Back Home and Looking for Work

By Carol Walsh
June 2009

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Minnesota WorkForce Centers have representatives statewide who can help returning veterans find jobs.

U.S. military members overseas have one big advantage over soldiers who served in foreign countries in the past. They can begin looking for jobs even before they get home, thanks to modern technology.

“The newer guys are so up on technology. They’re very computer-savvy,” said Dick Joerg, senior veterans employment representative at the Mankato WorkForce Center.

E-mails from Minnesota service members in Iraq, Germany, Japan and Hawaii have landed in his office asking about job opportunities.

Joerg responds to the messages with details about familiar Web sites – VetsCentral (high on his list of recommendations), MinnesotaWorks.net and CareerOneStop – but he also takes the time to pass along information about Minnesota’s nationally acclaimed reintegration meetings, hiring preference for civil service positions and organizations that can help.

Joerg has more than 28 years of experience working with veterans at DEED, starting as a veterans service technician and later as a workforce development representative, disabled veterans specialist and, for the last 14 years, as a senior veterans employment representative.

Southern Minnesota is his territory, covering 21 counties and eight Minnesota WorkForce Centers. He has help in that region from veterans employment representatives Gary Walters and Ron Kellen.

Minnesota has veterans representatives stationed at all 47 WorkForce Centers in the state. Their duties include helping vets learn how to conduct job searches, write resumes and cover letters, determine their benefits and rights, and find other agencies and services that can assist them.

Some representatives specialize in helping disabled vets. Neil Krenz, a Wheaton native and Iraq veteran who works at the St. Paul WorkForce Center in the Midway neighborhood, is among 23 specialists around the state who work with disabled veterans.

Known as DVOPs (disabled veterans outreach program specialists), they are trained to identify and help veterans who face significant barriers to employment, including physical and mental disabilities, transportation problems, age barriers and criminal records.

“The first thing I do when I meet them is shake their hands, look them in the eye and thank them for the service that they gave to our country,” Krenz said.

Then he gets down to business, identifying problems and finding solutions. Some clients need career guidance, while others require additional skills training or help with how to write a resume or prepare for a job interview. Some just need a decent place to live.

In some cases, veterans are so severely disabled that they are referred to the agency’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services program or State Services for the Blind.

“Although we’re experienced in placing veterans in good jobs, we need help with those veterans that have been seriously wounded or injured, lost limbs, or have lost their hearing or their sight,” said Jim Finley, DEED’s director of veterans employment services. “Vocational Rehabilitation provides the expertise needed in working with the most seriously disabled vets. They are among our most valued partners.”

Vets representatives statewide have been trained to identify veterans almost as soon as they step foot inside a WorkForce Center. Customers are asked if they are veterans, usually at the WorkForce Center front desk. If the answer is yes, they’re asked to complete a questionnaire, Joerg said.

“The questionnaire is intended to give us a general indication of any barriers to re-employment. I read each questionnaire and follow up with the veteran to get more detailed information, regardless of whether I’m in the office that day,” Joerg said.

“We are what I like to call ‘information brokers,’” he added, “providing information on whatever issues or questions they may have.”

Many veterans used the GI Bill to return to school. One veteran-customer who Joerg counseled earned a full degree while in the military.

The economy may also spur interest in returning to school. “Times are tough for all workers, including veterans. In many cases, vets haven’t held a civilian job for 12, 15 years and need computer skills,” Joerg said.

Many employers like hiring veterans because of their strong work ethic and because of the skills they acquired while in the military, he said.

Veterans Employment Services offers returning veterans the opportunity to attend Transition Assistance Program workshops, where they can receive career assessments and learn job-seeking skills.

Joerg keeps his own skills sharp – he is refreshing his knowledge by training as a career development facilitator – with an eye toward future issues affecting DEED veterans employment representatives. Priority of service among veterans and more responsibility for monitoring will be among the issues to watch, he said.