Cisco is proud to be a 100,000 Jobs Mission member. Next week there will be both a virtual and a Bethesda, Maryland- based job fair for U.S. military veterans, transitioning service members, wounded warriors and military spouses. We will have Cisco representatives at both the virtual job fair and at Bethesda.

100,000 Jobs Mission Virtual Job Fair
Live Webcast: Friday, August 24, 2012 10:00am ET/7:00 am PT and 1:00pm ET/ 10:00am PT

100,000 Jobs Mission Coalition is hosting a virtual job fair for U.S. veterans, transitioning service members, wounded warriors and military spouses. This is an opportunity to learn about career opportunities with Coalition member companies like Abbott, Avis Budget Group, Cisco, EMC², Frontier Communications, Henry Schein, HP, IBM, Iron Mountain, JPMorgan Chase, Mantech International, Modis, Office Depot, UnitedHealth Group, and UPMC.

Companies will showcase current open jobs. Panelists will be available to answer questions.

Click below to register:  Read More »

Tags: diversity, inclusion, Inclusion and Diversity, military, veterans

This post was written by Michael Veysey, director of Veterans Programs at Cisco

Since September 11, 2001, men and women in the U.S. armed forces have fought in our nation’s longest wars. This all-volunteer force has endured sacrifices that most of us will never know or experience—all to protect our peace and freedom. So, hiring a qualified veteran into our ranks is our chance to say “thank you“ to our nation’s heroes.

Hiring veterans is not only a good thing to do, it also makes good business sense. Their knowledge, training, and experience, often under extreme conditions, demonstrate that they can thrive in a competitive and dynamic business environment.

Read More »

Tags: 100, Cisco, corporate social responsibility, CSR, employment, futures, hire, jobs, jobs mission, military, veterans

Here in the United States, we are observing Memorial Day today which honors those men and women that have laid down their lives in our nation’s service.  Here’s a fact I only learned recently about why the flag is only at half staff until noon:

On Memorial Day the flag is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.

The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.

Here at Cisco, our military focused employee resource group (ERG) is just finishing up its annual spring care package drive to troops overseas.  It is always an education to get Read More »

Tags: diversity, Employee Resource Group, inclusion, Inclusion and Diversity, memorial day, military, veterans

Part of what we should be happy with every day is learning something new. I strive each day for that, sometimes I over exceed, sometimes I may not recognize I learned something until days later. But here it is critical to maintain balance. I would hasten to add that each day it is even more critical to enjoy something. Like your family.

My friends and loyal readers would know I work from home. One of the powers of a Cisco powered network is to be there while being here. So I usually have the TV on in the background. To let me know that the snow is coming (finally?) or of other breaking news. But one of the things I watch (before my partners on the West Coast get in) is the local Fox morning show.

Here in Milwaukee they are running the local Auto Show. It is being held at the local convention center that has been renamed 10 times in the last six years (I exaggerate, saving that for a future blog) due to acquisitions. They, the local Fox station and Toyota, are doing a promo to give away a new car to a Veteran. So they’re down to the final six. Read More »

Tags: Cisco, FOX6 Milwaukee, Manufacturing, remote expert, Toyota, veterans

Steve Urquhart knows the struggle well. When he got back from serving in the Army in 1997, he had to find a job. But making the transition wasn’t that easy. He shares the details in a recorded WebEx.

“When our soldiers come home, they face a daunting task. They are faced with trying to find work in a non-military setting,” Steve explains. “They have to translate their military skills to public and private sector jobs and that transition is extremely difficult.”

According to Steve, there is help out there -- including President Obama’s new Gold Card Initiative -- but much of it is bureaucratic and slow. In the meantime, these folks need jobs and they need them now. That’s why Steve started VETSourcing and joined forces with Darkhorse Benefits.

Together they have put together a program for helping Vets get the training they need to enter the workforce. They talked with us about it on a WebEx which is available on-demand. Focusing on skills that allow them to thrive in today’s professional landscape, the program focuses on the following:

• Self-discipline, resilience and strong work ethic are essential
• Teamwork and technology focus
• Ability to grasp the big picture and stay mission focused
• Telecommuting: getting the job done from anywhere

Watch this online meeting, to learn more about VETSourcing, Darkhorse Benefits and the program Read More »

Tags: No Office, Online Meeting, Recording, training, veterans, veterans day, Veterans Programs, video conference, WebEX