Army Reserve job program helps veterans find employment

Photo By Maj. Alun Thomas | Jorge Carrion, an Army Career Employment Specialist, scans available job postings for Army Reserve Soldiers in his office, Dec. 3. Carrion assists Soldiers in Missouri in finding employment as part of the Private Public Partnership initiative designed by Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Talley, Chief of the U.S. Army Reserve.  

ST. LOUIS, MO, UNITED STATES

12.15.2014

Story by Alun Thomas  

88th Readiness Division

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - For Army Reserve veterans past and present, finding employment has become a problem as jobless rates continue to soar for those who have served their nation, especially during the last decade of ongoing conflicts.

To combat this issue, an initiative was launched by Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Talley, Chief of the U.S. Army Reserve, in an attempt to find work for these veterans in the form of the Private Public Partnership, which is designed to comprehensively search for appropriate jobs for those in need of employment.

“P3 brings together the shared goals and interests of the private and public sector,” said Talley. “Our strength in crucial areas such as medical, engineering, logistics and civil affairs will provide strategic depth across the full range of military operations, enhancing the readiness of Soldiers and units that complement vital military capabilities with civilian-acquired skills.”

Assisting in this project is Jorge Carrion, an Army Career Employment Specialist, who works with Army Reserve Soldiers in St. Louis, Missouri, to guide them on the path to gainful employment through a variety of resources.

“My job is to find jobs for Reserve Soldiers and I do that by creating partnerships with employers throughout the city, state and entire country,” Carrion said. “We have strategic subject matter experts who work at the country level and they filter jobs available in my area to me to advertise.”

Carrion, who is contracted by the Department of Defense, said he can get up to 400 job vacancies a week in Missouri through this method which he then disseminates to local employment agencies like St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment in order to elicit a response from reserve personnel.

Getting a response however has proved to be the hardest aspect of his job, Carrion said.

“Sadly, a lot of people don’t know this service exists and that’s my biggest obstacle,” Carrion continued. “It’s very difficult to get a civilian job if you don’t know somebody and I want to be the guy they know to get the job. At times it can be positive and it works great, but often the hiring process is difficult and Soldiers need help with it.”

This help comprises assistance with resumes, job interviews and also helping spouses, Carrion said, with his expertise not solely restricted to the Army.

“I recently helped a retired Air Force master sergeant with his resume and getting in touch with an employer and he told me the assistance he obtained from me did help him find work,” he said. “So in some way I am assisting all branches of the military.”

Carrion, a 19-year Army veteran, said he gets a lot of personal satisfaction when he finds a job for someone, citing a recent example as his most heartwarming job placement to date.

“I was losing sleep over one Reserve Soldier who had not only lost her job but her husband had as well a month earlier,’ Carrion explained. “They have three kids and lived in a rural location away from job opportunities in the city. It was in their best interest to move and they did. I helped them both find employment after this.”

“I got a call from her the day she found work … she mentioned a small key thing I told her and her husband about how to label your resume being crucial in getting a job,” Carrion continued. “It was as simple as labeling her resume with the name of the company, her name and the job position instead of Resume 1 or 2. The employer noticed this and told her it got her the job.”

“Simple things like that can make all the difference,” he said.
Although finding jobs for Soldiers is satisfying, there can be drawbacks when those who find work fail to tell Carrion of their hiring.

“It makes my day, but often the Soldiers don’t follow up when they find employment which means there’s a lot of success stories out there going untold,” Carrion said. “I do have a quota to meet monthly and I know I have more Soldiers finding jobs than I know about. It just takes a lot of following up.”

This follow up is helpful for Carrion so he can identify the companies who are assisting the military find jobs.

“If anything, I think it’s a good idea to know who is hiring, so if they let me know who hired them I can get more Soldiers over there,” Carrion said. “Anyone I help find work I tell them make sure you’re doing a good job and representing the Army to a high standard.”

For more information Jorge Carrion can be reached at 314-679-5984 or [e-mail]

• Date Taken: 12.15.2014
• Date Posted: 12.16.2014 12:00
• Story ID: 150438
• Location: ST. LOUIS, MO, US