MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Military.com and parent company Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW) received an award last week for their contributions to furthering veteran employment through their unique skills translation technology.
The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) awarded the “Most Innovative Use of Technology” to Monster Government Solutions and Military.com for their Military Skills Translator (MST) which helps veteran job seekers successfully translate and communicate their military skills into civilian language.
Some military career fields translate easily to the private sector, but locating work is toughest for those in non-technical, combat related career fields like the infantry. For those individuals, an inability to accurately explain how their war fighting expertise could be leveraged by private sector companies has significantly affected their employment search.
The Monster/Military.com Military Skills Translator leverages Military.com’s deep institutional knowledge of military and veteran affairs and Monster’s award-winning talent recruitment and management software. The MST provides veteran employers with an in-depth, comprehensive, multifaceted picture of how their service skills can be applied in the corporate world. The tool has had 2.5 million unique views this year alone.
Steve Cooker, Executive Vice President at Monster Worldwide, Inc. said, “Monster is honored to have our dynamic tool that is changing the job seeking experience for veterans around the country be recognized by the NVTC. We hope this helps to let even more people, companies and hiring managers know about ways to help veterans transition their skills to viable employment.”
To use the tool, job seekers input service branch, pay grade and military job title. A candidate profile is created which updates in real time as the veteran adds and subtracts relevant information. With the basic inputs, suggested civilian skills begin populating the profile, many of which might not have been immediately obvious. For example, if a job seeker identifies as an Army helicopter crew chief, the MST adds logical civilian skills such as Aircraft Maintenance and Crew Operations.
More importantly, however, are the additional skills that are a part of the candidate’s profile, which include Message Processing Procedures, Project Management and Teaching/Instruction. The candidate has the option to delete these civilian skills – if they aren’t relevant – or to add additional civilian skills from the database. As they do this, their job seeking profile continues to adapt in real time, creating a holistic profile that reflects the tapestry of an individual’s military experiences by military occupation but also by secondary and tertiary skills – an ability not shared by any other skills translator.
Additionally, as the job seeker adds and deletes relevant military and civilian skills, education and qualifications, they are automatically presented with a list of current job openings that match their skills accordingly on the very same page with the capability to submit applications instantaneously.
Greg Smith, President of Military.com and retired Navy Admiral said, “The key to matching veterans with companies eager to hire them is communication and our MST provides a level of fidelity and translation that no other tool out there can offer. We know this is making a difference in the lives of veterans and we’re proud to be a part of that effort.”
When Military.com/Monster first built the MST, they assumed that it would be most popular with defense contractors and other organizations that already actively recruited veteran talent. Instead, they’ve been pleasantly surprised to see just how widely the tool has been embraced across the commercial sector, with companies ranging from healthcare to retail to manufacturing to financial services embracing the tool as an effective method for hiring experienced veteran employees.
The original version of the MST continues to live on Military.com. However, customized versions of the translator are used by several large corporations and trade associations to enhance their veteran employment programs. In addition, non-profit service organizations like the American Legion and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard (EANGUS) feature the MST to help their members transition into civilian employment. The tool is the centerpiece of Military.com’s Transition Center and organizations like NovaTechVets.org, USTechVets and NewEnglandTechVets also use the technology to power their veteran employment efforts.
Communication is still the biggest challenge for veterans and employers. According to the 2014 Veteran Talent Index, released by Monster, “The challenge for transitioning service members lies in being able to communicate their military skills in a way that employers can understand and utilize those skills. Two thirds of surveyed veterans report that they were equipped for their transition out of the military and feel that hiring managers do not understand their skills and experiences.”
By helping civilian recruiters better understand a potential veteran employee’s resume and how those military skills will be of value to their organization, the MST is more than just another search function add-on. It has a proven record of breaking down communication and language barriers between the military and civilian world, and it will enable more transitioning veteran service members to be matched with careers that align with their unique skills sets.
About Military.com
Military.com is the nation’s largest military and veteran online news and membership organization serving active duty personnel, reservists, guard members, retirees, veterans, family members, defense workers and those considering military careers. Military.com enables Americans with military affinity to access their benefits, advance their careers, enjoy military discounts, and stay connected for life. Military.com is a business unit of Monster Worldwide Inc. More information is available at www.military.com.
About Monster Worldwide
Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW), is a global leader in successfully connecting job opportunities and people. Monster uses the world's most advanced technology to help people Find Better, matching job seekers to opportunities via digital, social and mobile solutions including monster.com®, our flagship website, and employers to the best talent using a vast array of products and services. As an Internet pioneer, more than 200 million people have registered on the Monster Worldwide network. Today, with operations in more than 40 countries, Monster provides the broadest, most sophisticated job seeking, career management, recruitment and talent management capabilities globally. For more information visit monster.com/about
Links:
Military.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/Militarydotcom
Military.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MilitaryDotCom
Military.com
Google+: http://plus.google.com/+MilitaryDotCom
Military.com
Press Center: http://www.military.com/aboutus/twocolumn/0,15929,Press-Room,00.html
