Recently, the U.S. Veterans Magazine released a list of its top veteran-friendly companies. The magazine polled hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies in order to analyze them and make recommendations for veterans. The editorial team chatted through a list of organizations with employment, business, and supplier opportunities within the federal government for veterans, transitioning service members, disabled veterans, spouses, and veteran business owners. While the full list includes businesses from a variety of industries, we pulled those that include jobs requiring a security clearance or entities that do work with the government.
Listen to our a speed round, highlighting 25 of the defense contractors that made the veteran friendly list:
Top Veteran-Friendly Employers Who Support The Defense Industry
Sometimes choosing more well-known names or a small business organization in the national security industry is the way to go, but it’s also helpful to shop around to see which companies consistently deliver for veterans – either with their benefits, promotion opportunities, and compensation, or with their overall culture, making the transition from military to civilian a little easier. Everyone’s organization preference is different, and much of what you decide to do is reliant on where you live and what you want to do with the rest of your life.
Here is the full list of of defense oriented employers that made U.S. Veterans Magazine’s list:
- AAR Corp
- Accenture
- ADS, Inc.
- AECOM
- Air Force Reserve Command
- Amazon
- AMERICAN SYSTEMS
- AT&T Inc.
- Aviall Services Inc
- Aviation Training Consulting LLC
- BAE Systems
- Bluehawk LLC
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- CACI International, Inc.
- CDWr
- CGI
- Cisco Systems, Inc.
- Comcast-NBCUniversal
- Concurrent Technologies Corporation
- Dell
- Deloitte
- DXC Technology
- DynCorp International
- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US)
- Fluor Corporation
- Fortinet Inc.
- G4S Secure Solutions (USA) (now Allied Universal)
- General Dynamics Information Technology
- General Electric
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise
- Honeywell
- Huntington Ingalls Industries AND Newport News Shipbuilding, A Division of Huntington Ingalls Industries
- IntelliGenesis LLC
- Intuitive Research and Technology, Inc.
- Johnson Controls, Inc.
- KPMG LLP
- L3 Technologies
- Leidos
- Level 3 Communications Inc.
- LMI
- Lockheed Martin
- ManTech International
- MAXIMUS
- Microsoft
- MSA Security
- NEXCOM
- Northrop Grumman Corporation
- Oak Ridge Associated Universities
- OMNI Technologies
- OshKosh Defense
- Pacific Architects and Engineers
- Parker Hannifin
- Parsons Corporation
- Peraton
- Perspecta
- Precise Systems Inc.
- PRIDE Industries
- PwC
- Raytheon Technologies
- Robert Half
- Roboteam Inc.
- Salesforce
- Siemens
- Sodexo, USA
- The Boeing Company
- Vectrus Systems Corporation
- Verizon Communications Inc.
- Zeiders Enterprises Inc.
Veteran-Friendly: A Key Component in a Long Career
Choosing an organization to work for when you first transition may seem like an easy choice, but it’s not uncommon for veterans to to make a switch only after one year with an organization. Whether the pay was lower than expected or the office culture didn’t align well, many jump ship and make another change in the first year. It’s perfectly normal to ask questions about growth opportunities and workplace culture in the interview process. More questions just make you seem interested – as long as you’re not being critical. It’s also okay to ask for higher compensation, as there are a lot of financial considerations to take into account when agreeing to a salary.
Find an organization that fits your personality and gives you space to make that adjustment out of the military – with all the bumps and hurdles. It makes all the difference to find companies where you feel understood, as well as, a place where you can make some mistakes or career tweaks without being penalized. One of the best types of companies when you transition from the military are the ones who give different career options while you are employed. Do you have options to switch lanes? That’s a key piece in finding the right post-military employment. So, keep your eye on organizations within the defense industry, as well as, companies on this list, and you are on your way to seamlessly making that transition.
