Roughly 200,000 military members retire or separate from the armed services every year, according to the Department of Labor.
These veterans bring competitive skills to civilian jobs, along with core values military service cultivates: dedication, teamwork, good communication and pride in getting work done. But, finding and competing for civilian positions can be challenging for transitioning veterans.
National Hire A Veteran Day aims to inspire employers to recruit and hire veterans by recognizing the unique skills and values that former soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen bring to the workforce.
When is National Hire a Veteran Day 2022?
National Hire a Veteran Day will be observed on Monday, July 25, 2022.
Marine Corps Veteran and Hire Our Heroes founder Dan Caporale created National Hire a Veteran Day in 2017 as a call to action for hiring companies, and also to encourage veteran job applicants.
Additionally, Congress passed the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act) in 2017. This resulted in the HIRE Vets Medallion Program, a federal award that “recognizes a company or organization’s commitment to veteran hiring, retention, and professional development,” according to the program website.
The Department of Labor uses National Hire a Veteran day to encourage employers to increase their veteran workforce to qualify for a HIRE Vets Medallion award.
Encouraging Employers To Hire Veterans
As service members transition from military life to the civilian world through separation or retirement, many may seek new careers to apply their skills in the civilian world.
Competing for a civilian job can be daunting at first, but efforts like National Hire A Veteran Day raise awareness and call employers to action. In fact, government support for National Hire a Veteran Day is what makes it unique from other holidays that focus on veteran’s issues.
How Federal Agencies Participate
The Department of Labor and the Department of Veterans Affairs – among others – recognize and promote National Hire a Veteran Day on July 25 by encouraging employers to seek out qualified veterans to hire and promote.
In 2020, the Department of Labor issued a National Hire a Veteran Day statement advertising several veteran hiring resources for employers, including the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), the Department of Defense SkillBridge internship program and its Employer Guide to Hiring Veterans.
In a July 25, 2018 statement promoting National Hire a Vet Day, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) said veterans make up over half the agency’s workforce.
“VBA embraces veterans not only by providing benefits and services to them, but also by hiring them,” the VBA statement said, advertising a slew of open positions in several of the agency’s veteran service departments.
“We want to encourage veterans to apply for the many job openings VBA has throughout the country every year,” former undersecretary for benefits Paul R. Lawrence wrote. “You don’t have to be a doctor or a nurse to work for (the) VA.”
Hiring Veterans Job Resources For Veterans
In addition to providing state-level employer grants, tips and advice on hiring veterans, the Department of Labor and other government agencies list veteran employment and training opportunities online.
If you’re a veteran looking for a job this year, consider these employment resources while you’re on the hunt:
- Seek Out an Apprenticeship: Use the Department of Labor’s apprenticeship.gov job-finder tool to search for training and apprenticeships with employers across the country.
- Match Your Military Occupational Code to a Civilian Opportunity: See where you can apply the skills you learned in the military with the veteran job finder tool at Career OneStop’s Veteran and Military Transition Center.
- Find Government Work With USA Jobs: Veterans can use USA Jobs to search for federal government and public sector job opportunities.
- Apply to Work at the Department of Veterans Affairs: You don’t have to be a doctor or a nurse to work at the VA. Veteran job seekers can find myriad opportunities on the VA Careers site, including positions in senior leadership, information technology (IT), accounting and more.
- Find a Job that Matches Your Security Clearance: Civilian employers, government agencies, government contractors and consulting firms frequently recruit veterans who have security clearances. Visit Clearance Jobs to find and apply for opportunities.
- Browse Our List of Veteran-Friendly Employers: Click here to see Veteran.com’s list of employers who advertise unique opportunities and supportive programs for veterans, National Guardsmen, reservists and military spouses.
Observing National Hire A Veteran Day
National Hire A Veteran Day reminds job seekers and job creators about the value of hiring a vet.
If you are a veteran and looking for work, explore government job sites during the month of July to see what activities and promotions employers may advertise to observe National Hire A Veteran Day.
Check with your state government’s veteran services office or state veterans affairs (VA) division to see if they’re aware of any special hiring programs as well.
If you are an employer, review the Department of Labor’s guide to hiring veterans and check out DOD’s Skills Bridge program, to see how service members translate their military skills into civilian ones. Skill Bridge also offers to help employers train and retrain military members before they out-process from their active-duty unit.
The Department of Labor and other federal agencies may provide apprenticeship programs employers can participate in as well.
