Best Jobs for Veterans

Serving in the military is a rewarding experience for personal growth as well as professional growth. But once you become a veteran job finder, you want to find the best career opportunity that will bring you the most money, right?

If you’re transitioning out of the military in 2020 and haven’t made a solid career decision as to what to do after separation, allow Empire Resume to enlighten you. Today, we’ll share some of the best jobs for you, whether you’re on the officer or enlisted side of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard.

What Companies Look for In Transitioning Military Officers

When I separated from the Air Force, there were many civilian companies who were recruiting junior officers for operations manager type positions.

Essentially, companies and corporations will consider your military expertise and experience for managerial positions, including logistics, project management, etc.

For example, Kevin Releford, an Army veteran who spent five years in the Army as an Armor Officer, held logistics leadership positions at three different retail companies upon his transition from the military into the civilian world.

He finally landed his current job at Gap Inc., because he was looking for a company with good culture, social responsibility and corporate responsibility, he said.

To hear more about Releford’s story and career advice that got him from Harvard to Gap, Inc., read the article in Task & Purpose.

Recruiters take a different approach in the hiring process for transitioning officers and enlisted service members.

Brian Henry, Vice President (VP) of Operations (Officer Recruiting) at Orion International mentions, officers usually have a four-year degree as well as leadership and management experience received from the military.

“The types of jobs that officers are looking for are more on the professional level, involving some type of supervisory or leadership role,” said Henry in the Military.com article.

Best Jobs for Transitioning Military Officers

After confirming that officers are best suited for managerial type positions, we located some of the best jobs for veteran officers on a trusted career website created for veterans by veterans, Hire Purpose. Our research yielded the following opportunities:

• Business Intelligence Analyst
• Program Manager
• Operations Manager
• Senior Procurement Program Manager
• Corporate Development Manager
• Senior Project Manager
• Director of Strategy and Planning
• Strategic Account Manager

For more management positions for veteran officers, review the management category of Hire Purpose’s website.

Additionally, take some time to check out Orion International’s website and take these steps:

1. Click Military and Veteran Jobs
2. Click Search Jobs
3. Fill out the required information
4. Click search

Orion International’s website is a helpful tool because you can enter your military pay grade to find the best job pertaining to your rank.

The ability to search for jobs in different states and throughout regions of the U.S. is handy as well.

And, if you have a job in mind, you can enter a keyword to easily bring up the type of job you’re searching for.

But if you’re a transitioning enlisted service member, who’s stumped on how to move forward after separating, continue reading. We’ve located the best jobs for you too.

What Companies Look for In Transitioning Enlisted Service Members

When I separated from the Air Force, the same civilian companies that were recruiting officers for certain roles, were seeking enlisted veterans for specialist and technician type roles, regardless of the job you had in the military.

Recruiters and companies have a different focus when it comes to enlisted veterans.

Brian Henry, VP of Operations at Orion International, said, “You focus on more of the technical skillsets they bring, whether technical training or hands-on tech skills.”

He also points out that enlisted don’t typically have a degree or leadership experience. However, an NCO with 10 years of experience has both technical and leadership experience, said Henry.

Best Jobs for Enlisted Veterans

Based on the information we’ve gathered, below are a few opportunities listed in Hire Purpose that will be suitable for you as a transitioning enlisted military member:

• Facilities Technician
• Engineering Technician
• Technician/Agent
• Pharmacy Technician
• Maintenance Technician
• Biomedical Equipment Technician
• Radar Technician

If you were a warrant officer in the military, Orion International has several jobs listed such as a Relay Supervisor, and Technical Manager. Simply click on their military and veteran job search webpage and do the following:

1. Fill out the required information
2. Click search

No matter the type of employment opportunity you’re searching for as an officer or enlisted veteran, one benefit that you have over anyone else in the workforce is a security clearance.

Use Your Security Clearance to Your Advantage

In a previous article, military performance evaluation information, we informed our military and veteran readers that a security clearance can easily transfer over well for government related jobs or for government vendors and contractors.

Having a security clearance is like having a first-class ticket on flight. Because you and other veterans hold this special ticket, you’re placed in a better position, far ahead of the competition, in the job search process.

Experts and studies suggest that security clearances cost companies anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 for processing.

If you can keep organizations from having to wait and pay the costly bill to perform the necessary paperwork to complete a security clearance, you’re making their employee search a bit easier.

Not to mention the amount of money you’re helping the company save.

Veterans with security clearances are valuable in the workforce. According to an article in the San Antonio Express News, “People with security clearance and certifications are a catch – and necessity for companies like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and P3I.”

Keep in mind that your security clearance becomes inactive once your career ends with the military. However, clearance can be restored for up to 24 months, according to Military.com.

Military.com also advises veterans to put the term clearable on your military to civilian resume to inform employers that you previously had clearance.

Once you’re sponsored by a company, you will go through the clearance process again, but it won’t take as long, depending on the length of time that’s passed since you held your last clearance.

If you plan on using your security clearance to land your next job, check out the website ClearanceJobs. ClearanceJobs is the largest career network for professionals with federal government security clearance.

Think Outside the Box During Your Job Search and Never Say Never

Before you get started on your career search, we encourage you to think outside of the box during the entire job planning process. And, to never say never.

Meaning, once you’ve separated from the military, don’t walk away thinking that the military can’t continue to be a part of your daily life.

Just look at me, I’m a Certified Professional Resume Writer who helps thousands of veterans land their dream jobs each day. As you can see, the military is still very much a part of my professional life.

Let’s look at another real-life situation.  A recent article on the official Army website discusses how Lt. Col Kendall Workman took an unconventional career path.

He went from the Navy, to transitioning to the Utah Army National Guard, to retiring from the civilian aviation workforce after 25 years, to joining the Army again. This time, he’s active duty with First Army.

Workman says, “I actually started out my military career during three years in the Navy as an aircraft mechanic. That was my whole drive, get the experience from the military that would directly relate to my civilian career.”

For Workman, the opposite occurred. He continued, “I retired from that and then started my Active Army career, so I did it in reverse from what most typically do.”

Lt. Col Workman plans to teach high school history in Salt Lake City once he retires from the Army.

Your Resume Will Allow You to Land the Best Job for You

A well-written resume will allow you to land the best job for you. But writing the resume is not as simple as throwing your experiences onto a Word document or filling the document with keywords you’ve copied and pasted from the job search site.

Writing a resume takes significant time and plenty of thought. Most importantly, for veterans, resume writing includes translating your military skills into civilian terms.

Doing so will paint the accomplishments you’ve achieved in the best light to make you marketable to civilian employers.

After all, it is the marketing document that highlights your skills and expertise. Your resume should clearly show who you are, what you do, and how you do it.

Always remember that your resume should immediately sell you to any hiring manager needing to fill a position at a company.

It’s no secret that resume writing is an area where many veterans struggle to get their foot in the door with a company.

For this reason, we also teach veterans how to find the best resume writer after transitioning out of the military in our valuable military blog.

Once you’ve decided what type of job you want to pursue, your resume should be tailored to that specific job for the best chances of you getting noticed by the employer.

Empire Resume Will Help You Transition into the Civilian Workforce

We specialize in writing military resumes!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND GET STARTED

Dr. Phillip Gold is President/CEO of Empire Resume and has vast experience writing resumes for both professionals and servicemembers transitioning from the military into civilian roles. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force and was responsible for leading nuclear missile security. Phillip is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and holds a BA in Communications from The Ohio State University, an MS in Instructional Technology, an MBA in Finance, and a PhD in Finance. 

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