Throughout both wartime and peace, Veterans Day is a time to honor the servicepeople who have fought for our freedom and defended our nation against all threats. For some, Veterans Day has an added significance. John Luebke, Junior Project Manager at NetImpact, who served in the Marines Corps for five (5) years, expressed that “on Veterans Day, I reflect about my great-grandfather, grandfather, and uncle who all served as well as the fellow Marines with whom I served.” For John’s family, serving their country is a part of a family tradition: his great-grandfather served in WWI, his grandfather fought in WWII, and his uncle fought in the Vietnam War. As a yearly practice, John spends the day reflecting on his family’s service, as well as his own. This year in particular, John is glad to be a part of a company that celebrates and supports their veterans.
NetImpact maintains our commitment to hiring and retaining veterans with diverse experiences through numerous internal recruitment initiatives and support programs. As a testament to this, earlier this year we received our Virginia Values Veterans (V3) certification. This certification is awarded to companies who have successfully completed extensive training on the best practices in veteran employment and outreach. Our veterans are heroes and have proudly stood for America’s freedoms and all our country’s citizens, upholding a commitment to our nation that cannot be matched.
NetImpact appreciates these sacrifices and believes it is important for each of us to do our part in gratitude. So, we return a different promise: integrating a focus on veterans into our Talent Acquisition and Retention culture. As a result of our efforts in gratitude, we have established a robust veteran integration program, maintained a hiring level of 10% of vets, and retaining 85% of those hire – resulting in being recognized with the highest level of the HIRE Vets Medallion Award. This award is the only federal-level veterans’ employment award that recognizes an organization’s commitment to veteran hiring, retention, and professional development. Although incomparable to the distinctions and sacrifices that decorate our veterans, NetImpact holds our 2020 HIRE Vets Medallion Award with high pride because it means we have and will continue to uphold our promises.
One of our more recent veteran hires is Tina Staffieri, a Trusted Advisor with NetImpact who served in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman. When Tina left the Navy, she struggled with finding her next career and began running short on time. Her income from the Navy was coming to an end, while her bills were not. Although she applied to many different positions from various organizations, those employers were looking for specific civilian qualifications and not her military experience. Krystan Silva, our Talent Acquisition Manager who is trained and experienced in hiring veterans, saw her drive, service, and experience. Krystan ensured that Tina was interviewed by veterans so her military background would be considered with the appropriate perspective. As a response to this, Tina expressed that “interviewing with two fellow women veterans meant everything to me, because they understood my experience and how it would ultimately benefit the company, if I was hired.” Another key aspect that differentiated Tina’s experience is the importance of having a mentor, who also served in the military, to coach her through the transition between her service and new opportunity at NetImpact.
NetImpact thanks all of those who have served our country in the military, both past and present. As Tina best explained, “Veterans Day isn’t just about free food or discounts – it just means remembering that veterans exist and are people too.” Vets, we see you, respect you, and appreciate all the sacrifices you made to assure our freedom. We also understand that transitioning between service and civilian life presents their own challenges. To all of the veterans out there, you don’t have to march on alone, below are some resources to assist you in your journey.
Military-Transitions.org – An organization that helps service members, veterans, spouses, and employers better understand and prepare for the military-to-civilian transition process and civilian employment.
Military One Source – A part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s network of support for the military community
The National Resource Directory – A searchable database of resources vetted for service members, veterans, family members and caregivers
NetImpact Strategies – A company of Trusted Advisors driving digital transformation across the Federal Government who appreciates your service and will assist you in finding a place where your experience will be valued.
