Resources and Tips to Source Military and Veteran Candidates

Editor’s note: This post is part of our Source the Web series here on SourceCon. It features articles on how to mine particular online data resources from experts like Dean DaCosta.

God Bless the USA, by Lee Greenwood, has long been the anthem for our armed forces and for veterans. Over the years, many other songs have been released reminding us to give thanks to those who risk their lives so we can live free. As a veteran, I have made it my personal mission to help other veterans enter the workforce, and gain meaningful employment. Below are some tips and resources to help you source additional military and veteran candidates.

Why hire veterans:

Organizations can receive between $2400-$4800 in Tax Credits for hiring a veteran. To learn more visit the Department of Labor website.
More than 200,000 service members leave the military every year. Over 80% of military jobs have a civilian counterpart, meaning of the 200,000 getting out, over 160,000 will come out with skills and experience directly relevant to civilian jobs. All you have to do is identify and hire them.
Veterans and members of the military have learned to live by a code of ethics. They are proven learners that work well in teams. They are typically very loyal and committed individuals.
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act enforces special guidelines for veterans that organizations are expected to follow.
Organizations can take advantage of government sponsored education benefits which allow a veteran to receive additional education or training to help them do their job.

Important keywords and terms:

Know the branches of the military! (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve)
Be aware of organizations such as Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV) etc. The following link will take you to a list of veteran and military organizations that you could use when creating search strings: http://www.workworld.org/wwwebhelp/veterans_service_organizations_overview.htm
Familiarize yourself with other words and acronyms typically found on resumes: veteran, military, USMC, USArmy, USAF, USCG, USN, vet, former, retired, prior etc. See this link for a list of military acronyms, initials, and abbreviations: http://www.fas.org/news/reference/lexicon/acronym.htm
Know the types of security clearances. Most veterans have had a clearance in the past. For a list of clearances levels visit: http://securityclearancejobs.blogspot.com/2007/10/most-complete-list-available-for.html
Know the equivalent Military Occupation Code (MOC) for the position you are recruiting for. This link has a list of the best MOC finders on the web: http ://www.careerinfonet.org/moc/default.aspx?audience=WP
Research government agencies as many veterans may have worked for government agencies. For a comprehensive list of government agencies visit: http://www.usa.gov/directory/federal/index.shtml
Know the companies that provide talent to government agencies as many veterans work with these companies. This link contains a comprehensive list: http://washingtontechnology.com/toplists/top-100-lists/2012.aspx

Additional Web Resources

Sites where you can post (no database search capability):

Sites that are structured for job posting and searching:

More thorough locations that provide access to posting, searching, programs, educational information, and more:

Resources discussing do’s, don’ts, and best practices:

Patriotic Soldier Salute image is from BigStock