Military

Comcast NBCUniversal's Commitment to Hiring Veterans: Q&A With Carol Eggert

Comcast NBCUniversal joins in celebrating military veterans and all those who serve in the United States Armed Forces this Veterans Day. We recently sat down with Carol Eggert, Vice President, Military and Veteran Affairs for Comcast Cable, to share how the company is engaging the military and veteran community, including recruiting, hiring and building talent at all levels of the organization.

Tell us about your newly created role and why it's important to Comcast NBCUniversal to create this role.

Comcast NBCUniversal is committed to serving our military community through our commitment to hiring veterans, those currently serving in the National Guard and Reserve, and military spouses. Over the years, we have supported many organizations in their efforts to serve the military community through our strategic philanthropy and in kind support. In addition, we have recently enhanced our benefits to better support our employees who are also currently serving in the Guard and Reserve. We recognize that helping our veterans transform military service into civilian success is good for our nation and good for our business.

Why is veteran hiring an issue that demands a focused effort?

An estimated 1 million men and women are expected to leave the military and transition to the civilian workforce in the next four years. Without effective employment assistance, many of these former military members could join the ranks of more than 570,000 unemployed veterans. Veterans bring with them a highly valued set of skills, the personal values of dedication to the mission, commitment to teamwork, collaborative thinking and the ability to work in an ever-changing environments and high pressure situations. But there is civilian-military divide. Veterans have difficulty marketing themselves and employers have trouble understanding the culture and identifying the transferable skills veterans bring. Companies must be committed to bridging that divide and addressing the challenges- that requires a singular focus and commitment at the highest levels.

Why should veterans look to the media and technology world as a career following their time in the military?

Media, entertainment and technology is a very wide career field. From Universal Parks, Spectacor sports venue management, NBC News, entertainment, sports cable, television production to the challenge of working for the nation’s largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider under the widely known XFINITY brand- there is a place for anyone interested in joining such a fast moving, cutting edge organization. A veteran will feel the appreciation and gratitude for our men and women who serve our country and protect our rights, will find professional satisfaction, personal growth and will know we are committed to advancing the mission to be the model company for military support, diversity and inclusion.