Veterans bring immense discipline, technical skills and leadership abilities to the workforce. Nevertheless, adjusting to civilian professional life also poses challenges for former military personnel. Thankfully, various government and nonprofit initiatives help veterans translate their capabilities for suitable careers.
Department of Defense SkillBridge
The DoD SkillBridge program enables active-duty service members to gain civilian work experience through internships during their final 180 days of service. Over five hundred companies and organizations now take part offering placements aligned with each member’s expertise. Participants get valuable pre-transition career development and may receive job offers from hosts. Service branches also run complementary job-training programs like the Army’s Soldier for Life.
Military Credentialing Opportunities On-Line Program
The military COOL program identifies civilian professional certifications and licenses corresponding to each military occupational specialty (MOS). Guidance on certification requirements helps active or former troops gain credentials validating specialized abilities for civilian jobs. COOL funding also covers exam fees for eligible members. According to the good folk over at ProTrain, COOL transforms hard-won military competencies into concrete advantages in the private sector.
Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship
Launched by the U.S Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Corporate Fellowship places exceptional service members into growth companies for 6-12 month assignments to jumpstart post-service careers. The selective program matches fellows’ skills with sponsor needs for mutually beneficial employment scenarios, including potential hires. With major employers like Microsoft and GE participating, it unlocks opportunities many veterans could not access directly.
VA Employment Services
VA employment resources help veterans find and sustain meaningful careers. Services include skills assessments, career guidance, resume writing, interview prep, job search assistance, vocational rehab programs and referrals. The VA Jobs Bank enables veterans to post profiles and connect directly with military-friendly employers. With additional education resources like the VA Loan and GI Bill for advanced training where required, the VA employment toolkit empowers veterans to excel in civilian workforces.
Military Mentor Network
This nationwide network by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) connects veterans to civilian veteran mentors, offering personalized career guidance based on shared experiences. Mentors provide insider job search tips, resume feedback, mock interviews, networking contacts and advice navigating veteran support systems across hour-long sessions.
Hire Heroes USA
Focused specifically on empowering wounded veterans and military spouses through career coaching in resume writing, job searching and interview skills, Hire Heroes offers personalized workshops and job fairs. Veterans receive dedicated support addressing injury-related hurdles. Spouses gain assistance managing frequent relocations’ career impacts. Hire Heroes partners with hundreds of military-friendly employers to facilitate placements.
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
The Veteran Readiness and Employment service (VR&E) provides expert career guidance and planning for veterans with service-connected conditions. Eligible veterans undergo evaluations of skills and abilities to identify suitable employment goals before developing customized achievement plans spanning necessary training, education, job search assistance, accommodations and other support.
Military-Civilian Career Bridge
This Department of Labor portal guides veterans to civilian positions that closely match their military roles, ranks and MOS-coded skill sets. Easy searches yield tailored job listings, including employer descriptions of applicable military experience desired. Targeted job matching prevents under-employment and smoothens transfers between similar functions.
Military Officer Job Search
Focused on officers from junior to general ranks, this portal allows veterans to identify employers actively recruiting candidates with military leadership. Users can explore companies’ leadership development pipelines accommodating veterans. Direct job applications are facilitated along with subscription options sending role notifications.
Conclusion
Many governmental and nonprofit initiatives enable veterans to translate military service into civilian workplace achievements by identifying transferable skills, matching capability pipelines and facilitating connections. Veterans who strategically apply these transition resources gain strong competitive positioning as high-value employer targets based on discipline and field-tested abilities.