Every year 250,000 service members transition from the United States military to civilian life. One of the difficulties veterans face is finding a civilian job that matches their skill set.
Google has developed a number of search tools to help veterans more easily find employment.
Service members can now enter “jobs for veterans” in Google’s search bar and type in their Military Occupational Specialty code or other similar code (AFSC, NEC, etc.) Google will bring up a list of “occupation categories” that are similar to what service members did when they were in the military. Google will also provide average incomes for each of the career options and indicate whether the field is growing. Veterans can then click on their desired occupation category, explore the available jobs in their area, and apply for many of the positions directly online. Veterans may also enter their location directly into the search bar to get relevant results more quickly.
Google did not want to ignore the 9% of veterans who own their own businesses. Former service members can now add that their business is veteran-owned or led through “Google my Business”. Potential customers will be able to see the designation on
Google Maps or a Search mobile listing.
To top everything off, Google is giving a $2.5 million USD grant to the United Service Organizations (USO). The USO is a private organization that focuses on aiding service members and veterans. The grant is intended to teach veterans, military spouses, and service members that are transitioning into civilian life IT support skills. The grant will also include access to the Google IT Support Professional Certificate that helps users prepare for an entry-level IT position in eight months.
Google’s latest changes are part of its “Grow with Google” initiative that is intended to provide opportunities for all Americans. Their programs provide training for anyone from elementary students to developers to small business owners. The United States Department of Labor reported that there were 453,000 unemployed veterans in 2016. 36% of these veterans were between the ages of 25 and 44. Google’s efforts to help veterans will hopefully greatly reduce this number.
