Cooperative Living November/December 2018 - 27

'When we think about
providing safe, reliable
and affordable power,
we know our veterans --
whatever their job --
are focused on making
sure we are operating
safely, and that we
are creating a reliable
electric network for
co-op members.'
information to bring attention and advice aimed at connecting
veterans with co-op jobs. A series of three checklists
published by the program helps guide electric co-ops in
setting up a veteran-hiring effort. The checklists show
co-ops how to recognize veterans, contact groups in
their communities for broad-based effectiveness
and bring attention to the skills and abilities
veterans offer.
Some of those skills and abilities might not be
immediately obvious, says Rostom, like what they
learn by having to change their job and their
residence every few years.
" They are trained to learn, " she says. " They
change jobs every couple of years, so they learn
to adapt. "
Serve Our Co-ops; Serve Our Country also started a
group called Veterans in Energy, a professional
organization to go beyond hiring, by helping
veterans transition into the energy workforce.
Military spouses make up another oftenoverlooked
resource, says Rostom.
co-opliving.com
November-December 2018 | Cooperative Living | 25
" You'll get resumés for a spouse, and they will have big gaps in
their experience, " she says. " They've put their career path on
hold to follow their spouse around the world with the military, so
don't just discount that resumé. "
Rostom says, " They've had to move their family probably 10
times over the past 15 years, so they have to plan, they have to
find housing, find schools, medical care -- and they're doing that
without their spouse there, who is deployed somewhere. Often,
they are volunteering, so they are community-focused, which is
what we look for in the co-ops. In working with groups of
volunteers, they are managing people, they are probably
managing a budget, they are securing vendors for events.
There are a lot of skill sets that they bring. "
Rostom continues, " Many are working on a degree while they
are moving around the world. They are a phenomenal group of
untapped talent we should consider. When you see that resumé,
it doesn't say military spouse, but I think it should. It totally
changes the game - it shows the potential employer why their
career has been put on hold. They are smart, educated, they
are project managers, they work with diverse groups of people.
They're an untapped group of talent that we don't always
think about. "
Through Serve Our Co-ops; Serve Our Country, electric co-ops
are better positioned to increase their veteran workforce and
support local veteran communities. To learn more about the
program, visit servevets.coop. 
Paul Wesslund writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National
Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association
representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing
suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of
economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the
nation's landscape.
http://www.servevets.coop http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living November/December 2018

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