If you haven't seen one of Carvana's "car vending machines" in your area, just wait. There's likely one coming. The company is expanding as fast as it can, given the manpower it has. To meet the needs of its planned expansion, it needs good people. It wants U.S. military veterans.
In fact, Carvana wants to hire veterans so much that it's hiring recruiters to go out and seek veteran talent. The company's range isn't limited to its vending machine locations, since it also sells vehicles on its website -- so it needs people almost everywhere.
"We're expanding like no other," said Ben Morens, Carvana's director of logistics. "We're in hundreds of markets across the country, and we have thousands of jobs out there -- everything from truck drivers to mechanics, to customer advocates. There's essentially a job for every type of veteran."
Morens is an Army veteran who joined the Army Special Forces after the Sept. 11 attacks. He says the mindset of veterans is a perfect fit for Carvana, so the company is going all-in to hire as many as they can.
"The values of veterans align with the values of Carvana," he said. "It's just a win-win."
Carvana already has hired hundreds of veterans and implemented resource programs and an internal support network, Carvana CarVets, to support veteran causes and foster the spirit of community and teamwork veterans once enjoyed during their military service.
Morens founded that group to promote diversity and inclusion inside Carvana, something the company is focused on heavily as it continues to grow.
“I can't think of a more diverse organization than the military, right?” he said. “It’s something that we embrace heavily here at Carvana. Hiring veterans and staying active in the veteran community is something near and dear to my heart.”
After five years of active service and three years on Independent Ready Reserve (IRR), Morens entered the corporate world. In 2018, he began working at Carvana and saw a company willing to embrace the same dedication toward hiring veterans. When he pitched the idea of starting the CarVets community, the results were almost immediate.
Carvana recently received the Employer Support of Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Pro Patria Award, recognizing it as one of the best companies for supporting Guard and reserve troops as they’re called to duty. But Morens says it has a lot more to give to the community.
The company is hiring recruiters not only to go and seek veteran talent to fill its most critical roles. They’re also creating positions to help veterans translate their military skills into civilian equivalents and place them in roles within Carvana.
Carvana is also in the final stages of qualifying for the Department of Defense SkillBridge program, which will allow them to shepherd service members still in the military into their company through an apprenticeship during the last six months of their service.
For vets looking to apply to Carvana right now, the company has a special portal just for veterans, a way to get their foot in the door at one of America’s fastest-growing and most valuable car companies.
“Carvana made the Fortune 500 in nine years,” Morens said. “The only two companies to do it faster were Amazon and Google. So it's a very good platform to pursue veteran causes. We will be doing a lot more, a lot faster as we leverage Carvana's scale, growth, values and culture.”
To check out the benefits Carvana offers veterans, read veteran employees testimonials and see what jobs currently are open to veterans, visit the Carvana Veterans website.
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