The current veteran unemployment rate was 2.9% as of March 2019 – the lowest it’s been in the month of March since 2000. Still, finding a job and staying at a job are two different things. One thing that keeps individuals at their job is simple: purpose.
When transitioning from the fast paced and sometimes life-or-death stakes of active duty, many service members find that their secular job may lack a clear purpose. This is not the case with Jamie Phillips, the Food & Beverage Manager at IHG® Army Hotels on Fort Benning. He reflects, “When I first got out, I felt helpless. Like I wasn’t able to contribute to the guys that I left. So not just them, but any soldier that I can help makes me feel a little bit better about myself and makes me feel like I’m doing something positive.”
He is one of many former service members and military family relatives that work at IHG® Army Hotels on over 40 Army installations across the country. Working there gives these veterans the opportunity to translate their former experience into a rewarding career and stay connected to the military community, as most of their guests are military members and families.
In fact, IHG® as a whole has made an effort to connect veterans with potential career opportunities including a website designed to make the job search easier – www.IHG-veterans.jobs. This site makes searching for jobs easy, as postings can be looked up by location, position, and key words such as comparable military rank and position.
![](https://www.navytimes.com/resizer/v2/7RJKJLIBEBEEJHUB7GPV3SGKLM.jpg?auth=b0fbb4b92d89eec489c3eb5a7be04b94e1d949544d15f402f8f264891922f549&width=6720&height=4480)
Having these former soldiers and military family members who understand the unique needs of their guests has a real impact, and it makes sense. The transition from service to one’s country to service to others is a natural progression for many military members and their families and finding that passion can turn a job into a career. Just ask Trudy Rudolf, military spouse and Executive Housekeeper. “It’s not just a job for me. You can move up, and you can go higher with IHG®.”
For career opportunities visit: www.IHG-veterans.jobs.