Are You a Veteran Looking for Employment? Check Out These Resources
Whether you’re a veteran currently transitioning to civilian life or one who’s been out of the Armed Forces for 20 years, finding employment after military service is easier said than done.
The veteran unemployment rate was 3.7% in 2017, down from 4.3% the year before, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The year-over-year numbers may have dropped, but finding a job is only half the battle.
The other half? Finding the right job: a career that pays well, fits your skill set and is challenging after your years of service. And it doesn’t hurt to find a company that makes an effort to hire veterans, either.
When surveyed by military-transition.org, 38% of veterans felt their first civilian salary was lower than expected. Also, 48% indicated that their transition was more difficult than they thought it would be, according to the company’s founder, Brian Niswander.
In an effort to smooth that transition, we’ve rounded up some online resources that offer employment assistance for veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses.
Veterans Employment Center
The Veterans Employment Center is a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Labor. It operates as the government’s single authoritative online source for transitioning service members, veterans and military families searching for employment.
The VEC offers several tools to help with transitioning, career choice, resume-building and landing a job.
If you’re unsure about your post-military path, you can use an interest profiler to narrow down career options. There is also a military skills translator that will help you find a job that matches your military occupational speciality.
Hire Heroes USA
Hire Heroes USA offers free employment services to military members, veterans, and spouses, helping 8,000 clients find jobs every year.
The majority of the services are offered virtually. Each person seeking assistance is paired up with a Transition Specialist, many of whom are veterans or military spouses themselves.
In addition to one-on-one employment assistance, the non-profit also provides online workshops, career fairs and a job board.
LinkedIn For Good
LinkedIn is a great resource for anyone in the market for a job, but did you know it has a military outreach program? Current members or veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces can get free access to a LinkedIn Premium subscription for one year.
This free subscription can boost your job search performance and gives you access to the LinkedIn Learning Platform, allowing you to broaden your skill set.
Other services in the program include a tutorial for optimizing your profile and access to the Veteran Mentor Network.
Hire Our Heroes
Hire Our Heroes is a non-profit organization that offers free assistance in finding full-time employment.
To help veterans transition to the civilian workforce, this veteran-owned company provides workshops and mentoring in a wide variety of subjects — like resume-building, interviewing and job placement.
Hire Our Heroes also connects veterans with career networking events and group training opportunities.
NPower
NPower is a non-profit that aims to fill vacant jobs in the tech industry by offering free classes to military veterans.
The program currently operates in New York City, Baltimore, Toronto, St. Louis, California, New Jersey and Texas. The classes include tech fundamentals, cybersecurity, coding and enterprise service management — and each includes a paid internship.
Helmets to Hardhats
This program helps veterans transition to civilian life by connecting them with training and job opportunities in the construction industry.
No previous experience in construction is required, and all of the participating trade organizations offer three- to five-year “earn while you learn” apprenticeship programs that are federally approved.
Helmets to Hardhats also has a program called Wounded Warriors that helps disabled veterans find employment.
Warriors to Work
Warriors to Work is a program offered by the Wounded Warrior Project.
This employment program helps veterans and military members who were injured mentally or physically in the line of duty. It offers career guidance such as resume-building, and it connects vets with local employers. The program also extends to family and caregivers.
Feds Hire Vets
This is a good resource for anyone interested in a career in the federal government after service.
Feds Hire Vets helps veterans and transitioning service members find federal employment. Family members of vets and active-duty military members can also use this service.
You can use Feds Hire Vets to learn more about veteran’s preference — how federal jobs are filled and special hiring authorities.
G.I. Jobs
G.I. Jobs is a great online resource for service members transitioning out of the military. You can find career development articles, tips and tools, and you can check out their job board.
G.I. Jobs touts over 197,000 currently open jobs across 14 industries and 110 countries, according to its Employment Center.
On top of employment assistance, the site also offers resources for veterans interested in furthering their education or starting their own business.
Onward to Opportunity
Onward to Opportunity (O2O) works in partnership with the Veterans Career Transition Program to help military service members and their families successfully transition to civilian life. O2O offers career tracks in customer service, information technology and business management.
When you sign up, you will first complete an assessment to shape your training plan. This is based on both military and non-military experience, civilian career interests and post-military goals.
After that, explore the free training and certification options. You will be assigned an advisor who will assist you throughout the program.
Kaitlyn Blount is a junior staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
