Maybe becoming just another statistic is a good thing.
This month marks the second anniversary of the “100,000 Jobs Mission”, a program launched by JP Morgan Chase and other leading American businesses. The goal is exactly what the program’s title implies: to provide 100,000 transitioning service members with jobs by 2020.
This year, almost 52,000 veterans have already been hired. So how can you use your security clearance to take advantage of the program?
First, you can check out the program’s website (www.100000jobsmission.com). So far, 99 companies have added their names to the program. Not only are they actively demonstrating military friendliness, many of them look at security clearances as the holy grail of credentials. The range of employers reaches from IT to the financial sector, security, healthcare, transportation, retail, aviation and more.
Each company listed has committed itself to hire veterans and to share its hiring practices and results with other member companies. This transparency is part of the reason more companies continue to come on board with the same promise.
Five months ago, Intel signed on, joining Cisco Systems, Inc., Comcast, CA Technologies, Concurrent Technologies and Lockheed Martin. Cleared job seekers with IT skills have plenty of choices to work with these companies and more, in computer sciences jobs that include applications, systems software development and computer systems analysts. The list of companies extends well beyond IT-related businesses to include General Motors, Shell, Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb. The healthcare industry is represented by Cigna, Kaiser Permanente and United Health Group, with Delta Airlines, Lockheed Martin and JetBlue making up the aviation sector.
While transitioning to a second civilian career is its own kind of work, the process can be eased somewhat by knowing in advance who values the combination of prior military service and a security clearance. For now, 99 companies have made that declaration public.
