Geoff Cramer, our Futures Inc. CEO, was on Fox News discussing the importance of hiring Veterans. Watch the video below!

Watch as Lisa, a Futures Inc. Project Manager, discusses what features new companies get access to when they sign up to US Military Pipeline.

by Alysse

In the last few weeks, I’ve been traveling around the country interviewing veterans who have successfully transitioned into civilian careers. Though these Vets are living in different states with different careers, there has been one similar bond that ties them together: before they transitioned, all were scared at the prospect of leaving the service.

In hearing their experiences, I realized how vital it is for companies to live up to the term “military friendly.” This phrase is not something to be taken lightly. It has become clear that military friendly companies need to really engage in the lives of their Veterans, providing an easy transition into the civilian workplace. For companies who are involved in the military (building parts or software that are used on the front lines), this process is easier, as many Veterans find a sense of familiarity. For more civilian companies, a mentor program can be used with great success. By connecting recent Veterans with others who have transitioned into the company, they provide an instant resource, an instant number to call for help, and an instant friend.

However they do it, a Military Friendly Company needs to be just that: a company who celebrates the success of our nation’s military while mentoring and helping veterans become a part of the civilian workforce.

If you have a story to tell about your own experience, let us know! And if you’re just starting the shift to civilian life, be sure to visit USMilitaryPipeline.com for some inspiration about your future.

by Lisa

After spending nearly 16 years working at various ACAP (Army Career and Alumni Program) Centers and being married to an Infantryman, I have had my share of experience working with combat arms Soldiers. The typical Infantryman, Artillery Man or Cavalry Scout would come in and say “I have no civilian equivalents, I am a trained combat killer and all I can do is law enforcement or security.” That statement would always be enough to get my adrenaline pumped up and get me ready to give a pep talk. No, no, no, no! If you’re a combat arms Soldier, you are not locked into one field once you transition out of the military. You have more skills than you give yourself credit for!

Let’s take a look at some of your transferable skills.

Training:

Training you provide to others and training courses you take. You have been keeping your skills sharp and actively learning new skills. Talk to employers about the training you have given. Have you taught or taken any classes such as HAZMAT, EO, Safety, Driving, Combat Lifesaver or Suicide Prevention? All of these can be useful in the civilian world. The Combat Lifesaver course if a perfect example of Advanced First Aid and CPR.
Management/Supervision:

Think of managing people and resources. Organizing and coordinating shipment of vehicles, troops and weapons and being accountable for it all. Include accountability of equipment and management of funds if you have ever been a government credit card holder. Most Soldiers are accountable for thousands of dollars worth of equipment. Many operate as a purchasing agent when deployed and are accountable for tens of thousands of dollars.
Communication:

Communicating with people over the radio, computer or a network. Instructing your Squad or Platoon during PT. This shows the ability to get up in front of people and use your verbal skills. Writing OER’s, NCOER’s, SOP’s, or Awards or other such documents would showcase your writing ability.
Administrative:

Preparing inventories, answering the phone, or doing weekly or monthly reports. Organizing, planning and scheduling meetings. Any one of these are administrative skills. Writing training schedules and projecting assets needed 6 months out. The ability to forecast assets and anticipate the needs of a unit prior to the training, following up and coordination of those assets to be in place at the correct time.

Physical:

Must be physically fit and able to work in a variety of terrain and during hazardous conditions. Used to austere conditions and able to complete jobs with minimal supervision.
These are just some of the skills you may have acquired as a combat arms Soldier that will transfer into the civilian world. You have useful skills and civilian employers do need you, so go out there and get that dream job!
Combat Arms MOS’s (as of June 2011):

Air Defense C4i Tactical Operations Center Enhanced Operator Maintainer (14J)

Special Forces Communications Sergeant (18E)

Special Forces Engineer Sergeant (18C)

Special Forces Medical Sergeant (18D)

Air And Missile Defense (Amd) Crewmember (14S)

Cannon Crewmember (13B)

Cavalry Scout (19D)

Field Artillery Automated Tactical Data System Specialist (13D)

Field Artillery Firefinder Radar Operator (13R)

Fire Support Specialist (13F)

Indirect Fire Infantryman (11C)

Infantryman (11B)

M1 Armor Crewman (19K)

Multiple Launch Rocket System (Mlrs/Himars) Crewmember (13m)

Patriot Fire Control Enhanced Operator/Maintainer (14E)

Patriot Launching Station Enhanced Operator/Maintainer (14T)

Special Forces Weapons Sergeant (18B)

Infantryman (11X)

Special Forces Candidate (18X)

Air Defense Artillery Officer (14)

Field Artillery Officer (13)

Armor Officer (19)

Infantry Officer (11)

Special Forces Officer (18)

Air Defense Battle Management System Operator (14G)

Air Defense Enhanced Early Warning System Operator (14H)

If you have a story to tell about your own experience, let us know! And if you’re just starting the shift to civilian life, be sure to visit USMilitaryPipeline.com for some inspiration about your future.

The first Spouse Conference was held at Fort Bragg, NC on the 6th and 7th of June 2011 and was a resounding success with the Spouses. Futures team helped the spouses with the self assessment on Pipeline and choose a career path for themselves.

To take the self assessment go to: USMilitaryPipeline.com/assessment

Want to see the job opportunities in your area? Sign up for FREE at USMilitaryPipeline.com

Interested in matching your job requirements to candidates? Become a Pipeline Partner!
Contact Dennis Wise at dwise@futuresinc.com

Dennis Wise, SVP, Futures Inc talks about the “e-harmony” approach and benefits of US Military Pipeline to our Soldiers and Partners.

Want to see the job opportunities in your area?
Sign up for FREE at USMilitaryPipeline.com

Interested in matching your job requirements to candidates? Become a Pipeline Partner! 
Contact Dennis Wise at dwise@futuresinc.com

by Adity

In short, the answer is a resounding YES! Veterans Hiring is gaining traction and importance with our partners/competitors/employees and almost everyone has stated some reason as to why hiring veterans is a top priority for them.

Having real world leadership is a huge a differentiating factor. Since veterans handle such positions from the start of their military career, developing the necessary discipline and confidence, this trait is an amazing positive in terms of their civilian job search. In addition to leadership experience, their military training also brings an ability bring focus towards successful completion of a task/mission. The different facets of military work makes them good team players which is very integral when it comes to any civilian job.

Every military person is aware of the need to depend on his or her teammates at some point. This gives them a collaborative work ethic which becomes a major plus in civilian job culture. Experience working in stressful conditions also gives them a defined edge over their civilian counterparts.

Veterans have the proven record of being individual contributors in different facets of work structure. They have the training that encompasses both basic modes of life and highly technological environments. Veterans are valuable to any team; they have a collaborative background but can work equally well individually. Their ability to think on their feet in the face of challenges makes them invaluable.

Want to see the job opportunities in your area?
Sign up for FREE at USMilitaryPipeline.com

Interested in matching your job requirements to candidates? Become a Pipeline Partner!
Contact Dennis Wise at dwise@futuresinc.com

Futures, Inc. provides expertise and sophisticated technology that frees businesses, educators, job seekers, and exiting military from traditional models of recruiting and hiring. As acknowledged experts in the field of workforce management, economic development, and talent optimization, Futures is working with the White House on the “Joining Forces” campaign to identify the challenges facing our nation’s military members and their families. The US Military Pipeline integrates resources for education, networking, and employment into an easy-to-use online experience. Check out usmilitarypipeline.com for a first hand experience.

U.S. Military Pipeline was created to help our nation’s military successfully transition back into the civilian world. The core platform already exists and, with some minor modifications and a little cooperation, we can quickly expand it into a national platform to support our Military Spouses/Families. Futures Spouse Pilot focuses on the effort to provide all the resources to the Spouses at one place.

by Adam

For the last few months we have been working on a number of usability updates for Pipeline. The most recent of those updates is a new and improved career exploration page. The new Careers page is a huge step forward in terms of design and flexibility. We have taken some of the best aspects of our career and industry mapping, and applied it to a simple easy-to-use career exploration tool.

Our previous Careers page was an exciting and powerful feature for Pipeline. It allowed users to explore different career paths and filter the results based on a set of criteria. However, the entire process could be a bit overwhelming. Users were faced with a hefty form to complete before being able to see any career results.

We’ve improved and simplified this process with the new Careers Page. No longer will jobseekers have to find their way through a page-long form before being able to explore careers. Users can simply search for careers by a single search field that handles keywords, career titles, and even military occupation codes – all in one place.

For those who aren’t sure which career path they wish to explore, jobseekers can browse careers by industry, helping to narrow down the focus areas. Pipeline also offers a quick 14-question Career Assessment that will help identify the users top 50 careers.

So, if you’re eager and want to dive straight in, check out Pipeline’s new Career exploration page.

by Alysse

Before working with Futures Inc, I had surprisingly little connection with the military. None of my parents or cousins, friends or their families had been enlisted. The military seemed such a distant reality.

However, when I began working as the Visual Media Producer at Futures, my perception of the military began to change. Working in the video department, I meet new people with every video I create. My interview subjects have been endlessly inspiring – from a Wounded Warrior named Derrick to a military spouse now working at Cape Fear Valley Health. But what I’ve found most interesting is realizing how our veterans impact every industry, and how they’re spread all throughout the country.

On almost every video shoot that is unrelated to military life, I learn that one of my interviewees is a veteran. Casually they mention a story about their transition or their experiences serving and my ears perk. While I previously had never considered the challenges soldiers face while transitioning, I now love learning about that time. For every subject I’ve encountered who had a seamless return to civilian life, there is another who had a much more difficult time, whether due to an injury or simply not knowing what should come next.

I realize now how important it is to provide a platform to help transitioning soldiers, veterans and their families in finding their next step. I am proud to be part of a team that can help military members see how their skills are relevant in the civilian world, go back to school or jump into the job search. With our expansion of US Military Pipeline for Spouses, we can help not only soldiers, but also their families to find opportunities to improve their lives.

If you have a story to tell about your own transition experience, let us know! And if you’re just starting the shift to civilian life, be sure to visit USMilitaryPipeline.com for some inspiration about your future.

by Adity

Transitioning to a second career is scary enough – transitioning from Military to Civilian life can be even scarier. A successful transition to civilian life and a rewarding career can require a lot of personal commitment. Some important things to consider and prioritize while transitioning are:

1. The decision – Time to transition?
It starts from the decision of whether to leave military and the security it provides or not. The key for success here is to have a positive attitude and put the same enthusiasm in the transitioning process that you did while carrying out your military duties and responsibilities. The decision to leave the military and transition back into civilian life requires courage. Once the decision is made, deciding the rest of the steps is a process that includes resource gathering, risk analysis, and organization of experience & education.

2. This first decision leads to the next – Prioritizing
The transition may be a challenging phase of your life, but you can also make it very satisfying if you prioritize your time and objectives. Do some research to understand which civilian careers you’d like to transition to and what education will you need. Then, make an action plan, including:
The state you want to move back to
The career that you would like to pursue
The plan to get any education you need

3. Now comes the critical piece of the process – Good research
Research, assessment, skills, networking – these leads you to a successful and satisfying civilian life. This can be easily done by reading, browsing the net – in short, by finding the critical resources that will answer your questions.

I would encourage all the Military – transitioning personnel, Spouses, Veterans, and others to visit USMilitaryPipeline.com, which provides networking opportunities, resources, career exploration, job connections, and virtual mentoring opportunities – in short, a one-stop shop for all transitioning needs and resources.

If you have suggestions to make it better, click Support and provide feedback!

Watch as Geoff Cramer, Futures Founder and CEO, discusses the challenges facing our nation’s Military Spouses and how we can leverage the power of U.S. Military Pipeline to combat them.

by Bob

We’d like to welcome you to the new site, now with a blog! Here, the Futures team will be writing about the latest and greatest news and happenings concerning talent management and career development. This week, we’re very focused on helping military spouses and their families by making Pipeline into a virtual center of excellence for employment resources, benefits, education and more!

It’s great the White House is taking the lead to help improve the lives of military families by making it a government-wide issue and not just a VA or DOD issue. Futures has done a lot of work to support military personnel and their families through Pipeline, mentoring initiatives, workshops, and other activities, and we’re thrilled to see the issue getting the national attention it deserves. We’ve always felt it was a priority to see that military spouses and children, the “silent ranks”, get the support they need, so naturally we had smiles all around at the announcement that President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Dr. Jill Biden would be promoting the welfare of military families.

We like to think we know our users really well, and we are focused squarely on helping spouses deal with the pressures that come from military life. Pressures like having to move every 12-24 months and the difficulties that presents when finding and holding a job. With connections to military spouse-friendly employers and support resources, the Military Spouse Pipeline project should provide much needed support to those who support our nation’s Soldiers. We’re really excited about it!