Comcast NBCUniversal: Committed to Hiring and Supporting Our Heroes

Comcast and NBCUniversal have long recognized that veteran hires bring exceptional strengths to the business and actively recruit prospective employees with military backgrounds.

Military veterans and reservists returning to civilian work offer employers far more than just the technical skills they developed in the service. “These people come to us with a complete set of talents: individual responsibility, discipline, leadership, the ability to motivate large groups,” says Will Baas, Executive Director of Talent Acquisition at Comcast. “From the payment center to the C-suite, veterans are a critical part of our workforce.”

Comcast and NBCUniversal formalized this commitment by partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s “Hiring Our Heroes” initiative — a program that helps veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment in January 2012. Since the partnership began, Comcast and NBCUniversal have hired 2,000 veterans, achieving our veteran hiring commitment almost two years ahead of schedule.

Beyond ongoing efforts to attract and hire veterans, Comcast and NBCUniversal support a range of programs and initiatives aimed at expanding employment opportunities for veterans in all sectors of the workforce.

Along with regularly participating in local “Hiring Our Heroes”-sponsored job fairs around the country and virtual Recruit Military job fairs online, Comcast has launched a jobs and education resource portal for veterans and their families. This online hub features up-to-date tools and information to help smooth the transition from military service to civilian life. To bolster this, NBCUniversal and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation have also launched “Next Steps for Vets,” a web portal hosted by NBCNews.com that equips veterans with essential tools and information to help them in their transition after returning home from military service.

NBC Publishing has also released a free e-book and guide for veterans, Heroes Get Hired: How to Use Your Military Experience to Master the Interview, available at www.heroesgethired.com. The e-book highlights specific strengths and competitive advantages that veterans bring to the civilian workforce, and it provides advice on how to communicate these qualities to a recruiter or potential employer.

Since January 2012, Comcast and NBCUniversal have hired thousands veterans to work in a variety of positions at all levels, including network engineering, technology, operations, theme parks and resorts, programming, customer service, marketing, human resources, and other careers.

To support these hires, Comcast and NBCUniversal each have a Veterans Network Employee Resource Group (ERG) that offers mentoring programs and networking opportunities to help members grow professionally and personally. These ERGs help foster the innate connection that exists among veterans.

Along with the bonds forged from serving their country, many of the veterans we hire also share a strong drive to excel on the job.

“With every veteran I’ve met, there’s a sense that this person will be able to adapt and overcome,” says Michelle Alban, who served in the U.S. Air Force and is now Vice President of Corporate Communications for Telemundo. “They want to get things accomplished.”