Where can Iowa Companies Find Veterans for Open Job Positions?
Following our last post on the economic benefits of hiring an Iowa veteran, the next question is where to find them. One of your first stops to find vets to hire, should be to talk with your regional Veteran Representative with Iowa Workforce Development. Part of their role includes matching Iowa firms with qualified vets for open job opportunities using their local and regional veteran databases of job seekers. Here are a few other resources to explore:
The Iowa Chapter of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense agency that specializes in promoting and supporting employers for Guard and Reserve servicemen and servicewomen. Recently, they launched Hero 2 Hired, an online job board for employers to post open positions, and to assist vets in finding career opportunities. Through their online portal, employers can post an unlimited number of position openings for free, promote their company with a customized business profile, and connect directly with interested and well qualified candidates.
- VetCentral, part of the National Labor Exchange, National Association of State Workforce Agencies, and participating corporate partners, is another online job search tool, but with national exposure. Their service indexes job position openings and includes it in their searchable database. As a small business owner, you can post your openings directly, or set up VetCentral to automatically look for new positions on your homepage for you.
- Hiring Our Heroes Expo Events – RecruitMilitary and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have partnered to offer expo events all across the United States. These expos are opportunities for business owners to meet with and find veterans for open company positions. The next closest event to us in Iowa will be held in Minneapolis on August 2, 2012.
IowaJobs is our state’s largest job bank with over 29,000 positions listed at last check. Although it is not veteran-specific, we would be remiss not to mention it here. Through their open job posting service, you can find potential employees and post your Iowa job for free.
Rob Williams is a Business Analyst for the University of Northern Iowa
