San Francisco Tech Industry Helps Veterans Return To Civilian Workforce
A recent survey from San Francisco-based LiveCareer revealed that only 60 percent of current and former military members believe their military experience helps in finding a job in the civilian workforce. That same survey, polled from more than 1,100 veterans and active military members last month, suggests 50 percent of that sampling find it difficult to translate their military experience when composing a resume.
Fortunately for veterans living in the San Francisco Bay Area, there are a number of local employers and veteran's organizations actively assisting those who have served their country with honor. Last year, Salesforce, the largest tech employer in San Francisco, announced a partnership with the Veterans2Work program, a non-profit organization whose mission is to help veterans "gain the skills coaching and certifications" needed for fulfilling careers upon returning to civilian life.
More recently, Salesforce took more steps towards helping veterans find jobs by launching VetForce, to connect Salesforce certified veterans and their families with employers in the Cloud and just last month, joined the 100,000 Jobs Mission, a coalition of over 170 companies who first began with an initial goal of hiring 100,000 veterans but have nearly doubled that figure as of September 30. Other Bay Area companies that are part of the coalition include Intel, Cisco, HP, Wells Fargo, PG&E, Kaiser-Permanente and Charles Schwab.
In addition to Veterans2Work and 100,000 Jobs, Bay Area veterans can seek out other agencies for job assistance, such as the Veterans' Success Center, San Francisco County Veterans Service, the Veterans Employment Committee San Francisco, which will host a veterans job fair in May and of course, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
In the November survey released from LiveCareer, the nation's top resume builder asked military job seekers what advice they would give to other veterans who are returning home and hoping to reenter the civilian workforce. The top advice was to be proud of one's background and show it off on a resume. The remaining top answers were to seek professional help from a career counselor, to be ready for a possibly difficult job search and to use social media in advance of separation from the military. Those suggestions may someday prove valuable to those brave men and women when they return home and begin to seek gainful employment.
Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.
