Military

More Than 150 Veterans Hired at Jobs Event in Illinois


Illinoisjoblink.com Links Job Seekers and Employers; IDVA, IDES and U.S. Chamber Partner to Put Veterans to Work

CHICAGO–(ENEWSPF)–March 27, 2013. More than 150 Veterans received job offers at the recent Hire Our Heroes Veteran hiring event in Chicago. The success illustrates how public-private efforts that involve the state’s hiring tool, Illinoisjoblink.com, can link employers with qualified applicants to further support the Illinois economy.

Key to this year’s success was IDES’ innovative pre-registration and outreach effort. IDES leveraged its illinoisjoblink.com help-wanted hiring website to feature 63 businesses with 415 job openings. IDES called 21,000 Veterans to gather resumes. IDES then matched the skills in those Veteran resumes with the skills businesses were looking for in their job openings. IDES then worked with businesses to identify Veterans to interview at the event. This model built the foundation for 577 on-site interviews and 152 job offers.

This is the third year that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Department of Veteran Affairs, IDES and others worked together to elevate the March 21 event at the Palmer House Hilton into a true hiring experience. More than 1,500 Veterans and spouses attended, as well as 112 employers with immediate openings and 12 Veteran Service Organizations that provided interview guidance, career readiness and individual counseling.

According to the U.S. Chamber, businesses that made on-the-spot job offers include: ABC Trucking, Guardian Security, Adecco Employment, Dial America, Harvey Nash, KARD Protection Group and Securitas.

Veterans are sought-after employees for their service training, soft skills and experiences, which include respect for authority, embracing responsibility and operating in a team environment. Veterans also have advanced training in fields ranging from technology and manufacturing to construction and logistics. For the hiring event, IDVA encouraged thousands of potential candidates to attend through a network of Veteran Service Officers, social media and other engagement.

illinoisjoblink.com is the state’s employment website that links job seekers with employers. Keyword matching technology increases the likelihood of a successful new hire and compares favorably to private efforts that cost hundreds of dollars for a single help-wanted ad. IDES’ no-cost HR recruitment services are available at the website and at (877) 342-7533. Services include ensuring businesses are aware of potential tax credits, such as $5,000 state and $9,600 federal tax credit for each qualified Veteran who is hired.

Source: illinois.gov

 


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