Employers learn about attracting veteran workers during Home Base Iowa breakfast
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Roughly 15 Marshalltown employers learned about hiring veterans through the Home Base Iowa (HBI) program, which focuses on bringing veterans to live in Marshall County, during a Friday morning presentation led by Robert Haege, the local veteran employment representative for the state of Iowa. Marshall County was designated an HBI community in May, and Haege highlighted some of the benefits the program brings.
"There's a piece we tend to miss and that's the spouse, the family member," he said. "It's not only getting a veteran to come to Iowa, but also a spouse. Odds are, they have high skill sets. They've been to college, but their resume might look a little shoddy -- two years here, two years there. That's a piece we sometimes forget."
Haege said many times the spouse is the driving factor in determining where the family relocates. The spouse put a lot of their life on hold for military service, and he said it’s a chance for them to pursue their career.
Showing offered incentives at career fairs is a big piece of the puzzle. He suggested employers highlight incentives offered in Marshall County, such as the $25,000 Retail Incentive Program and the $10,000 Make Marshalltown Home Incentive.
"If a veteran is looking to move to Marshall County and set up a business, that retail incentive program is going to help out with that," Haege said.
The home incentive will also serve as an attraction.
"That's a big piece, I think," Haege said. "A lot of veterans have never bought a house. They've lived on base and don't know where to start. Looking at these incentives, this is where we can go out to those career fairs; a lot of great incentives to move to Marshall County, and that's really what is needed to get people to move here."
He also spoke about HBI partnering with IowaWorks, which created a new platform called IowaWorks for Veterans. Haege said it allows employers to easily search veteran resumes.
"Why hire veterans?" he asked the attendees. "What do veterans bring to your business? You answer that, but is there a need? I think there is. From being able to show up on time, I think in general, veterans do that very well."
The system can be set up to give employers an alert when a new veteran posts a resume on the site.
"They can send it to you weekly," Haege said. "So, each week you can get a list of veterans in IowaWorks looking for work."
One program of the partnership, Haege said, allows veterans to intern at a company six months before their discharge. That time is paid for by the Department of Defense. However, it can be a challenge to get the veteran's unit to agree to an earlier discharge.
"It gives veterans an opportunity to test out Iowa," he said. "It is a great program."
Marshall County Veterans Affairs Director Kevin Huseboe also spoke and said they have the pleasure of being the first stop for veterans.
"[Home Base Iowa] is a wonderful program," he said. "I'm glad we jumped on board with it."
Huseboe touched on job fairs held in partnership with IowaWorks. The fairs featuring thank-yous to the veterans in the form of food was a nice draw, he said. Huseboe added he would refer veterans to employers interested in hiring them.
"When you get veterans in, really highlight that you are veteran-friendly, that you want veterans working for you," he said. "Have some monthly deals, get-togethers, get those set up. Maybe have a luncheon, just to show them 'thank you' for what they have done. We're an aggressive crew. We hit the ground running."
Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.