How Vets Helping Vets Spans Generations
How this Air Force vet paid a job referral forward
Adam Sanchez tells the story of how his son wanted to join the Air Force upon graduating high school, rather than go to college. “My friend Jimmy Carter is An Air Force veteran from a military family. He spent more than an hour talking to Abe about his decision. Jimmy convinced Abe to take two years of junior college first. Get a chance to understand what he wants to do later, so when Abe does enter the Air Force he can pick a specialty that will help him succeed.”
To Jimmy Carter, helping out came naturally. “Every single person in the military is your family,” he says. “Of course, there is a rivalry between services. But we are all brothers and sisters.”
Together, Adam and Jimmy Carter have more than fifty years in the military: Adam as an Army armored crewman, tank commander, and reserve instructor; Jimmy an Air Force air traffic controller and crypto-communications technician. They now work together at G4S, the world’s leading private security organization.
Why veterans prefer to refer vets
After joining G4S, Adam discovered that the management structure and opportunities were a good fit for people who take initiative to resolve issues. That led him to ask Jimmy to join him as a full-time, permanent employee.
Adam continues to seek out veterans to fill job openings due to their loyal cooperation, and willingness to accomplish the mission. “I’m looking for quality people I can vouch for. If they’re veterans, all the better, because that’s been my affirmative action program for quite some time. You learn in the military that when you care for people, you motivate them. When you motivate them, they want to come and work for you.”
Jimmy Carter explains why veterans appreciate working with firms that recruit other veterans. “In a new job, you’re thrown in with a bunch of people you don’t know. But with vets, there is an instant rapport because of that shared experience of having been in the military.”
How AliroVets streamlines veteran referrals
Adam encourages the veterans that he recruits to register on the online AliroVets employment referral app. “If I speak with someone willing to consider a change, I introduce them to the AliroVets program. I explain why employers prefer to pay a referral bonus to the referrer and new hire instead of a 20% fee to a recruiter. I suggest they submit a resume tailored for the openings on AliroVets that look right for them.”
Adam uses AliroVets to discover job postings that might be a good fit in job function and location for his extensive contacts from previous employers. “I like AliroVets because you can see available jobs, submit referrals, see the status and when bonuses are going to get paid if a person stays on.”
Adam is currently leading the G4S organization in using the AliroVets program with 8 candidates referred, and 47 referral links created.
Beyond the numbers
Just like in the military, you work alongside your colleagues every day. You form strong bonds. Having that trust and sense of family transcends what most professionals come to know as their employee experience. Adam didn’t hesitate to turn to Jimmy for career advice to his most trusted asset—his son. In the background, it may be two companies– G4S and Aliro– that brought these guys together to talk about the future, but it’s their shared history and love of country that wins the day.