Do I have to let employer know that I’m a reservist?
Johnny C. Taylor Jr., a human-resources expert, is tackling your questions as part of a series for USA TODAY. Taylor is president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest HR professional society. (The questions submitted by readers and Taylor’s answers have been edited for length and clarity.)
Question: My friend is an Air Force veteran who is now a member of the reserves. She has been trying to get an entry-level IT job at a New York financial firm and has had two final interviews but has not been hired. I believe she was turned down because of discrimination against her reservist status. She trained as a medical technician for 10 years but then used the GI Bill to get her bachelor’s degree in IT from a good school. How do you recommend she address HR questions related to her military service? Are there any recruitment firms that help military members with entry-level jobs where their past skills are not a perfect match? – Tony
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.: In my experience, most employers welcome the skills that returning veterans and reservists bring to the civilian workplace. But, of course, bad recruiting practices and discrimination still happen sometimes. Interviewers may need help making the connection between the skills used during military service and those needed for civilian jobs.
While it is disappointing to your friend, not landing a job after making it to the final interview may just speak to the competitive nature of certain positions and the need for specialized skills that your friend does not have. But this is her opportunity to reflect on how she can best position herself moving forward.
Here’s my advice to her:
❚ Educate the recruiter: Help the interviewer understand what skills she brings by using examples from previous work. This is how job candidates distinguish themselves from the competition – especially veterans, who might need to help a civilian interviewer translate military experience into the skills the job requires.
❚ Speak their language: Because your friend trained as a medical technician and now has a degree in IT, she should be ready to answer a couple questions that showcase her expertise: How do the skills you used as a medical technician apply to the position you now seek? How does your new IT degree build upon the skills you already have? ❚ Don’t mention it (if you don’t want to): There is no legal requirement for your friend to mention that she is a reservist. If she does, she should let the interviewer know that her reserve requirements won’t normally interfere with her ability to do her work. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) prohibits discrimination in hiring, retention, promotions or other benefits of employment. Her reserve unit can provide information on its protections.
❚ Use free veteran resources: Before spending money on a recruitment firm, your friend should take advantage of free resources that can help with everything from polishing up her resume to accessing career counselors. Her local reserve installation, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service all have helpful, free resources.
She also should seek out employers that identify as “military friendly” – and there are many.
Remember, interviewers may not be aware of how skills acquired in military service apply to a civilian job. It’s often up to the job candidate to connect the dots.
When you share this with your friend, please send along my thanks for her service and my best wishes for success in her job search.
5 things employees should consider during open enrollment
Open enrollment will be a hot topic at work during the next few months. Many of you will be focused on choosing health care insurance, retirement savings plans and other employee benefits as HR professionals work with employees to finalize their benefits for 2019.
Some of you may feel a little overwhelmed by the choices offered and de- cisions to be made.
Stop for a minute, catch your breath and keep in mind that your HR department is there to help.
To get you started, here are five questions from SHRM.org to ask as you make decisions about employee benefits:
❚ Does your employer offer any technology tools (website, calculators, apps, etc.) to help you select and manage your benefits?
❚ Are there major changes to your health coverage for the coming year, and, if so, how do they affect cost, and who in your family is covered?
❚ Will your prescriptions be affected by changes in your coverage?
❚ What’s new with your employer’s wellness plan?
❚ Are there new or expanded supplemental or voluntary benefits?
Also, don’t forget to take advantage of any materials or meetings about benefits offered by your HR department to help navigate open enrollment.