Service members who are leaving the military now face another type of adventure: finding a job. According to Robert Half, many employers are honored to offer civilian jobs to veterans, as the skills you learned while serving translate smoothly into a number of civilian careers. While finding a job after the military that suits you can take time and effort, this employment firm offers some tips and resources to help you start your search:

HOW TO FIND MILITARY-FRIENDLY EMPLOYERS

All companies and organizations hire veterans, but some offer specific programs to attract former military personnel. Victory Media publishes an annual list of its top 100 military-friendly employers (https://employers.militaryfriendly.com/), which can be a useful research tool. VetCentral also publishes a list of federal contractors and other vet-friendly employers (Vet Central). These lists can be a good starting point for narrowing down your job search.

OTHER RESOURCES FOR VETERANS

For more ideas on finding military-friendly employers, consider visiting veteran-specific job boards such as Military Friendly (https://militaryfriendly.com/) and Robert Half’s own Career Opportunities for Veterans website (https://roberthalf-veterans.jobs/).

Another great place to find employment is at military job fairs. There are several online resources available for researching job fairs based on location, such as Stars and Stripes Veteran Job Center (https://veteranjobs.stripes.com/military-events) and VR, or Veteran Recruiting (https://www.veteranrecruiting.com).

Additionally, the U.S. government offers veterans many services geared toward helping them job search, obtain education and training, and sign up for benefits. The GI Bill (https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/) is one of the best-known programs.

HOW TO MAKE A GREAT IMPRESSION

Landing a job as a veteran requires standing out from the pack, just as it does for nonveterans. Here are a few ways to find and connect with companies that hire veterans:

1. Do Your Research

To make sure you target the right companies, first study the occupational specialty codes used by the military and correlate them to skills being sought in the job market. Feds Hire Vets (https://mst.vaforvets.va.gov/mst/va/) is a free, handy tool that can help you make these correlations.

2. Showcase Strengths

In the military, you cultivated powerful qualities that can and will set you apart, especially if the companies you target tend to hire veterans. In your resume, be sure to highlight qualities such as:

• Teamwork, leadership training and decision-making skills
• Problem-solving skills and the ability to work under pressure
• Dependability and punctuality
• Dedication and commitment
• Understanding of the chain of command

3. Know What’s Out There

Familiarize yourself with related legislation, such as the Joining Forces initiative (https://www.whitehouse.gov), in which the White House pledged to lower unemployment rates for veterans. Through the affiliated website, you can access links to other valuable employment programs, such as the Veterans Job Bank (https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/nrd).

LEARN MORE:

Information for this article came from Robert Half, a global employment services and consulting firm. For more tips and resources visit https://www.roberthalf.com/.