Find work: free job help for Veterans and military spouses

Start here: your local American Job Center

There are nearly 2,300 American Job Centers across the country, and they are free. Veterans and eligible spouses get priority of service, which means you are served first for job training and placement.

Most centers have staff whose whole job is Veterans. Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program specialists give one-on-one help to Veterans facing bigger barriers, and Local Veterans' Employment Representatives work with employers who want to hire Veterans. When you walk in, say you are a Veteran and ask for the veterans representative.

• Find the nearest center at CareerOneStop, or call 1-877-872-5627 (1-877-US2-JOBS).
• Some smaller affiliate sites do not have a veterans representative on site, so call ahead.
• Bring your DD214 so they can confirm priority of service.

Still in uniform or getting out soon

The Department of Labor teaches the employment part of the Transition Assistance Program: a one-day Employment Fundamentals of Career Transition course, a two-day DOL Employment Workshop on resumes, networking, interviewing and negotiation, and an optional two-day Career and Credential Exploration track.

The Employment Navigator and Partnership Program gives you a personal career coach, in person or virtually, at installations worldwide, including Fort Bragg, Camp Pendleton, Fort Bliss and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. It is open to service members and spouses within two years of retirement or 365 days of separation who are going through TAP.

• Find TAP classes at tapevents.mil, or ask your installation TAP office.
• Book an Employment Navigator at enpp.dol.gov.
• Wounded, ill or injured service members and caregivers can take an online version of the workshop.

Military spouses

Transition Employment Assistance for Military Spouses (TEAMS) is a set of free workshops for spouses and caregivers: resumes, LinkedIn, federal hiring, flexible and remote work, interviews, salary negotiation, your rights at work and starting a business. They run virtually in several time zones and in person at some installations.

Professional licenses are set state by state, so a move can stall a career. The Department of Labor's military spouse pages explain license recognition and where to start in a new state.

Earn while you learn: apprenticeships

A Registered Apprenticeship pays you from day one while you train with a mentor and earn a credential, with no college debt. You can often get credit for your military training.

Eligible Veterans can use the GI Bill during a registered apprenticeship and receive a tax-free monthly housing stipend on top of the paycheck.

• Search open apprenticeships at Apprenticeship.gov.
• Still serving? Ask about DoD SkillBridge programs that lead into an apprenticeship.

Your job rights: USERRA

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act protects the civilian jobs of people who serve, including Guard and Reserve. When you come back from service, your employer generally has to rehire you promptly, with the seniority, status and pay you would have had if you had never left. Employers also cannot treat you differently because of past, present or future service.

If you think your rights were violated, DOL VETS investigates for free. Keep copies of your orders, DD214, pay stubs and anything your employer sent you.

• Check your situation with the USERRA Advisor, then file a claim online with DOL VETS.
• Questions: call DOL VETS at 1-866-237-0275.

If you are homeless or about to be

The Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program funds local groups that help Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness get trained and back to work, with support services along the way. It is the only federal grant program focused entirely on jobs for homeless Veterans.

For a place to stay tonight, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-424-3838, any time.

Employers who hire Veterans

The HIRE Vets Medallion is the only federal award for employers that hire, keep and develop Veterans. The list of award winners at HIRE Vets is a good place to find employers who already do it well.

Federal jobs also give Veterans hiring preference. The Department of Labor's veterans' preference pages explain who qualifies.