VetJobs 101: Everything You Need to Know

If you’re a military service member, a veteran, or the spouse of either and you’re looking for a job, you’re in luck. VetJobs, an organization that pairs people in the military with employment opportunities, is waiting for you. 

Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of VetJobs before. Our thorough guide will give you the rundown of this organization, including what it is, what it does, and how you can use it to your advantage in your career journey. 

What Is VetJobs?

VetJobs is an organization that aims to pair people in the military with meaningful employment. The overall goal of VetJobs is to increase the availability of opportunities for work for people in the military, veterans, and their spouses. 

Out of the organizations’ candidates, over 63,000 people have also taken and finished training courses.

After nearly two decades, more than 92,000 people in the military have been connected with employment opportunities through VetJobs. 

What does VetJobs do?

VetJobs offers a lot in terms of career help for veterans and military service members. With this organization, people in the military can gain access to multiple services offered through VetJobs, such as: 

• One-on-one assistance for job placement
• LinkedIn profile optimization
• Interview prep and assistance
• Specific skills training
• Resume services

Who can use VetJobs for career help?

People in the military can use VetJobs for help in their career search or skill training. VetJobs can help people who are:

• Military service members who are transitioning to civilian life
• Veterans
• National Guard and Reserves
• Military spouses

What are VetJobs’ values?

The organization publicly lists its values on the VetJobs site. According to its website, VetJobs’ values include:

• Integrity
• Respect
• Commitment
• Focus
• Efficiency

How Does VetJobs Actually Work?

VetJobs works in a few different ways. The organization describes its approach as three-prong, involving people, technology and education.

People

The first aspect, “people,” refers to VetJobs’ employees who help military folks get meaningful employment. The people who work at VetJobs are also veterans and spouses of military members, so they understand first hand the perspective of a transitioning service member. It’s not easy having to return to the office, especially if you’ve recently served.

Because of their personal experience, the people who work at VetJobs can better understand an applicant’s experiences, skills, and transition. Those who help military service members form a personal, more meaningful relationship to best pair them with employment opportunities.

Technology

Second, technology plays a huge role in VetJobs. The tech that the organization uses allows VetJobs capabilities such as:

• Viewing candidates’ applications 
• Tracking hiring results and outcomes
• Reviewing candidates’ progress after placed in a job

This helps them best succeed in their mission.

Education

The third prong, education, refers to the educational resources, career development tools, training, and mentoring opportunities. These educational resources offer extra support for military service members and their spouses. 

Using this three-pronged framework, VetJobs provides a whole host of services and tools for those in the military and transitioning to civilian life. 

VetJobs Services and Resources Overview

All of VetJobs’ services exist to prepare people in the military for employment opportunities, including veterans and their spouses. The main services offered by this organization are career preparation, career development, and employer and recruiter connection resources. 

When you register at VetJobs, you’ll get access to: 

• Overall career and resume assessment 
• Skills assessment for industry-specific skills
• Training for interviews

People at VetJobs will also help candidates mitigate experience or skill gaps, too.  

Career prep

In terms of career prep, trainings and mentoring is a great option. For career prep, candidates can pick different types of training formats, including in-person, virtual, or even self-paced training. 

It can be tough going from military to civilian life, especially in a workplace. But taking advantage of some of these tools can make a world of difference. 

For example, you can access personalized training and instruction to learn how to write for resumes and optimize your own. You’ll also get a walkthrough of the federal application process.

On top of that, VetJobs provides individualized training for how to job search, too. 

Career development

Trainings also come in handy for career development as well. For example, VetJobs employees can help candidates personally by evaluating where they are and where they want to go. Growth is central to VetJobs’ mission and its development programs aid in this goal.

Career development trainings help job seekers in a multitude of ways. On top of giving candidates more knowledge on the process, this type of training gives them a competitive edge against other candidates competing in the same industry. 

Learning management system (LMS)

A specific example of career development training through VetJobs is its learning management system (LMS). Here, you can access self-paced courses to either get a refresher on something you’re familiar with or learn a completely new skill. 

The skills taught in these learnings are relevant to the current job market too, so you can ensure you’re getting the skills you need for a job today. The LMS is also available 24/7, so you can access the classes and info any time you want.

IBM SkillsBuild

With IBM SkillsBuild, job seekers can grow in their career journey by targeting their individual goals. You can take a career assessment, learn new skills, and affirm and validate existing skills, which can then be included in your resume.

For example, you can earn badges and credentials in multiple industry-specific areas. VetJobs has role-based learning channels to give you a better idea of employment opportunities that are most in-demand. You’ll be able to hone in on the skills necessary to snag positions in those areas, too. 

Currently, VetJobs’ IBM SkillsBuild includes industry-specific areas like:

• Customer service representative
• Data analyst
• Project manager
• Cybersecruity professional
• Enterprise computing professional
• Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA)
• Web developer

IBM SkillsBuild also offers digital foundations for industry knowledge like data and analytics, cloud computing, security, digital marketing, artificial intelligence, and emerging technology.

Although industry-specific skills are in high demand, so are the more basic workplace skills needed for a successful career. SkillsBuild can help candidates learn soft skills such as:

• Critical thinking
• Communication
• Leadership
• Mindfulness
• Digital literacy
• DEIB
• Project management

Job readiness skills are also included in SkillsBuild, so you can learn more nuanced things like how to:

• Write a resume
• Build a LinkedIn profile
• Search for work during difficult times
• Work from home

Coursera

VetJobs also gives candidates access to Coursera, another resource that offers job seekers relevant classes to learn relevant skills and break into a new area of work that you’ve always wanted to explore.

The courses cover a wide range of topics and come from more than 200 universities, so you’ll be learning from certified professors and educators. 

There are over 3,000 available courses and even certificate programs for candidates to explore. These include things like guided project courses, Google certifications, specialization courses, and personal and professional courses.

Employer and recruiter connection

The talent community that VetJobs hosts is one of the best parts of the organization. Its recruiter connect job board in particular allows candidates to submit an application before it’s reviewed by a recruiter. 

How to Get a Job through VetJobs

To get a job through VetJobs, there are only a few steps to consider. Luckily, the organization’s application process isn’t too complicated.

To begin, check out the VetJobs website. Here, you’ll get access to tons of resources and info meant to help you on your job search. The employer partners of VetJobs will work with the org to find, screen, and transfer qualified applicants right into a hiring manager’s hands. 

When you’re ready to apply, submit an application to a role on the VetJobs site. There, it’ll be reviewed to make sure your talent is a match for the position you applied to. If there are any questions, a VetJobs team member will reach out to you directly for clarification.

Next, your application will be submitted to a recruiter so they can review it. VetJobs works to get your application seen by qualified, notable employers. 

Interview prep

While you’re waiting to hear back, your next step should be to warm up your interview skills. One of the best ways to practice interviewing is through an actual interview simulator like Yoodli.

Yoodli is an online tool that uses generative AI to simulate interviews. It’s free to use and you’ll also get a full transcript of your response, as well as insightful, personalized metrics based on how you answered the question.

For example, you can choose practice interview questions out of Yoodli’s interview bank or you can input your own.

Once you’ve chosen a few questions, Yoodli will start the practice interview and you’ll have a few minutes to answer each question. As you answer, Yoodli will analyze your speech and speaking patterns for your benefit to provide you with specific metrics. 

For example, critical information about your speech — such as your word choice, your rate of speech, and your filler word usage — will allow you to skip the guesswork of what you need to practice. 

The best part? This AI interview simulator will give you individualized feedback based on your responses with actionable suggestions and tips to improve. If you’re using too many filler words, for example, Yoodli might suggest you speak a little slower to give your mind time to plan what you want to say.

You can learn more about it and how it pairs perfectly with VetJobs resources below:

Partner Companies with VetJobs 

Some companies and organizations partner with VetJobs to aid in its mission. Some of the most notable partner companies with VetJobs include:

• Boeing
• Call of Duty
• Deloitte
• Wells Fargo
• Microsoft
• IBM

VetJobs also has some military-affiliated partners, such as Hiring Our Heroes. Other military partners include:

• Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
• Combined Arms
• Department of Labor
• Association of the United States Army
• Americans Veterans Group
• Still Serving Veterans

The Key Takeaway

VetJobs is a phenomenal tool for anyone who’s a military service member transitioning to civilian life, a veteran, or the spouse of a service member or vet. Job searching is difficult in and of itself, and adding another layer of transition makes it even harder.

But you can ease some stress and take advantage of VetJobs’ team members, educational resources, and available trainings, as well as its online job board. You can also explore other options, like G.I. Jobs or  SkillBridge.

Plus, once you’ve submitted your application to VetJobs, you can start preparing to interview with an interview simulator like Yoodli. It’s a win-win! Just remember that your career is a journey with plenty of ups and downs, so don’t lose hope.