What is the impact of being a "Protected Veteran" on being hired in the civilian community?

CPT Richard Lightle — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 23:07:39 -0400

Cant seem to get a straight answer from HR types but does any one know the impact on being a "Protected Veteran" with regards to being hired in the civilian community?

Response by CW4 Craig Urban made Sep 11 at 2019 2:18 AM

CW4 Craig Urban — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 02:18:12 -0400

Not much. If you are attempting to go government service and are 10 percent disabled it means something. Hate to say it but it is who you know. Civilian community nothing.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Sep 11 at 2019 5:18 AM

LTC Kevin B. — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 05:18:21 -0400

This really depends on the potential hiring organization and how much you play up your veteran status. Some organizations will seek out veterans, while others won't. Some may even be turned off by veterans. Plus, how the organization views a candidate (who is in a protected veteran status) can also flow from how much the veteran plays up that status. Since I've retired and transitioned to the civilian world, I've worked for two universities and neither explicitly sought me out because of my protected veteran status (but they didn't hold it against me either). And, I never really played up that status or tried to hide it. In both cases, once I joined the team I reported my status to HR, but it was never a part of my resume and I never brought it up in the search processes.

Response by SP5 Peter Keane made Sep 11 at 2019 10:43 AM

SP5 Peter Keane — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 10:43:11 -0400

Unless an employer just flat out states they will not hire you because you are a protected veteran, good luck with proving it. From 1971 to 1973 I was rejected for hundreds of jobs due to the fact of being a Vietnam Veteran. It was another year and one half until the law was passed.

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Sep 11 at 2019 5:16 PM

SGT Dave Tracy — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 17:16:39 -0400

I've wondered it myself as I look to pivot from the public sector to the private sector.

Some say it helps (tax benefits to the company perhaps, I don't know); some say it hurts. I don't know. At the end of the day, I suspect it does not hurt you to have protected veteran class status, but probably is most likely a checkbox for an employer to mark and they are generally ambivalent about any candidate's given status.