Recruiting, Placement, and Union Jobs Finding the right jobs for veterans can be a challenge. In addition to the unemployment numbers, which are consistently double the national average, many veterans are simply in a bad place. “They’ve lost their job. They have a bad living situation, financial instability, all kinds of things,” said Jeff Neuburger, a labor economist and executive director of the Harris Poll for the Workplace and Industry. “It’s a real challenge for them to get to a point where they can get a job at all.” Recruiting and Placement Companies Finding employers willing to hire veterans has also become more difficult for many reasons. One of the more well-publicized hurdles is the difficulty with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ system for employers to check a job applicant’s veteran status. A 2014 study by Neuburger found that about 25 percent of non-veteran employers were unwilling to look at a job candidate’s veteran status. While the vet’s veteran status may be a positive in some cases — more experience, for example — it can be a negative for others. It isn’t easy to get past that barrier though. Some employers still find it easier to simply assume that the job candidate is not veteran, or do not check their applicant’s status at all, which Neuburger calls a “recruiting blind spot.” It also takes some effort to find the best positions for veterans, which require more than just finding what is advertised. “We can’t rely on the unemployment numbers as being a good measure of job opportunities, because it’s not showing the whole picture,” said Neuburger. “Most employers are going to want people with more experience, if they can find a qualified veteran.” An added complication is that some veteran programs are restricted to only a certain set of veterans. Many veteran programs restrict job opportunities to only a specific group of veterans who have specific specialized skills such as the Navy SEALs, or just to veterans of a certain war. “We don’t even have a good idea of how many veterans we’re trying to reach. How many veterans are out there who we don’t know about? We really don’t know,” said Neuburger. “I don’t know how many veteran jobs there are. If the VA had a good estimate of the number of veterans in the country that were seeking employment, they should be releasing that information.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released a survey of recruiters showing that 62 percent of the employers reported difficulties hiring for veterans with 20.4 percent reporting having a great deal of difficulty and another 20.8 percent reporting some difficulties. Neuburger believes the most useful tools for veterans to find a job will be the Veterans Employment Centers, which have a network of more than 6,000 certified counselors, in every state. Those centers have the goal of helping veterans find jobs through personal networking, with the help of other veterans and job placement agencies. These centers can be expensive though, and other veteran programs have higher success rates. “There are programs that are very successful in helping veterans find jobs, but they’re different from the programs that are geared toward veterans more generally,” said Neuburger. “We need to get that information out there so veterans know which ones work.” Union Jobs About 15 percent of veterans are in a union, which is much higher than the general population. The biggest union for veterans is the New York City Fire Department Local 200, with roughly 7,600 members, followed by the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150, and the Utility Workers Union of America. The majority of those unions are in the construction sector though, so they’re not all looking for job opportunities for veterans. Some smaller unions with smaller memberships are more involved in jobs for veterans. “CWA’s been very open to working with veterans groups in their efforts to assist veterans in entering into jobs in the electrical and telecommunications industry,” said Tom Balanoff, assistant director for CWA and a member of the AFL-CIO Veterans Committee. “We have our own program that we help workers get into jobs through apprenticeship, because we recognize that there’s been some difficulty in matching up workers’ needs and employers’ needs.” Finding the Veteran Jobs With so many different challenges and opportunities for job seeking, what can a veteran or veteran job seeker do to find a job that pays well, offers good benefits, and actually has a fit for the individual? One big step is to make sure you are ready for your job. It’s no secret that you have to prove yourself a few times before a hiring manager will take you seriously, and starting your job search off with a bad attitude could jeopardize your chances of getting a job. “A negative attitude really does filter in on everything you do,” said Neuburger. “If you get an interview, if you get an interview, if you get an interview and you can’t get hired, the employer might come back to you three or four times. If you are not as sharp in your interview, they might be more likely to dismiss you as a candidate because they feel you don’t have what it takes. They have to hire the best candidate, but if they are going to spend all that time, they need to do it on a candidate who is sharp and ready.” To stand out from the crowd and be ready for that interview, you need to make sure your work history is polished and up to date. “If you don’t update your resume frequently, you may be letting yourself down,” said Neuburger. “Your resume is a reflection of your character. You have to make it a high quality.” Making sure you update your resume also keeps your current employer aware that you’re interested in moving on, and possibly looking for other employment. Keeping your information up to date in your current company’s database can also help you get in the front of the line in the event of a layoff. “It’s good to have a job search with your current employer, because they keep your application active so that they can put you in the top of the list, if they have layoffs,” said Neuburger. “Having that open communication can help keep your resume current and current in the mind of the employer.” Job searching can also be overwhelming. With all the obstacles veterans face, it’s easy to feel hopeless, especially when they try to balance that with their job, family, and personal obligations. “These are challenging times,” said Neuburger. “It’s not a bad thing if we feel overwhelmed. If we think we’re overwhelmed, think how overwhelmed our employers are going to feel. They’re trying to get people into jobs who have the skills they need, but who they don’t have a lot of experience with and don’t have a lot of opportunities for in their office. The employers are going to feel stressed out trying to put together an interview with you and all that. It’s not a bad thing if we get overwhelmed.” You can also find some great resources online for job searching. Neuburger pointed out veterans’ job sites, which you can find online at VA.gov, and veteran job sites, which can be found at WorkForce.com, MilitaryHire.com, and the Department of Veterans Affairs VetsFirst. “There are three job sites that really get the job done,” said Neuburger. “They are really good about getting employment opportunities for veterans. If you’re thinking about a specific job, search them all. You may not find the exact job you’re looking for, but you’re likely to find other jobs that could be a fit for you.” Veterans also have some information from the Department of Labor that they can use to help with job searching. “Use that information, but don’t make it your sole source,” said Neuburger. “You have to get your story out there as well. The more you can spread your expertise, your credentials and your experience, the more effective you’re going to be. The veterans do have some of the more unique credentials. The more people hear that you have a record of service, the more of a chance you’re going to have to get a job.” How to Find a Veteran Job Whether you are working with an agency, union, non-profit, or a veteran site that has resources for veterans, there are some great things you can do to get your resume and information out there. For Neuburger, he spends most of his time spreading the word about how to find veterans and how veterans can find jobs to veterans. “We talk about it in local and national military magazines and national veterans magazines, and on TV shows,” said Neuburger. “We try to get the message out to veterans so that they know what’s out there.” The veterans’ employment websites mentioned above can also be valuable sources of information on veteran jobs. Other outlets for the word-of-mouth approach include the Department of Veterans Affairs’ website, and veteran employment websites, such as veteransjobs.net. “A big part of the message is to spread the word that veterans can still get jobs,” said Neuburger. “It’s a message that the best way to get a job is to do what you’re supposed to do, and that means that you keep your skills up-to-date, you update your resume frequently