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V O L . X X I I I N O. X X I X D E C E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 7 16 H R / R E C R U I T M E N T F O C U S Veterans are employed throughout the business, in the back offi ce and other non-technical jobs, and in lead- ership roles. One of the employees is a cell-tower climber and one of only 10 female cell-tower climbers in the coun- try; she's also a former U.S. Marine. " e military is one of the few places in society where leadership training has been institutionalized and is regular," Broder notes. "You see it in the Fortune 500 companies, which tend to have formal leadership training, and you see it in the military. e dif- ference is that in the Fortune 500 they identify a relatively small, elite group of up and comers to get their corpo- rate leadership training. In the military, every military member from Day 1 is taught if there are three of them, for one person to take charge and delegate to the other two. at becomes an institutionalized process that's habitu- ated over time and it's progressive." Broder, 39, had his own "incred- ibly immersive experience" in both technology and leadership as a U.S. Army Signal Corps offi cer on mis- sions in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, where he ran the tactical communications network in Afghanistan in support of U. S. and coalition forces, for which he received a Bronze Star. "A lot of the projects that Tilson does look like that unit in Afghanistan that I led building and deploying technology systems in dif- fi cult conditions," he says. Grant Delaware, who served in the Marines and the Army National Guard, is also making use of the leadership skills he learned in the service as Dead River's manager of insurance and employee benefi ts. "One of the questions I had during my interview was 'How do you deal with situations where you don't have all the information but have to make a decision?' I was like, 'My gosh, that's been my entire military career … My background's not in insurance and employee benefi ts, but I've been allowed to grow and ask those questions." Recruitment strategies In the early days, Tilson hired veterans through personal connections. Now much bigger with greater hiring needs in a challenging environment, today it gets a hand from national organizations like Warriors4Wireless, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profi t that helps veter- ans fi nd well-paying jobs in the wireless industry and gives them the needed training and certifi cations. Kevin Kennedy, who spent more than three decades in the U.S. Air Force before taking the reins as presi- dent and CEO of Warriors4Wireless in February, says the organization has placed almost 1,200 veterans in fi ve years and expects industry growth to keep the momentum going. "We'd like to fi ll as many of those jobs with veterans as possible," he says. In Maine, the nonprofi t Boots2Roots also helps veterans fi nd meaningful employment but is not a placement agency. " ere are employ- ers who want to hire veterans and companies that have apprehensions about it," says Executive Director Jen Fullmer, an Air Force veteran. "Either way, it usually comes down to whether the job applicant is qualifi ed and does the company believe he or she has the skills to move their mission forward. If they do, it is important to articulate those skills and experiences in a way that resonate with the employer. We put a lot of focus in this area." Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, in its eff ort to hire more veterans, became the fi rst Maine employer to join the U.S. Army's Partnership for Youth Success pro- gram. On a mission to "connect America with its Army," it guarantees newly enlisting soldiers and ROTC cadets a job interview and possible employment after they leave the mili- tary. EMHS also participates in the Maine Hire-A-Vet Campaign [see sidebar]. "EMHS is proud to employ more than 384 veterans across our sys- tem," says talent acquisition special- ist Robin Doody. " roughout their years of service, veterans learn skills that are valuable to any employer such as leadership, discipline, and the abil- ity to work as a team." Cianbro, which has hired 88 veter- ans in the past three years and today employs 131, prefers to do all its recruit- ing in-house though it sometimes » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Share your dividend plans with us at memic.com/dividend. DIVIDENDS PAYS SAFETY Share your dividend plans with us at memic.com/dividend. with us at memic.com/dividend. "With MEMIC, safety pays dividends." —Michael P. Bourque, President and CEO WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR DIVIDEND CHECK? In November, MEMIC delivered $21 million in dividend checks to more than 18,000 of our Maine policyholders. It's the result of employers and their employees working safely, avoiding injuries and getting injured workers back on the job as quickly as possible. Throughout their years Throughout their years Throughout their years Throughout their years Throughout their years Throughout their years Throughout their years Throughout their years Throughout their years Throughout their years Throughout their years Throughout their years Throughout their years Throughout their years of service, veterans learn of service, veterans learn of service, veterans learn of service, veterans learn of service, veterans learn of service, veterans learn of service, veterans learn of service, veterans learn of service, veterans learn of service, veterans learn of service, veterans learn of service, veterans learn of service, veterans learn skills that are valuable to any employer such as leadership, discipline, and the ability to work as a team. — Robin Doody EMHS

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