Hiring 20,000 Vets by 2020
AT&T doubles military hiring commitment in White House Ceremony
By Johanna Martinez, Military Talent Attraction Manager, AT&T
I grew up in a military home. I have nearly a dozen Unites States Marines in my family and several others serving in the Army. Protecting our nation is a family business – one that became a launch pad that’s taken me places I could never have imagined.
Following 4 rewarding years in the Marine Corps, it was time to come home. Transitioning from military to civilian life was exciting, but also scary. In the military, most things are decided for you: your clothes, your hair, even your address. That, coupled with the incredible sense of family all soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and coastguard members develop, makes the exit daunting.
But vets persevere, so I quickly began my job search, and zeroed in on AT&T – a company steeped in tradition, yet leading the revolution in how we all connect with our world. I’ll never forget my first interview. I noticed the Marine Corps logo on the AT&T supervisor’s desk.
I had to know.
“Do you know someone in the Marines? “ I asked. “Because I just got out.”
It turns out he was a veteran, too. Soon after, I was again reporting to a Marine – now at AT&T.
Today I’m in my dream job. My title is Talent Attraction Manager, which simply means I help the company find great people. Even better, I get to focus exclusively on veterans and their families – helping them transition to civilian life, hopefully at AT&T.
As I reflect on my personal journey, I realize I’ve become part of another family: The 280,000 employees at one of the greatest companies in the world. Words cannot describe my pride when we reached our goal to hire 10,000 vets last year.
But we’re not stopping there.
Today, AT&T is making a commitment to hire an additional 10,000 veterans for a total of 20,000 vets by 2020. To announce that commitment, I had the honor of visiting the White House with AT&T Chief Learning Officer, John Palmer. We met with First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden. It was something this Marine from San Antonio will never forget.
