More on Veterans' Job Search: Veterans' Job Search Home Military-Friendly Employers Exit Strategy for Career Military CONUS Job Search from an OCONUS Duty Station Veterans' Benefits in Transition & Job Search Military Experience Value Mining Accomplishments from Your Records Job Search Tools for Vets Focus Your Response on the Opportunity Translating Military Experience Leadership and Management Styles Military vs. Civilian Cultures Reversing the Top 5 Veterans' Job Search Mistakes 5 Tips for Acing the Transition Interview Dressing for Interview Success Job Application vs. Resume Veterans' 60 Second Personal Infomercial Veterans' Spouses Job Search Tips Veterans' Job Search Expert: Diane Hudson Burns, Veteran's Job Search Expert More Veterans' Job Search Resources: Veterans' Resources by State National Job Search Resources for Vets Military "Alumni" Groups Federal Government Job Links, by Agency Pick Your New Career

Training programs specifically for Veterans looking for civilian jobs:

• DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support) - a central repository from DOD for training information, including funding that training.
• Troops to Teachers - program from the US Department of Education and the US Department of Defense to help veterans transition into positions in the field of education.
• Veterans in Piping (VIP) Program - program from the United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters and Sprinklerfitters (UA) to provide accelerated training for veterans who want to become plumbers and pipefitters. [Warning: turn down your speakers when clicking on the VIP link!]

Sources of jobs:

These are good places to get started. Don't fall into the trap of plastering your resume all over the Internet. It's like using a shotgun or a hand grenade when a rifle is the best weapon for the mission.

• Indeed (a Job-Hunt sponsor) is a giant "job aggregator" site - a new kind of job site which collects jobs posted on other job sites, in newspapers, and on association Websites as well as employer Websites, so it's a great central resource for jobs. See Job-Hunt's Guide to Using Indeed to Find a Job for help using it.
  
  
• Craigslist is a very large online classifieds ads network, broken down by state or city and state, so pick the one appropriate for your job search and check out both the jobs and the "gigs" (short term jobs). Watch out for the scams. See Job-Hunt's Free 20-Minute Guide to Using Craigslist to Find a Job for tips on leveraging it to your advantage.
  


• Federal Government Jobs:
  
  Often, veterans find that a "transitional" job for Uncle Sam, the USPS, or a government contractor will enable the move from military to civilian career more smoothly.
  
  
  • FedsHireVets.gov - just what it looks like, a job board by the Federal Government for veterans looking for Federal Government jobs
  • USAJOBS.gov - a large centralized database of many (but NOT all) Federal Government jobs
  • Directory of Federal Government agency and department recruiting pages for over 200 additional Federal Government department and agency job boards.
  • Federal Job Search - articles full of good information by Federal Job Search expert Camille Carboneau Roberts.
  • Veterans' Job Search - articles with great advice for veterans by Veterans' Job Search expert Diane Hudson Burns (listed in the box on the right on this page).
  • Veterans' documentation for Federal jobs:
    • Your DD-214 ("discharge papers) - if you can't find your copy, you can request a copy online from the Federal Government Archives.
    • You may be entitled to a Veterans' Preference. Several different preferences exist. Discover if you qualify and, if you do, at what level by using the Veterans' Preference Advisor.
      
      
• USPS jobs is where you will find jobs with the Post Office. USPS has always had a veterans' "preference" program, and you should receive credit for your military service, particularly if you were disabled as a result.
  
  
• Job Hunt's jobs by state listings - over 8,000 (and growing) links to employer recruiting pages, networking and job search support groups, and job search and career resources, organized by state.
  

Sources of job search support and networking:

A job search can be a lonely process, and everyone needs help with it, at least once in a while. Other people have different contacts, perspective, and experience that can be very helpful.

• TAOnline Military Job Fairs are held across the country
  
  
• State Veterans Affairs Offices are there to help you, although the services available differ by state, so check them out to see what is provided in your state.
  
  
• The Marine Corps League is an organization of former Marines. There are usually monthly meetings at detatchments across the county.
  
  
• The Army Career and Alumni Program (ACAP) provides guidance and assistance for Army members transitioning to the civilian world, including job postings.
  
  
• The American Legion is a large civilian organization with "posts" across the country. See the Post Locator to find one closest to you where you can network with other vets.
  
  
• The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is a large civilian organization with "posts" distributed across the country where you can meet other veterans. See VFW Posts to find one close to you.
  
  
• Yahoo's list of veterans Yahoo Groups Yahoo Groups are usually just e-mailed lists, but they can still be good networking.
  
  
• Job-Hunt's list of job search networking and support groups by state are usually run by volunteers for modest fees, where you can get updated on a topic in weekly or monthly meetings and network for your job search at the same time.
  
  
• Job-Hunt's list of military "alumni" groups offers you the ability to contact former colleagues and co-workers.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the author...

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce is a Vietnam era veteran of the U.S.M.C. Susan has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg.

Return to Job-Hunt Home.