Employment Tips for Recently Transitioned Veterans
- Paul Anderson
- Aug 5
- 2 min read
Unemployment metrics amongst Veterans continue to trend upward. In particular younger Veterans, face substantially higher unemployment rates. See below:
Changes in the current administration as well as the economy are undoubtedly the cause of these alarming statistics. The reduction in Government contracts which is typically Veteran laden has also influenced Veteran employment. Despite these challenges, hiring continues, utilize these strategies to win:
1. Tailor the Resume:
- The style/length of the typical resume has recently changed and requires updating of your current resume or creation of a new resume. Gone is the 3–5-page resume which reflected your entire career, replaced with a 2-page resume which is more concise and impactful. Writing this resume will be challenging, deciding which information to include in the resume will be the toughest portion. Remember, the resume should be concise and impactful, so tailor the resume to the position. Choose experiences that match the opportunity.
- Remove military jargon as much as possible. As Veterans we tend to assume that others understand military jargon, acronyms etc. Remember, as a Veteran you were a part of an exclusive club/professional field, only those who have direct experience will understand your language and if they cannot understand it, hiring managers will dismiss it.
2. Network, Network, and Network:
- I simply cannot stress this enough; you must network and network a lot. If you do not have a LinkedIn account, you must create one. LinkedIn is the quintessential site for professional networking and finding employment. Using LinkedIn, Simplify, and/or Handshake will allow you to find not only opportunities but points of contact(s) for additional opportunities.
3. Veteran Opportunities
- Become well versed in organizations that seek to assist Veterans with finding and obtaining employment. Organizations such as the Call of Duty Endowment, the Veterans Administration, which can assist with interview training, education, and job searching.
Federal Hiring Authorities are available for obtaining Federal employment. There are several hiring authorities offered by the Federal government, such as Veteran preference which adds points to your application based on certain factors, also there’s the Veteran Recruitment Appointment (VRA) which allows for non-competitive appointments of Veterans up to the GS-11 level. Next there is the 30% or more disabled Veteran authority, which allows for Veterans who have been adjudicated as 30% or more by the VA or medically retired to be appointed non-competitively to a position provided, they qualify. Finally, there is the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA), which allows Veterans provided they qualify, to compete for positions that typically would not be available to external candidates.https://www.opm.gov/fedshirevets/hiring-officials/strategic-recruitment-and-hiring/veterans/#url=Veterans-Employment-Opportunities-Act
Comments