My Military Discharge: What are next steps in finding a job?

Transitioning from the military to the civilian world brings many challenges but finding a job shouldn’t be one of them. 

Organizations all over the nation are focused on hiring more veterans in their workforces as job seekers with military experience offer an array of skills that businesses can tap into.

What steps should I take to find a job?

There are a lot of resources for veterans to begin their job search and below we provide tips on where to start your journey to finding an inclusive employer:

1. Understand your military discharge: The military has an array of status levels for voluntary and involuntary discharges. Here’s a list of the types of common military discharges and the meaning behind each one. It's important to note that you may have the opportunity to upgrade your military discharge status. In many cases, a discharge upgrade allows veterans to maintain their VA benefits that might have been taken away, and it can also better their chances of finding a civilian job after their service. 

    

2. Request a copy of your DD-214: All separating military service members will receive a government issued DD-214 discharge paper when officially leaving the service and returning to civilian status. Request your military service records online, by mail, or by fax from the National Archives.

    

3. Create a LinkedIn account: By creating an account, you showcase your work experience allowing recruiters and organizations to find and contact you directly.

    

4. Update your resume: Once a recruiter finds you on LinkedIn, the hiring process can move quickly. By ensuring your resume is translated from the military to civilian world, you will be setting yourself up for success.

    

5. Veteran job boards and resources: There are several job boards and recruiting agencies you can look to for support like RecruitMilitary who hosts in person career fairs for veterans or Getting Hired who supports veteran job seekers with disabilities with finding inclusive employers.

    

6. Register for your Veteran Affairs (VA) card: Learn about the benefits and services for veterans including compensation, education, health care, housing, insurance and pension from eBenefits, a Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.

    

7. Find a mentor through Veterati: Join thousands of Service Members, Veterans, and Military Spouses in setting up free mentorship phone calls with successful professionals.

    

8. Seek an inclusive and supportive employer: Research organizations that have received inclusion awards or promote veterans initiatives on social media. This will help in understanding if they value an inclusive workplace for their employees who are veterans.

At Getting Hired, we have two veterans on our team, Patrick Hodge and Lawrence Wilde. Feel free to reach out to them on LinkedIn if you need additional tips and tricks in finding your next job opportunity. Good luck in your search!