Welcome to The Military Post

Welcome to The Military Post! This monthly newsletter is your one-stop-shop as a member of the military community to stay up to date on free upskilling and employment opportunities, ranging from scholarships to hiring fairs, as well as the latest news that matters to you!

For a little bit about us. . .

The Military Post was launched by Peter Cline in September of 2024 as a means of uniting the military community, ensuring great resources get in the hands of those who can use them, and sharing interesting articles promoting discourse. Peter’s desire to launch The Military Pose originated from his work with Boots to Books, a nationwide 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Using the deep insights into goings on in the military community, partnerships with leading employers and training providers, and more this newsletter will find the best opportunities and breaking news so you don’t have to!

Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Congress Introduces Bill to Ease Translation of Military Skills

The “Translating Military Skills into Civilian Jobs Act of 2024,” was introduced by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and co-sponsored by Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) in September of 2024. The bill seeks to provide transitioning service members with a “Competency Record” alongside their DD-214 when they transition out of the service.

A “Competency Record” would be a print out of every course, training, and qualification an individual earned while in the service. While traditionally service members face delays in receiving detailed paperwork outlining their qualifications, or receive forms that are incomprehensible for non-military-connected recruiters, the change seeks to bridge that gap and remove one of the major pain points from the military transition.

Learn more on Task & Purpose here.

Federal Hiring: A Video Guide for the Military Community

Have you ever wondered what the federal hiring process looks like? How about how write a federal resume, or apply to a role on USAJobs?

Well have no fear! The team at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services put together a fantastic YouTube playlist breaking down these and many other federal hiring topics! Give it a look below:

_{Source: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services YouTube channel.}

Leidos Pilots a Skills-Based Hiring Program, Building on Successful Hiring Programs

Leidos is a Fortune 500® technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company has over 9,300 military-connected employees and has had massive success with their Operation MVP program, devoted to hiring military-connected job-seekers.

The firm announced in August of this year that it would be piloting skills-based hiring specifically for cybersecurity jobs to help address to critical shortage of professionals in the field. This skills-based hiring will match keywords, education and more with open roles to broaden the pool of qualified candidates for cybersecurity jobs at the firm.

Learn more about Leidos’s efforts here.

RAND Corporation Finds Lack of Focus on Employment Outcomes in VA Educational Programs

RAND Corporation released a report on the effectiveness of transition support programs in June, 2024 and released several interesting findings, namely that a focus on education may be blinding leaders to the desired outcome, employment, and there is more alignment needed between the two.

Here are a few of the key findings we found especially interesting, quoted directly from the report here.

• Overall, very few programs and a small amount of funding are dedicated to helping service members and veterans translate their military skills to the civilian labor market, find civilian apprenticeships or jobs, or connect with civilian employers.

• The vast majority of federal funding goes to employment transition programs that primarily support education.

• There is limited evidence that federally funded employment transition programs are effective

• Some programs have no reported data, evaluation plans, or outcome measures.

• This study found outdated and conflicting information, even for such large programs as VR&E, when attempting to update the GAO's findings.

• The largest program in terms of budget, the PGIB, provides little information on participation.

Senators Ossoff and Cornyn Propose Bill to Ease Access to VA Disability

The proposed Veteran Transition Support Act would require VA representatives to contact transitioning servicemembers at least 120 before their discharge to help them file a disability claim if they are eligible.

Currently, VA representatives contact new veterans after they discharge, but not before.

This would help servicemembers, who still have easy access to their medical and personal records, submit a claim sooner and enable the VA to more quickly deliver a decision and assign a VA disability rating.

Learn more about the proposed bill here.

Upcoming Opportunities for the Military Community

Looking for an opportunity to connect with leading employers seeking to hire military talent? We’ve got your six! Check out the below upcoming events for the military community:

• The Military Influencer Conference and Hiring Fair - September 30 - Oct 3

  • Join thousands of military-connected job-seekers, professionals, and business leaders as they converge on Atlanta for this year’s military influencer conference. Participate in speaker sessions, a hiring fair, and visit military-owned businesses in an expo!

  • Before buying a ticket, check out Act Now Education! They are offering a ticket reimbursement for military job-seekers.

• Careers in Advertising with Publicis Media - November 1st

  • Join a “Big 5” advertising agency and Fortune 500 company who is SERIOUS about hiring military talent! Publicis Media is seeking military-connected candidates to work in-person in one of eight major cities across the United States where they provide a paid, full-time training program after hire!

  • Register here.

• Careers in the Medical Device Industry with Stryker - November 11th

  • Join Stryker, a Fortune 500 medical device company on November 11th to learn about careers at the company, their advice for military job-seekers, and get to network and conduct informational interviews in breakout rooms!

  • Register here.

• Service to Success Virtual Military Hiring Fair - November 15th

  • Do you want to meet 10+ companies looking to hire military candidates in the course of an afternoon from the comfort of your home? This is the event for you! In an entirely virtual environment, you will be able to join virtual booths, speak live with recruiters, and apply to roles. Companies including Google, TEKsystems, TD Bank, The Venetian Las Vegas, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, and more are registered and looking for you!

  • Sign up to get notified about this event here.

Speaking of Qualified Candidates - Do You Want to Upskill for Free?

While we are on the topic of companies looking at your education and being a qualified candidate - Boots to Books offers numerous scholarships to military-connected students and job-seekers! The current scholarship offers include:

1. $1,000 Certification Scholarships - Receive a paid training of your choice, mentorship, and resume and interview resources at no cost. Applications open quarterly, stay updated on the next round here!

2. Google Certification Scholarships - Receive a Google Career Certification taught by Google volunteers at no cost, at your own pace. The trainings include: IT, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing and more! Boots to Books provides ten Google Scholarships monthly, apply for the next class here.

3. Textbook Scholarships - Have your benefits been exhausted or are they being exceeded by the cost of your textbooks? Every semester since Boots to Books was founded the organization has provided scholarships to military-connected students whose benefits are being exceeded. Applications open at the beginning of each college semester, stay updated on the next round here!

Thanks for reading this edition of The Military Post! Be sure to share this newsletter with your friends and colleagues! Plus, if you want to become a contributor for the Post, visit the Become a Contributor page on our website!

We will see you next month!