By Gretchen C. Van Benthuysen
Today is Veterans Day. Always observed on Nov. 11, there are parades and wreath-laying ceremonies to celebrate the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who served in war and peace. But what about the other 364 days of the year?
If Arthur Maloney of Fair Haven had his way, we would be thinking about U.S. vets a whole lot more, especially when it comes to their needs and lack of jobs.
Maloney, a former U.S. Marine, volunteers with Monmouth County’s Division of Aging, Disabilities & Veterans Services. He works one-on-one with about five vets at a time to help them find a job. To do so, he works closely not only as the division’s only veteran employment advisor but also with the Monmouth County Division of Workforce Development in Eatontown and the One-Stop Career Center in Neptune.
The county employees, he is quick to add, are a “very effective and dedicated team of professionals” devoted to helping a surprising number of vets in need. With about 500 registered vets at the Neptune office, Maloney said, times 21 counties in New Jersey, times 49 other states, well, we’re looking at a whole lot of former military looking for jobs.
So why are vets having more trouble landing jobs than the average unemployed civilian?
“These vets entered the military at a young age, when they should have been developing skills to live independently and begin thinking about what careers they will have in life,” Maloney explained. “They put all that on hold. They sacrificed valuable career development time while they were in the military.
“They went from their own family into a military family where their needs were taken care of,” he said. “When they get out, things become very complicated. They’re on their own and have to fend for themselves for the first time in their lives. In addition, they are not job ready. They know very little about the job search process.”
Maloney works with vets ranging in age from 22 to 65. They are almost 100 percent enlisted personnel, meaning they are not officers who have college degrees. For many, enlisting may be a means to an end from a challenged family life, poor financial condition or the lack of direction once high school ends, he said.
Maloney enlisted in the Marine Corps when he was 19 after his freshman year at Rutgers University, which didn’t live up to his expectations. He served with the 3rd Battalion,1st Marine regiment in Vietnam from January 1967 to February 1968, spending six months with a Marine squad embedded in a South Vietnam village. His mission was to gain field intelligence at a grassroots level. While there he became fascinated by the Asian culture, language, regional habits and family dynamics.
“It opened me up to a whole new world and affected my career choice for the rest of my life,” he said.
After a two-year stint he returned to Rutgers to earn an undergraduate degree in history (focusing on Southeast Asia) and a master’s degree at Seton Hall University in Chinese studies. The timing was fortuits, he said, as China was exploring business opportunities in the west in 1978. He spent most of his career with International Flavors & Fragrances living in Singapore and Hong Kong early in his 30-year career, most of which he spent directly or indirectly involved with the Chinese market. He also was assigned to IFF’s London and Hazlet offices.
Having both military and management experience gives Maloney credibility with job seekers and hiring managers, he said.
“I interview the vet to understand his or her personality, what their skill set is, what needs they have to be job ready and address those,” he explained, adding advice on what to wear, what to say in a job interview and how to prepare a professional resume, all are part of the service. Then I try to find county jobs they might fit. I am a part of the team that acts as a bridge between the vet and the job.”
He tells the story about a vet who, while serving, was sent to a school to learn how to repair and maintain nuclear-powered equipment, eventually being assigned as a mechanic on the USS Nimitz, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. When he left the military, not knowing what else to do, he ended up with a security job. “He just didn’t know how to present himself, and leverage his skills he learned in the Navy,” Maloney said. “I reworked his resume listing all the technical courses he had taken and it sounded like he had gone to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). He was hired within two weeks as a lab technician.”
Vets and their families can find a list of services and more information at the Veterans Services Office of the Monmouth County Division on Aging, Disabilities and Veterans Services.
Maloney advises vets looking for a job to contact the One-Stop Career Center in Neptune. For businesses interested in hiring vets, he suggests contacting the Monmouth County Division of Workforce Development.
MONMOUTH COUNTY DIVISION ON AGING, DISABILITIES AND VETERANS SERVICES
3000 Kozloski Road
Freehold, NJ 07728
Phone: 732-683-8675
http://www.visitmonmouth.com/page.aspx?ID=170
Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Director Sue Moleon: sue.Moleon@co.monmouth.nj.us
NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
145 Wyckoff Road, Suite 201
Eatontown, New Jersey 07724
Phone: 732-683-8850
http://www.visitmonmouth.com/page.aspx?Id=2712
Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Manager Eileen M. Higgins: eileen.higgins@dol.state.nj.us
ONE-STOP CAREER CENTER IN NEPTUNE
60 Taylor Ave.
Neptune, NJ 07753-4844
732-775-1566
Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Manager: John Brown: john.brown@dol.state.nj.us
