Verizon Once Again Named to G.I. Jobs Top 100 Military-Friendly Employers List

NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon has been named to the G.I. Jobs Top 100 Military-Friendly Employers List for 2013, in recognition of the company's military recruiting and hiring practices. The company was ranked No. 15 on the list – up from No. 41 last year. Verizon also earned mention as a Military Friendly Spouse Employer for 2013.

The G.I. Jobs magazine's Top 100 list was drawn from a sample of 5,000 companies whose annual revenues exceeded $500 million. Criteria included the strength of company military-recruiting efforts, the percentage of new hires with prior military service, retention programs, and company policies toward National Guard and Reserve service. Verizon employs approximately 12,000 veterans.

"Recruiting the best talent in the industry goes hand in hand with recruiting military veterans," said Magda Yrizarry, Verizon's chief talent and diversity officer. "With their unique leadership experience, technical skills, superb training and mission-driven attitudes, our veterans are a natural fit at Verizon."

To help job-seeking veterans, Verizon has a military career website featuring a U.S. Military Skill Matcher that lets applicants enter their branch of service and specialty code to find job openings that match their background, education and experience.

Verizon also has a variety of programs to support veterans and their families.  One program assists employees who are married to active duty members by finding the employee jobs within Verizon, near where their spouses are assigned. The company's Veteran Advisory Board provides recognition, mentoring and development of veteran employees. 

In addition to actively recruiting and hiring employees with military experience, Verizon offers a variety of benefits to employees serving in the National Guard or Reserves, including some of the best corporate-leave policies in the country.

Verizon's Emergency Military Leave benefit allows employees to continue serving their country while working at Verizon. When an employee who is in the Reserves or National Guard is activated in support of international anti-terrorism and peace-keeping operations, Verizon pays, for up to 36 months, the difference in the employee's Verizon base pay and military base pay, and continues health care and other benefits for the same period.       

Verizon also has a number of external partnerships to further advocate the hiring of veterans, including Employer Support of Guard and the Reserves, Military Spouse Employment Partnership, Hiring our Heroes and Wounded Warrior Project.

Providing legal support for returning veterans is also a key part of the pro bono program sponsored by Verizon's legal department.  In partnership with the National Veterans Legal Services Project, Verizon attorneys provide pro bono legal assistance in support of veterans injured in combat or other hazardous duty. Verizon attorneys have also helped returning veterans start small businesses.

In May, CivilianJobs.com named Verizon to the organization's Most Valuable Employers for Military for the second consecutive year, and the company was named to the Military Times EDGE Best for Vets list for the first time.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with nearly 96 million retail customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 184,500. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.  

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SOURCE Verizon