The Sword - August 2017
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
In This Issue
Tune into our Latest Podcasts for Employers
Employee Appreciation: Small gestures that will have a big impact on your employees
Aerospace & Defense Industry: Why You Should Be Hiring Veterans
Tune into our Latest Podcasts for Employers
Have you tuned in to Hire a Hero, Hire a Vet, our series of podcasts dedicated to promoting the value that veterans bring to the workplace? Whether you currently hire veterans or just want to learn more about the impact that veterans have in the civilian workforce, this podcast is for you.
We've recently added new podcasts, including:
06: Challenges of military hiring, from the perspective of both the job seeker and employer
05: Insight on the history and evolution of Military Talent Programs (MTP)
Visit us online to listen to these and many more episodes! And, if you have any questions about a specific show or recommendations for future topics, please send us an email at podcast@oriontalent.com. Happy listening!
Employee Appreciation: Small gestures that will have a big impact on your employees
Maya Angelou said it best: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Check out our list below for a few ideas to help express your appreciation for your employees and help them feel valued at the workplace. You want to keep your best employees engaged and content, and the following ideas are a great start.
1. Recognize your team members as individuals -To boost team morale, it’s great to do something for your entire team—like catering lunch or donuts for breakfast. But if you’re aiming to show your appreciation for an individual, it can easily get lost in these types of group celebrations. Team birthdays and work anniversaries are good ways to make individual employees feel special on their big day. Host a team lunch, throw a small party, pass out cupcakes – there are many simple ways to let them know you care.
2. Be specific with praise -Leaders need to be specific in expressing their appreciation so that it reinforces behaviors through positive feedback for the employee.
3. Give impromptu time off -Spontaneous late arrival or early departure days are always a motivator. For example, send a quick email that says, “It’s a beautiful afternoon. Go enjoy it.” It doesn't have to be a routine or regular thing but it is most valued when it’s unexpected for those hard working employees.
4. Be transparent - Company leadership should keep their employees in the loop and let them know what is going on with the company. It generates a 'we're in this together' environment.
5. Feed your employees - One way to an employee's heart is through their stomach. Putting sweet treats in the break room, or setting up a “Weclome to Work” station at the employee entrance with coffee, juice, donuts for the a.m. or catering a lunch on Employee Appreciation Day – it's an easy way to say 'thank you' for the work you do.
6. Company apparel - Who doesn't love a free t-shirt or ball cap? Offering employees free company apparel and other logo merchandise can be a simple, inexpensive way to say, ‘thank you’.
7. Certificate of achievement - Present a certificate in honor of a specific achievement. Highlight your employees’ achievements by recognizing them in a company meeting, newsletter or email. Encourage peer-to-peer recognition, develop a program that lets employees give each other on-the-spot accolades on the community bulletin board or internal website. This allows employees to recognize their peers directly. Each month, the employees receiving awards could be entered into a drawing for a gift card or other award.
8. Jeans day - Give out coupons that allow employees to wear jeans on a day of their choosing, or designate an all-employee jeans day.
9. Work-from-home day - Remember significant events in your employees’ personal lives, such as a child starting kindergarten, and give them a work-from-home day so they can participate without worrying about coming into the office on time.
10. Special projects - Give your employees an opportunity to work on special projects beyond their regular responsibilities. Doing this will allow them to grow, and will also demonstrate your confidence in their abilities to do a good job.
11. Off-campus outing - Set up an off-site bowling, sporting, theatre or other event to recognize an entire department/work group (also great for team building).
12. Post team achievements in break rooms - Post team results in common areas, including the names of each member. It may be a chart or graph that shows positive improvement, or it may be a simple description of a project that highlights the benefits to the organization.
Remember, it is the little things that can go a long way toward making your employees feel wanted and needed at the workplace, which will ultimately improve their productivity and engagement.
Aerospace & Defense Industry: Why You Should Be Hiring Veterans
According to Military.com, the Aerospace and Defense industry is “huge and complex,” serving both military and commercial markets. From companies looking to send humans to Mars to those building military aircraft, the opportunities to employ veterans and leverage their state-of-the-art training abound.
There are two main issues currently facing this industry for which hiring veterans are an excellent solution. The United States Department of Labor, Employment Training Administration points to the impending retirement of many mature workers, who possess experience and intellectual capital and a loss of technical talent. To combat these impediments, the DOL suggests employers protect the skills base by relying on youthful and diverse workers, found in non-traditional labor pools.
Military candidates can perform a wide range of functions in this industry. Here are a few examples of positions in which we’ve seen veterans excel.
Project or Program Managers
Veterans have experience juggling the demands of complex programs and projects. Throughout their military career, they have balanced human capital, critical resources, and time constraints to meet organizational goals. Their leadership skills allow them to form and motivate diverse teams to insure the project is done on time and above standard. Veterans have an easy transition from the military to programs supporting the military. They are subject matter experts and proven transformational leaders.
Engineering
Military candidates are well trained and schooled in the technical aspects necessary to succeed as a sales, product, or developmental engineer. Veterans come with advanced degrees and the hands-on experience necessary to contribute to the bottom line. Today's military professionals receive practical application and schooling in six sigma and lean manufacturing principles, and have a solid foundation of engineering skills. This background, combined with leadership skills and unlimited potential, gives a company great flexibility in using our Engineers in a variety of capacities.
New Business Development Manager
Understanding the structure of the Department of Defense allows veterans to use their contacts and networks in order to find key personnel and opportunities necessary to generate new business. That ability, combined with their determination and knowledge, ensures success in securing those necessary contracts. Most military candidates are adept in, and fully understand, the RFP and Bid Process.
Field Service or Maintenance Technician
Military technicians represent some of the best electrical, mechanical, and electronic talent anywhere. Technically trained with real world experience, veterans frequently work on the same equipment they worked on in the military. With a greatly reduced learning curve and solid fundamentals, our technicians are able to work on the most complex equipment. Furthermore, their excellent communication skills, professional presentation, and maturity guarantee success onsite at a client's location.
As you can see, veterans are the answer to an aging workforce short on the technical talent it needs to innovate. In our nearly 30 years, Orion Talent has helped more than 200 aerospace companies hire veterans. We invite employers to connect with us and learn more about how we can help fill your team with fresh, highly skilled talent you need.
Military Hiring
Mark your calendar for our upcoming National Distinguished Candidate Conferences:
August 28-29, 2017 in Northern, NJ
October 2-3, 2017 in Atlanta, GA
October 16-17 in San Diego, CA
Since 1991, our clients have told us that the most important factor in deciding to hire military through an agency is the Quality of Candidate. Our unique Distinguished Candidate Conferences are designed to recruit, assess, screen, and present the top military candidates for your hiring needs. In 2016, nearly 175 client companies interviewed Orion's Military Officers at our Distinguished Candidate Conferences.
What do our clients have to say about the caliber of candidates at an Orion Distinguished Candidate Conference?
"The Distinguished Candidate Conference was a well-run event with a great Keynote speaker. Everyone did a great job; it's always a pleasure to work with Orion!" - Senior Program Manager, Honeywell
Learn more about our Distinguished Candidate Conferences and discover for yourself the impact a Military Officer can have on your organization.
For the full Orion Hiring Conference Schedule click on the dates below to learn more about our upcoming conferences. At an Orion Military Hiring Conferences you will have the chance to interview the best military job seekers, selected specifically for your open positions. You will be presented with prescreened, qualified and suitably matched veterans that are interested in your available opportunities.
West
Portland, OR August 7, 2017
San Diego, CA August 25, 2017
Seattle, WA September 15, 2017
South Central
Dallas, TX August 7, 2017
Denver, CO August 25, 2017
Houston, TX September 15, 2017
Northeast
Norfolk, VA August 7, 2017
Parsippany, NJ August 28, 2017
Parsippany, NJ August 28-29, 2017 (Distinguished Candidate Conference)
Norfolk, VA September 25, 2017
Midwest
Columbus, OH August 14, 2017
Southeast
Atlanta, GA August 15, 2017
According to Our Clients
"This is the third time that I used Orion to hire an employee, and I'm very satisfied with the quality and performance of the candidates."
"This was my first Orion Hiring Conference, and I was impressed with what I saw. My Account Executive was very professional, and I will use Orion again."
"We were very impressed with the candidates at the Hiring Conference we attended and how they presented themselves. Several of those we interviewed were extremely capable and would be great additions to any organization with potential to move to senior leadership."
Refer a Colleague to Orion Talent
Is your company or that of a friend or colleague in need of Orion Talent? For every referral you provide, you will be automatically entered into our monthly drawing for a $50 gift card. Even better, if your referral results in a hire, you will personally receive a $100 gift card as our way of saying thank you. As always, we will maintain your privacy and never share your information nor that of your referral.
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