Celebrating 100 Issues of Helping You GET HIRED™
by Dan Fazio
This month G.I. Jobs celebrates its 100th issue. Much of this issue reflects on the magazine’s history and impact on troops transitioning to civilian life. To mark this major milestone, we revisit the best cover articles and profiles from our first 100 issues. We celebrate the success stories of two junior enlisted veterans who were profiled in the early issues of G.I. Jobs and have since risen to great heights in their civilian careers.
We welcome back a former Transition Services Manager (TSM) who wrote columns for G.I. Jobs in 2002, and we talk to Transition Assistance Program (TAP) professionals who use the magazine as a teaching tool in their transition workshops. Corporate America’s hiring managers and executives explain why G.I. Jobs is their secret weapon in connecting with talented military job seekers.
We also revisit the cartoons that kept transitioners chuckling at the military lifestyle they were leaving behind. We wrap up our look back with a sampling of the best “They Also Served” profiles published over the years: Stories of famous Americans who served their country.
Eye on the Future
While much of this issue is devoted to celebrating the past, we remain grounded in the present by unraveling the complexities of health insurance with the first of a three-part “Civilian Health Insurance for Dummies” series, beginning on page 84.
At the same time we look to the future with a comprehensive report on President Obama’s mission to bring more veterans into the federal work force. And we remind readers why so many military veterans are a natural for police departments across the nation.
It Began in a Basement
Born in a Western Pennsylvania basement in the dark days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, G.I. Jobs has served as a guiding light for military transitioners through two wars and two recessions.
The magazine and Web site (www.gijobs.com) were launched in January 2002 by three Navy veterans with a mission to help service members preparing to separate or retire from the military leverage the skills they honed in the service into great civilian careers. For some this means pursuing an education. For others it means immediate pursuit of the perfect job. For yet others it means buying a franchise or starting a business of their own. For all, it means pursuing the American Dream they fought so hard to defend.
“Every man and woman in uniform has or will experience a transition back into civilian life,” said Rich McCormack, G.I. Jobs publisher and co-founder. “G.I. Jobs magazine serves as the go-to resource for this transition and helps supplement the Transition Assistance Program with great content and tools.”
Teaming Up With TAP
G.I. Jobs distributes more than 75,000 magazines each month to military bases around the world through TAP centers. The magazine quickly became a prized resource for TAP managers and facilitators who share the mission of helping Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen make a smooth transition to civilian life.
“G.I. Jobs magazine is a valuable resource for our clients,” said John A. Bohichik, Army Career and Alumni Program (ACAP) transition services manager at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey. “The information contained in the publication is in consonance with what is taught in our workshops and professed in counseling sessions. We look forward to seeing each issue.”
In fact, it’s hard for some TAP managers to keep the magazine stocked. “This is the only reference material we put out in class that seems to grow legs and disappear quickly,” said Steve Estes, work/life manager at Naval Air Station Brunswick in Maine.
Transitioners’ Toolbox
Each year an average of 400,000 service members leave the military. G.I. Jobs magazine and its Web sites provide the tools the troops need to prepare for a new career in the civilian world. Each month exiting military personnel find the best tips on how to fine-tune their résumés and prepare for the big interview. G.I. Jobs provides checklists that guide transitioners and their families step by step through the stressful job search process. And the magazine and Web sites share the best advice from veterans, transition experts and corporate America’s hiring managers.
G.I. Jobs shows readers how to dress for success for everything from the first interview to the first day on the job. Rita Gworek (see page 20), an image consultant and TAP/ACAP presenter who pens the “Boots to Suits” articles, is one of two G.I. Jobs contributors who wrote for the inaugural issue and is still contributing today. Her columns have helped thousands of transitioners know which shirts to buy, how to match colors, which ties are appropriate and what to do with their tats and blings during the job quest.
“The 12 TAP centers in the Washington, D.C., area where I present the ‘Dress for Success’ program always encourage the participants to pick up a copy of G.I. Jobs because it is the best periodical for their transition,” Gworek said. “Congratulations on an outstanding product!”
Secrets of Success
G.I. Jobs is not just about job search tools. The magazine and Web sites also share veterans’ success stories each month in the Transition Profiles, written by Warren Duffie, which have been part of G.I. Jobs since the first issue in 2002. These stories about junior enlisted, senior enlisted and officers who found great new careers with civilian companies have inspired countless readers. The veterans profiled in these articles share their best advice and insight with readers, showing them how they, too, can find their own path to success.
Corporate Comrades
In 2003 G.I. Jobs began identifying the nation’s most Military Friendly Employers. This effort is a win-win for both military job seekers and corporate America.
For transitioners, the list is a fast, easy way to identify which U.S. companies most value the talent, skills and intangibles that veterans take with them into the civilian work force.
For the employers that compete fiercely to make the list each year, it is a benchmark by which to measure their military recruiting efforts and policies.
“G.I. Jobs changed the game in connecting military job seekers with meaningful and challenging work,” said Connie McLendon, director of human resources for BNSF Railway, which ranked fourth on the 2010 Top 100 Military Friendly Employer list. “Since I first joined on as a client in 2003, G.I. Jobs has consistently been my top source for military job seekers.”
John DiPiero, a retired Air Force colonel who now serves as military talent manager for USAA, has long recognized
G.I. Jobs as the ultimate conduit to military job seekers. “When you get phone calls or e-mails from veterans regarding job opportunities at USAA, and they say, ‘I saw you in G.I. Jobs,’ that pretty much tells you all you need to know about the influence and reach of this publication,” DiPiero said. “G.I. Jobs’ presence in military communities worldwide makes it a great partner in helping us spread the word about USAA – not only as the provider of choice for the military community – but also as a world-class employer focused on hiring both vets and military spouses.”
Veteran Friendly Industries
Early on G.I. Jobs took it to the next level by shining the spotlight on veteran friendly industries. The publication’s Industry Profiles are second to none in highlighting those industries that go out of their way to hire military. The articles extract the most pertinent information readers need to know: Which companies are hiring? What jobs are available? How can my military experience translate to a job in that industry? How much do these jobs pay? From transportation and law enforcement to nuclear energy and health care, G.I. Jobs shows readers where their best opportunities await.
Military Friendly Schools
Education is a key component to success for many post-military careers. G.I. Jobs included an education columnist in its first issue. Education has been prevalent in every issue since, and today G.I. Jobs devotes an entire section of each magazine and two Web sites to education (www.giedu.com and www.militaryfriendlyschools.com). The education section, which is expanded in three issues each year, is a must for military students looking for the most Military Friendly Schools and inspiration from veterans who already have made the leap from Soldier to student. The education pages are packed with informative articles on how to finance your education and balance your studies with family and work life.
In 2007 G.I. Jobs published its first G.I. Education Handbook, a military guide to higher education. The handbook was packed with articles showing transitioners how to prepare for school, maximize their GI Bill benefits, finance their education, and identify education resources and postgraduate opportunities.
G.I. Jobs took the military education mission to a new level in 2009 by publishing the 2010 Guide to Military Friendly Schools® and accompanying Web site (www.militaryfriendlyschools.com). The 2010 guide includes a list of about 1,000 schools that represents the top 15 percent of U.S. colleges, universities and trade schools doing the most to embrace America’s veterans as students. These schools offer military students the best services, programs, discounts, scholarships, clubs, networking and staff. The guide, which explains the Post-9/11 GI Bill, is loaded with articles and advice for planning and executing a military education.
Military Friendly Franchises
Veterans are twice as likely to own their own business as non-veterans. Franchising can be an easy foray into the world of business ownership.
In August 2002, G.I. Jobs published the first of many franchise articles – success stories of veterans who took the proven recipe from an established brand and applied the skills they learned in the military to build their own business.
This spring G.I. Jobs will publish the first Franchise Guide for Military Veterans, a supplemental publication modeled after the education guides. The handbook will show military veterans interested in buying a franchise how to begin the process. It also will include a list of hundreds of Military Friendly Franchises that offer discounts or incentives to those who served.
Looking Forward
With 100 issues behind us, the G.I. Jobs staff is looking forward with renewed devotion to the mission of preparing transitioning service members for the next stage of their life. We’ll launch the next 100 issues with a fresh look – a newly designed magazine in May – without sacrificing the quality that makes G.I. Jobs THE source for military transitioners. Thanks for reading!