army Warrant Officers Association (www.usawoa.org) and The Retired Enlisted Association (www.trea.org).
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Veterans make the best employees!
Freedom Is Never Free – Support Our Armed Forces and Veterans!
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