Veteran Employment Services Office (VESO)

The Veteran Employment Services Office (VESO) offers a host of tools and resources through our VA for Vets program.  It makes no difference if you signed up for a VA for Vets account yesterday, created a resume six months ago, or are currently employed and seeking other opportunities, we are constantly updating our systems to offer you the best round-the-clock service.  Through VA for Vets, we offer:  Military Skills Translator - This state-of-the-art translator helps you transfer your military skills, experience, training and any collateral duties into civilian language that can be easily understood in the civilian workplace. Resume Builder - Build several resumes that market your skills and abilities and put you in a better position to compete for jobs. Career or Reintegration Coaches -These dedicated individuals, many of whom are Veterans themselves, are available to provide you with one-on-one assistance before, during, and after your military service. Remember, we are constantly enhancing our tools and resources to provide you with the most current job opportunities, training and career development programs, and other guidance on Veteran recruitment, retention and reintegration.  VA for Vets was developed for you.  We are here to serve you and support you in your career endeavors.  Visit the website at VAforVets.VA.gov to explore the many options we provide for our Nation's Veterans.      The Veteran Employment Services Office (VESO) oversees VA for Vets, a comprehensive career management program that enables Veterans to successfully join the federal civilian workforce. To learn more, visit www.VAforVets.VA.gov.

PAID Internship w/education component

Job Title: Thinkbig Intern Technician #18671

Application Deadline: Open Until Filled / Applications for the ThinkBig program are due by May 1, 2013

Date Listed: March 26, 2013

Computer Skills: Required

Occupational Skills: Preferred

Job Location: PORTLAND

How to apply for this position:

The employer has requested that WorkSource Oregon pre-screen all applicants for this position. Please contact your local WorkSource Oregon office if you wish to apply for this job.

Portland Central

30 N Webster Street, Suite E, Portland OR 97217

Phone: (503) 280-6046

TDD: (503) 280-6011

Duration: Six months or more

Position is: Either Full or Part Time

Our Company is seeking applicants for its ThinkBig Intern Technician Program. This is a 22-month program providing a great opportunity for personal growth and the opportunity for a rewarding career in Diesel Technology. During the two-year program the student will devote approximately half of the time to his/her technical and academic education. The remaining time is devoted to on-the-job internship experience. This program offers learning opportunities in the areas of engine fundamentals, machine hydraulics, fuel systems, electrical systems, transmissions and torque converters, undercarriage, final drive, and more. Upon successful completion of the program, the student will earn his or her Associates of Applied Science Degree in Diesel Technology from Portland Community College (PCC).

The program is designed to help the student to develop the skills a technician needs to progress within the ranks of a Caterpillar dealership. Learning objectives include learning to diagnose problems, disassemble, and examine components for defects and excessive wear, and recondition or replace parts

on CAT machines. Learn to adjust components and systems to insure proper operation and prevent failures. Sophisticated diagnostic equipment and personal computers will be used for testing, troubleshooting, record-keeping, and communications within the college program and the CAT Dealership.

Our Company hires our Military Heroes! This program qualifies under the G.I. Bill. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

REQUIREMENTS

* 18 years or older

* High School Diploma or the equivalent

* Interest in Diesel Technology

* Ability to attend Portland Community College and participate in the curriculum for the ThinkBig program

* Ability to work at Dealership during on-the-job training portion of program

* Must possess excellent attendance and punctuality at school and work

* Ability to follow directions and possess attention to detail

* Ability to lift 50 pounds, standing, bending, and walking

* Possess safe working habits and keep work areas clean and free of safety hazards

EMPLOYER COMMENTS: Must pass a a physical exam after job offer, a drug test, a background check

Job Classification: Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists

Experience Required: None

Compensation Salary: $13.00 per hour

Job Requirements:

Education Required: High School Diploma/GED

Major: General Coursework

Minimum Age: 18

Gender: N/A

Benefits Offered: Dental, Medical, Vision

WorkSource Oregon Employment Department is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services, alternate formats and language services are

available to individuals with disabilities and limited English proficiency free of cost upon request.

WorkSource Oregon Departamento de Empleo es un programa/empleador que respeta la igualdad de oportunidades. Disponemos de sevicios o ayudas auxiliares,

formatos alternos y assistencia de idiomas para personas con discapacidades o conocimiento limitado del inglés, a pedido y sin costo.

TTY/TDD - dial 7-1-1 toll free relay service. Access free online relay service at: www.sprintrelayonline.com

TTY/TDD - marque gratis al N° 7-1-1 de servicio de remisión. Acceda al servicio gratis de remisión en-línea:www.sprintrelayonline.com

2013 Women Veterans Conference

WHAT:  Women Veterans Summit – Women in the Military – Honoring the Past… Driving into the Future

WHEN:  Saturday, June 29, 2013

WHERE:  Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center, 1500 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402

TIME:  7 – 8 AM Registration and the days ends with the “Fatigues to Fabulous” Runway show from 2:30 – 3:30 PM

WHERE TO REGISTER:  http://www.dva.wa.gov/2013womenveterans.html

COST:  $10 for parking.  There is no cost for the Summit, lunch, or runway fashion show

MAKEOVER AND RUNWAY SHOW:  If you would like to participate, please indicate on the online registration form.

Feel good Army story

I picked this story up from an Army Twitter feed so I hope it posts here as readable.

http://ht.ly/jxGoL

4 Ways to Cure the Portland Job Search Blues

4 Ways to Cure the Portland Job Search Blues

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Jessica Williams <Mac's List> 

Readers always tell me that “Mac’s List” gives them hope about finding work in Portland. But with so many people competing, I know it isn’t easy to land a job here. 

This week I’ve had at least 10 conversations with people looking for work in Portland and I hear you – you’re frustrated and exhausted. 

I know. I’ve been there. And I feel for you. 

Blame it on the economy, the influx of talented people, age discrimination, skills bias, lack of jobs, the willingness of people to take less than they deserve, the weather, Mercury in retrograde – whatever it is – it’s not easy. But if you’re here to stay in Oregon, what are you going to do about it? 

Here’s the thing. In Portland, you can’t just sit at home sending out resumes and wait for a response. You have to get out there – yeah, like as in the real world. And you have to work hard to find work.  

Here are the four ways I tell all my friends (and readers) they can beat the Portland job search blues: 

Find Balance

It’s natural to go full-speed when looking for work but have compassion for yourself. You have to find balance.  Self-compassion will give you the space you need to invest in your job search and then to let it go and live.  

Need ideas about how to do this? Start with Kaitlin Fisher’s Three Ways to Keep Your Sanity and then read Jenny Blake’s Failure is Required, Expect Nothing Less.

 Feed the Pipeline

Emailed the cover letter? Got that interview? Great! But don’t stop there. Do a little bit each day to always have something in the pipeline.  

This way, when you don’t hear back about an application or you don’t get the second interview, it’s okay because you know you have other irons in the fire. Do this and you’ll manage the job search roller coaster like a pro.  

Build Relationships

Ah, Portland. There’s a reason we love you and it isn’t because you have a surplus of jobs with high paying salaries. It’s because you have mountains, loads of good food and drink, (among many other things) and GREAT PEOPLE.

Jobseekers, don’t sit at home in your pajamas sending out resume after resume. Get out there and meet people: network, have coffee, strike up a conversation. Whatever you do, make sure to touch point with new people you meet, build those relationships, and don’t be afraid to make new friends in the process.  

Volunteer 

I know: you’ve got a lot going on. The job search, work, family, friends, school – whatever your combination of responsibilities –it’s a juggling act. 

Volunteering not only looks good on your resume but it also connects you with like-minded people and builds your network. Not to mention it’s just good for the soul.  

Keep Your Chin Up

Show the world you didn’t come to mess around! Put on some empowering music, pat yourself on the back, and pump yourself up for that next opportunity that’s coming round the bend! (I know it is)  

I’m rooting for you Portland! I really am.

Metro is hiring!

Please be advised that Metro will be hiring for many seasonal positions! 

Metro is the regional government that provides integrated resource management for the 25 cities and unincorporated areas in the Portland metropolitan area:  Facilities, public assets and governance services include the Oregon Convention Center, the Oregon Zoo, the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, the Portland Exposition Center, transportation planning, growth management, solid waste system management and recycling services, and regional parks and natural areas.

There are quite a few openings for those who may qualify and have interest, a few of which include Cooks, Kitchen Helpers, Natural Area Laborers and Park Workers.    

How can you apply?
Metro now accepts job applications online.  If you need assistance or accommodation with your application, or access to a computer, call 503-797-1570.
Visit their website at: www.oregonmetro.gov/jobs for the complete job announcements and a link to their hiring center. A computer application kiosk is available at Metro Regional Center, 600 NE Grand Avenue, Portland, Oregon. The kiosk will be open during regular office hours – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Metro is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. It is the policy of Metro to ensure that equal employment opportunities and practices exist for all applicants and employees without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or familial status.

Home Depot opportunity

Home Depot, Jantzen Beach, is looking for some great part-time temporary hardware people.  Must have extensive knowledge of hand and power tools.

Please apply on line, HVRP Staff can do follow-up.

Volunteer Opportunity

Volunteer to Count Bikes

Tuesday May 14, 5 to 7 p.m.

Saturday May 18, 9 to 11 p.m.

The City of Gresham is participating in the effort to record the number of people biking or walking on multi-use trails. Counting stations will be at the Springwater Corridor Trial, Gresham-Fairview Trail, and I-205 Trail.

Call 503-618-2816 or emailSandra.Doubleday@GreshamOregon.gov to volunteer and be assigned a location.

Resume Assistance from the VA

Have you been using the same resume throughout your job search? For every

opportunity, tailor your resume for the specific position you are applying

for. VA for Vets can help! Our Resume Builder allows you to create and save

five different federal resumes that highlight your unique experience. You

may upload one of your new and improved resumes to the Veteran Resume

Database, where federal hiring managers are looking for candidates to fill

open positions. 

Try this link:

www.vaforvets.va.gov

Virtual Career Fair

From our Friends at Xerox ...

Hello,

Please accept our invitation to join Xerox Business Services and other leading employers and government agencies on Wednesday, March 20^th, 2013 from 1:00pm-4:00pm (EST) for “National Hire a Veteran & Military Spouse Virtual Career Fair” presented by Veteran Recruiting Services.  This virtual career fair is open to all active duty, guard/reservists, veterans, and military spouses at www.veteranrecruiting.com.  You can connect from anywhere in the world! 

Click on the link below to learn more specifics about this and future virtual events. Don’t miss the quote from Xerox!

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-hire-a-veteran-and-military-spouse-day-virtual-career-fair-198791931.html

We look forward to you stopping by our booth!!

, there will be many virtual employers interacting with potential candidates. Pick the ones you are interested in and leave the rest.

Dental Resources: Coalition of Community Health Clinics

This link will take you to a lot of dental and healthcare resources.


http://www.coalitionclinics.org/dental-resources.html

Oregonian: Budget Pressure ... Vet Services

With budgets under pressure, states grapple with how to serve growing numbers of veterans

By Mike Francis, The Oregonian The Oregonian
on March 12, 2013 at 9:28 PM

Being a military veteran has its benefits.

In Oregon, vets can get: up to $150 a month to go to school; free hunting licenses for those rated 25 percent or more disabled; free parking at state parks; veteran license plates for $10 every two years; free copies of Oregon records for VA purposes. They also can draw on home loans, get preference for government jobs or be placed in a state-owned skilled nursing facility.

Other states are generous to veterans in their own ways, as state legislatures around the country responded to the homecomings of troops who fought the most recent wars. But benefits differ from state to state, meaning a veteran who moves across state lines may find, for example, a tax exemption he enjoyed in one state is different in the other.

"There is not one uniformity," said Steve Gonzalez, the assistant director of the economic division of the American Legion in Washington, D.C. "The federal government can only do so much." The question is, he said, "How do we work together?"

(For a state-by-state guide to veterans' benefits, see Military.com's directory.)

It's an issue that's playing out on the fringes of the current legislative session in Salem. Sen. Alan Olsen, R-Canby, has introduced a bill that would alter the property tax exemption formula for disabled vets. Yet whether it passes or not, it still will be different from the formulas offered in other states.

That's what Portlander Ed Reiman discovered when he compared the formulas in Montana, where he used to spend his summers, and Oregon. Montana grants full exemption from property taxes for veterans who are 100 percent disabled. Oregon's current formula allows veterans with disability ratings of 40 percent and higher to exempt up to $22,138 of their property value from state taxes. The difference could be meaningful for a disabled veteran who sells a home in one state and buys one in another.

Reiman, 66, a 100 percent disabled Vietnam veteran, has asked Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, the chair of the Senate's Veterans and Emergency Preparedness Committee, to consider adopting a broader exemption. While he personally would benefit, he said he's thinking more about other veterans, especially young vets of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Young guys need the boost as much as us old farts," he said.

Boquist said by email the tax exemption question is "under review." But he added that, "from a tax and budget position, it would be challenging." An economist for the Legislative Revenue Office estimated that a full property tax exemption for 100 percent disabled veterans would cost Oregon about $9.3 million in lost revenue.

Any comparison of tax systems from state to state is inevitably an apples-to-oranges comparison. Oregon depends more on property taxes than do states with a sales tax, for example. And property tax rates -- not to mention real estate values -- vary considerably from place to place.

Cameron Smith, director of the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, said variations in veterans programs are a fact of life. He said the core programs for veterans in Oregon and elsewhere center on health care, education and employment. Oregon's veterans agency, with its limited resources, is asking itself "How do we get bigger, larger partnerships?" Smith said.

The American Legion and the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs each keep spreadsheets that compare veterans benefits by state. They show that Oregon is better than many states in some regards -- it is one of only nine states that offer veterans home loans, for example -- but lags in others.

The question of which veterans' benefits to provide is looming larger for states, which await the outcome of the current round of federal budget wrangling. Already, for example, the Air Force, Marines and Army have suspended their tuition assistance programs, citing budget uncertainty. That leaves some veteran-students in the lurch.

The question is acquiring more urgency because of the sheer volume of new veterans entering society. The winding down of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have contributed to "the dumping into society of large numbers of veterans and their families," said the American Legion's Gonzalez. He noted that the Defense Department is releasing 250,000 troops this year -- a number that may increase with budget cuts.

-Mike Francis

I-Match: Customer Service Representative

Customer Service Representative (ID: 963725)
Experience: At least 2 years
Location: Canby
Wage Offered: $11.00 to $12.00 per Hour, Depending On Experience,  Depending on Qualifications
Hours per week: 40

More information and the job description are available inside iMatchSkills.  Additional screening criteria may be required to obtain the contact information for this job.  You can respond to this job notification in one of the three following ways:

If you have an iMatchSkills username and password:
- Go to www.iMatchSkills.org and from the left side of the screen, click on "Job Seekers Start Here".
- On the screen titled "WorkSource Oregon Registration", enter your iMatchskills username and password and click the "Logon" button.

Portland Farmer's Market

This is the link for the Farmer's Market. Details in the story.

http://www.oregonlive.com/window-shop/index.ssf/2013/03/portland_farmers_market_opens.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Fresh veggies and in season fruits.

First Monday!

Reminder to all veterans who are residents at the Martha Washington in the Grant & Per Diem Program: Resident Advisory Committee meeting is tonight at 5:30pm in the group room.

I think we are having Subway sandwiches followed by crafts activities.

"Give back" opportunity

One member of the LinkedIn Portland Connect group is involved in a project to give the homeless a voice.

She will be providing disposable cameras and photography workshops to those interested people who contact her. As I understand, she needs eight women and eight men.

This link should take you to the information.

Seasonal Park Worker Open House! (Metro)

Meet the park managers and rangers. Learn more about the park and seasonal positions. Please apply on-line before you attend (see link below). 

When:  Thursday, March 7, 2013

Time:    1:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Where: The Lake House at Blue Lake ParkBlue Lake Regional Park is located between Marine Drive and Sandy Boulevard off Northeast 223rd Avenue. From Interstate 84, take the Fairview exit (14) and go north on 207th Avenue to Sandy Boulevard. Turn right onto Sandy and travel east to 223rd and turn left. Proceed north to Blue Lake Road and the park. Free parking for this event will be provided.

Seasonal Park Workers at Blue Lake Regional Park and Oxbow Regional Park perform custodial work (this includes restroom cleaning) and grounds maintenance, provide customer service to park visitors and collect fees at the entrance to the park. People from many cultures and communities enjoy the recreational opportunities at these parks.  They are looking for people who speak a second language "or" have other skills and experience that demonstrate their ability to provide excellent customer service to people from diverse communities.  

These are full-time and part-time positions during the busy summer season. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license.  

Visit their website at Metro to read the complete job announcement and apply through the on-line hiring center.

**Metro is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. **