The HRO has consistently supported service members in transition; however, they have been focusing on these efforts more so with President Barack Obama’s recent hiring initiatives for veterans, said Macey Pew, a human resources advisor. On Nov. 9, 2009, Obama signed the Veteran Employment Initiative, executive order 13518, to help veterans re-enter civilian life and find employment in the federal government system.

After years in the military, being told how to dress and what to do, veterans are often overwhelmed as they suddenly lack that guidance, Pew said. They might also feel inundated with information coming from different sources as they enter the civilian workforce.

At the same time, transitioning service members often don’t know how to go about finding a job in the civilian workforce or how to translate their military experience, she said. What they often do not realize is their training is applicable to what employers are looking for — they have leadership skills and they are trained to be organized.

Both Pew and Laura Stanek, a human resources advisor at Bethesda, were recently introduced to the initiative, traveling to Camp Lejeune, N.C., to assist wounded Marines with resumes and job searches. Wendy Blankenship, director of the Human Resource Office, Washington, has made the program a priority in the D.C area and tapped Pew and Stanek to continue their work locally.

‘‘We’re trying to reach out to them because we have the resources to help them,” Pew said. ‘‘We want to set them up for success.”

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Jerry Magallanes is among those who has benefited from the HRO’s initiative. Magallanes is currently going through a Physical Board Evaluation in transition out of the military after 17 years of active duty service.

Throughout his military career, he has worked in communications, military police and administration, he said. The HRO has reached out to him, helped him with his resume and has exposed him to job interviews.

‘‘My goal is to head into the federal government and to work my way up in human resources, or a program within the federal government,” Magallanes said. ‘‘[Human Resources] has been extremely helpful.”

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Thomas Sweeney is also in transition out of the military and has found the HRO’s services helpful. After 11 years of active duty service, Sweeney hopes to continue working for the federal government. In addition to completing two tours in Iraq, he has experience in recruiting and working in civilian hospitals.

The HRO staff came to NNMC’s Marine Corps Liaison Office to talk about the services they could provide, Sweeney said.

‘‘They helped me with my resume and let me know of job openings,” he said. ‘‘I joined the Marine Corps right out of high school, so I didn’t have experience looking for a job. They really helped with that.”

In addition to working with veterans and service members transitioning out of the military, Bethesda’s HRO is also seeking help from command leadership to help employ veterans, Stanek said. Allowing veterans to work in an environment they’re familiar with will help ease their transition, as well as benefit the command as they bring their prior military experience.

NNMC employers, service members in transition out of the military and prior military members can call Bethesda’s HRO at 301-295-6800.