WASHINGTON — McLean-based hotel giant Hilton Hotels reached its goal of hiring 10,000 military veterans, spouses and dependents under its Operation: Opportunity initiative in November, two years ahead of schedule. Now the company is committing to hire an additional 20,000 by 2020.
Hilton says it is the largest commitment in the hospitality industry and one of the largest in the U.S. private sector.
Hilton says men and women with military experience have skills well-suited for the hospitality industry.
“Skills that are immediately transferable to our business are leadership skills — obviously, they come with a high degree of integrity, teamwork, and a service orientation that is perfectly suited for the hospitality business model,” Matt Schuyler, chief HR officer at Hilton, told WTOP.
Schuyler says military veterans are being brought into management levels, entry-level jobs and everything in between.
And Hilton has made it easier for a vet to see whether there’s a Hilton opening that matches up with their skill sets.
We’ve gone so far as to code our jobs back to the military job code roster, such that, when an active military participant is thinking about civilian service, they can use our website essentially to look for jobs based on their current job coding in the military,” Schuyler said.
“Essentially, our website will tell them what jobs would be likely for their skill set and their experience level,” he said.
Hilton also donates Hilton Honors Points for veterans to redeem for free hotel stays while seeking jobs, trainings or certifications with Hilton or in any other industry. To date, Hilton says, nearly 1.2 million Points have been donated to more than 1,100 veterans for more than 1,700 hotel stays at Hilton properties.
Hilton has 14 brands and more than 4,900 properties in more than 100 countries.
Military veterans can find job openings at Hilton that may be suited to their experience at Hilton’s Operation: Opportunity job site.
