OREANDA-NEWS. November 22, 2013. Verizon has been named to the G.I. Jobs Military-Friendly Employers List for 2014, in recognition of the company’s military recruiting and hiring practices. The company was ranked No. 3 on the list – up from No. 15 last year. Verizon employs approximately 12,000 veterans.

Companies on the elite Military Friendly Employer list were selected based on a survey of more than 5,000 companies. Criteria for the survey included a benchmark score across key programs and policies such as the strength of company military recruiting efforts; the percentage of new hires with prior military service; retention programs; and company policies on National Guard and Reserve service. This year, the final list expanded from 100 to 185 companies.

“The investments we made and partnerships we developed in recruiting veterans have yielded great results for us,” said Claudia Healy, vice president – talent acquisition and development, Verizon. “We have experienced an increase in demand for this extraordinary talent pool, with hiring managers often coming back to us asking how they can get more involved in recruiting these incredibly dedicated and talented men and women.”

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.

Since 2011, Verizon has partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and attended more than 100 military hiring events. Earlier this year, the company and the chamber launched the Hiring our Heroes app, a mobile one-stop-shop developed to help veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses search for employment. This includes a resume tool to help veterans better brand themselves, a job portal to search for employment opportunities, and a virtual mentorship program.

The Verizon Foundation has funded various programs that help returning veterans transition back into civilian life and into the private workforce. And the company’s Veteran Advisory Board provides recognition, mentoring and development of veteran employees from the time they’re hired and throughout their employment at Verizon.

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, Wounded Warrior Project and the John Jay College Veterans Roundtable.

On Monday (Nov. 11), in celebration of Veterans Day, Verizon and other members of the John Jay College Veterans Roundtable participated in ringing the opening bell at the Nasdaq. Verizon employees who are veterans also marched in the Veteran’s Day Parade in New York City, and the company sponsored the Medal of Honor float.