Whether you’re a fresh military veteran with years of service under your belt or a military spouse searching for that perfect portable job, Xerox is committed to the military community. Known for its business services and products, Xerox provides job opportunities for veterans and military spouses alike.
Xerox is making waves in the military community all over the nation, but especially here in the Pacific Northwest. “We were recently recognized among a handful of top employers in Washington State for regularly hiring veterans onto our team,” said Sabrina Jones, Recruiting Manager for the northwest region of Xerox in Federal Way.
Xerox’s unique Military Hiring Program added more than 1,700 veterans in various positions throughout the United States because of their team building skills, management experience and leadership abilities. Furthermore, Xerox is not just committed to hiring applicants who are transitioning military, but are also seeking retired military personnel, veterans with disabilities, and military spouses.
“We are very involved with supporting veteran programs in Western Washington,” said Sabrina, who works closely with the Washington State Military Transition Council (WSMTC) to support veteran and spouse employment in Washington state. Another program they work closely with is YesVets, an initiative put together to promote the hiring of veterans. In fact, according to Sabrina, Xerox was among one of the first private employers to participate in the program of hiring veterans.
While some companies may shy away from hiring veterans and military spouses, Xerox is forging the way to make sure military personnel is hired.
Jessica Coen is the Division Vice President (West) in Lacey and says that veterans make some of the best employees. “Typically, veteran employees are loyal and they’re very committed to doing what they’re asked to do. I have managers that are veterans and there’s no question that when I ask them to do a task, they want to understand exactly how to do it and do it 100% accurately.” Sabrina agrees entirely. “Veterans working on my team are always on time, very reliable and disciplined, have a sense of responsibility, want to always go above and beyond and are always looking for ways to make things better,” she said.
One such employee is Cody Adams, who had seven years in the Navy but transitioned into the reserves in 2012 when he started working for Xerox. Referred to Xerox by a friend, Cody jumped at the opportunity when told of the great incentives offered to employees. “Over the last four years with Xerox, I have moved around within the company a lot. I have held a position as a production supervisor, currently am in our Recruiting Department, and I am lead on our Veteran Hiring initiatives.” Cody is not just a committed employee but also looks out for other veteran employees by serving in the veterans groups with representatives from all over the world to discuss best practices when it comes to hiring veterans and their family members.
Xerox provides the ability to join the veteran’s caucus, exclusive to veterans. “If there are any challenges they are facing, they can discuss them there and channel ideas to help other veterans in the company,” said Sabrina. “We are very accommodating of our veteran employee needs.”
One way Cody is helping veterans step out is by first suggesting that they not be afraid to self-identify as a veteran when applying for a job. “As a recruiting assistant, when I see that someone has identified as a veteran it tells me a lot about them. I know that they are no stranger to structure and also that our results-based environment allows individuals like themselves to thrive and pick up on opportunities for advancement very quickly,” said Cody.
Veterans can rest assured that Xerox will put their needs first. “There’s a lot of portability and the structure of a full-time job with steady pay. There are benefits like tuition reimbursement and 401k, too,” said Sabrina.
The military hiring program is not just specifically for veterans. With the Heroes@Home program (an 8,000 person virtual workforce), military spouses can also find careers that are portable and fit in with the transient military lifestyle. “We know that it can be difficult for spouses to maintain a stable career path if they have to stop and start jobs moving with their service member. We provide that seamless transition from one duty station to the next,” Sabrina said. The program hires qualified veterans and military spouses for at-home employment opportunities.
It doesn’t stop there, those currently in active duty while employed with Xerox don’t have to fear losing their jobs. “In late 2013, I was mobilized to Bagram, Afghanistan with the Navy Reserves while I was employed at Xerox,” said Cody. “My management, staff, and co- workers made not only my transition out as easy as possible, but worked fantastically with me to reintegrate me back into the company smoothly. Shortly after my return, I was picked for promotion to Production Supervisor.”
There are about 140 veterans at the Federal Way and Lacey locations, representing roughly 6% of the employee base. If you are interested in learning more about the job opportunities at Xerox, click here, and if you are still serving in the military, don’t let it deter you from applying. “We are very accommodating and respect and value what these people are doing for our country so we don’t want them to fear not having a job when they return,” said Sabrina.
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