Tomorrow (July 25) is National Hire A Veteran Day. According to Navy Federal Credit Union, more than 250,000 people transition out of military service. As these service members transition back into civilian life, one of the biggest hurdles they face is finding employment. Going from military service back into a regular 9-to-5 job is a large adjustment, and it can be difficult to find the right opportunities and resources to assist with this process. That’s why in 2017 Dan Caporale, founder of Hire our Heroes, an organization that helps to ease the transition from the military to the corporate world, established National Hire A Veteran Day. This day calls on corporate America to provide opportunities and hire more veterans.
“The best way to honor a veteran is to hire one,” Caporale says.
With some help, many veterans find that their job requirements and experiences during service can translate into certain industries naturally. The fields of engineering, cyber security, health care are just a few of the careers that military service provides training in, depending on the branch and experience a veteran had while serving.
Skilled trades are also a popular career path for veterans when they return to civilian life. Skilled trade programs are attractive because the path toward getting certified in a trade can often be much faster and cost less than that of a traditional four-year degree. On top of that, many branches of the military offer hands-on training during service that can give veterans a leg-up in their job search as they return to regular life. With the demand for trade professionals at an all time high, there is even calls from some to design hiring programs specifically tailored to veterans. Mike Starich, President of Orion International, a veteran job recruiting firm, says that employers should long term programs for taking advantage of the talent that veterans have and recruit them into the skilled trades.
Klein Tools is a proud employer of veterans across both our manufacturing and corporate operations.
Are you a veteran? What was your career path like upon returning to civilian life? Let us now in the comments on social media