If you are a service member embarking on your transition, you may have thought winning the lottery might be a good transition solution. When selecting your future company and armed with the right information, winning during your transition is not an impossible task. There is a way to hedge your bet when you are making the decision about your future employer.
GreatPlacetoWork.com and Fortune Magazine have made corporate satisfaction research a much easier task by providing “The 100 Best Companies to Work For”. Based on a “Trust Index”, this product is the most extensive workplace assessment in corporate America, with a random sampling of 230,000 people. Leadership, quality of life, professional satisfaction, benefits, hiring practices, recognition, training, and diversity programs are just a few of the surveyed areas.
Additionally, as a military member you should look at Military Friendly’s ”List of Best Military Employers’ and discern the best veteran friendly companies to seek. This website provides a list of over 100 companies perceived to have the best on-ramping, care and feeding of military veterans. From a military perspective, companies are evaluated in the areas of: hiring, opportunity, advancement, culture, commitment, support, retention, and veteran policies.
So why not double down?
If you have the option, why not pursue companies found on both lists during your job hunt? There are only five companies that made both the Fortune List and the Military Friendly List. Here they are with some of their most important attributes:
TEK Systems
TEK Systems is an IT staffing and services company with a culture of relationship and appreciation. Further, TEK Systems values the sacrifices military members make, through proudly hiring thousands of military veterans every year. Employees enjoy competitive compensation, networking and professional development opportunities; with the potential to stay on with TEK during military relocation of a spouse. When service members are called to active military duty, they receive compensation for military pay difference.
Cisco Systems
With over 171 work sites, CISCO rewards bright thinkers. Winners of its annual hackathon receive $25,000. The staff enjoys the freedom to innovate and make a meaningful difference through volunteering over 227,213 hours in 2016. Cisco was named Best of the Best by U.S. Veterans Magazine in 2016. They provide a VETS Employee Resource Organization, at all major U.S. sites, sponsors networking, mentoring, career development activities and information about how to get training in skills highly sought after by Cisco. Cisco has also pledged to train 1,000 veterans in cyber through the Joining Forces initiative, while creating a multimillion-dollar cyber scholarship program for veterans.
Veterans United Home Loans
Veterans United Home Loans is currently the nation’s largest VA purchase lender, specializing in helping veterans and service members obtain home loans backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. This company both supports and hires veterans. They believe there is “no one better and more passionate about helping Veterans and service members secure the home of their dreams, than those who served”.
PwC
Employees enjoy the impeccable reputation and countless opportunities for growth, travel, and leadership at PWC. They believe veterans add unique value, provide diversity of thought, and bring depth to our workforce. Therefore, the PwC Veterans Affinity Network was established to recruit and support veterans and their families, providing veteran recruiting and HR training, aggressive veteran talent acquisition goals, formal mentorship programs for candidates and new-hires, and increased focus on PwC veteran recognition.
USAA
Headquartered in San Antonio with 87 work locations, this well respected financial institution, combines meaningful work with serious benefits. Employees enjoy an 8% 401(k) match, six weeks of vacation, flexible schedule; with proud employees of the corporate mission and noble cause. USAA has hired over 11,000 veterans and military spouses since 2006. USAA recognizes veterans are technical, agile, problem solvers, leaders, and loyal. Their approach to bringing them on board focuses on transition assistance, skills development, retention, sponsorship and a veteran employee resource groups.
I can think of no better way to prudently hedge your job hunt than starting your employment search with these five companies or others on the highly profitable lists from Fortune and Military Friendly.
Wishing you a successful and lucrative transition!
