The Top 10 Military-Friendly Employers in 2013
Service members who are determined to make a successful military-to-civilian transition have a variety of desirable traits that should resonate with potential employers.
That's not to say that finding employment as a veteran is a cakewalk. The unemployment rate for Post-9/11 veterans climbed to 11.7% to start 2013. Veterans continue to try to narrow the communication gap when it comes to effectively relaying their skill-set (tips here) to potential employers.
Hiring veterans should be a priority for organizations in 2013. Are you a veteran looking for a civilian job? Which companies put an emphasis on hiring vets?
GI Jobs magazine, a publication that named Grantham University a military-friendly school for the past four years, recently compiled a list of the top 100 military-friendly employers.
The criteria for the list included location, percentage of military new hires, compensation, insurance coverage and military spouse support. When you're looking into job opportunities, take a hard look at the following organizations (we'll present the top 10 from the GI Jobs list):
10. J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.
Headquarters: Lowell, Ark.
J.B. Hunt is a transportation and trucking organization that services customers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. A section of their website places a strong emphasis on hiring veterans.
9 .General Electric Company
Headquarters: Fairfield, Conn.
GE employs more than 10,000 veterans and plans to hire 5,000 more by the end of 2017. As the country's largest conglomerate, GE would be a particularly attractive opportunity for military members with a technical background, who also have education in areas such as computer science, engineering management technology and information technology.
8. Combined Insurance Company of America
Headquarters: Glenview, Ill.
Combined Insurance - the organization provides individual, supplemental, accident, disability, health and life insurance products - recently hired former Navy service member Joseph Pennington to lead its veteran recruiting efforts. The organization has since hired more than 100 veterans.
7. Southern Company
Headquarters: Atlanta
Southern Company, an electric holding utilities organization, has 26,000 total employees - 11% of those are veterans, guardsmen or reservists. Furthermore, 15% of Southern Company's new hires are veterans.
6. ManTech International Corporation
Headquarters: Fairfax, Va.
ManTech International delivers upcoming information technology services to federal government customers. Military members with a background in IT may be interested in employment opportunities here. ManTech has hired 2,000 veterans in the past year.
5. Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Headquarters: Fort Worth, Texas
BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroad networks in the United States. BNSF has hired more than 5,000 veterans since 2005, and more than 6,000 veterans currently work there.
4. Booz Allen Hamilton
Headquarters: Tysons Corner, Va.
Booz Allen Hamilton is one of the most well-known technology consulting firms in the world. The firm is proud of its deep military roots. It assisted the U.S. Navy at the dawn of World War II, and currently assists the Military Health System, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.
3. Deloitte Federal
Headquarters: New York
Deloitte is one of the largest professional service firms in the world, providing audit, tax, consulting, enterprise risk and financial advisory services. Deloitte would be an intriguing opportunity for military members with technical backgrounds who like to solve complex problems. Deloitte professionals provide solutions for their clients' most pressing business challenges. Forbes reported 25% of Deloitte's workforce, and 20% of new hires in 2012, are veterans.
2. CSX Corporation
Headquarters: Jacksonville, Fla.
CSX is the largest Eastern railroad freight network in the United States. One in five CSX employees is serving or has served in the Armed Forces.
1. United Services Automobile Association
Headquarters: San Antonio, Texas
The USAA was actually created by Army officers in 1922 as a mutual insurance company for other service members. USAA has grown to more than 24,000 employees. In total, 12% are veterans, and 16% of the company's new hires in 2012 served in the military.
USAA has received a top 10 ranking from GI Jobs ever since it introduced the military-friendly employers list in 2003.
Are you a current or former military member who's thinking about entering the civilian workforce? For assistance on what it takes to make a smooth transition, download our BRAND NEW eBook "Entering the Civilian Workforce - Your Journey Starts Here" by clicking the image below:
About the author: Eric Sorrentino joined Grantham University as Social Media Manager in October 2011. Prior to that, he blogged about Big 12 Conference athletics for KUsports.com and was a sports copy editor for the Lawrence Journal-World. Eric received his bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas.