I’m not very savvy when it comes to using LinkedIn. As a veteran public-school teacher, I spent 25 years in the same school district and really had no need to create new connections using this platform. Most connections were made the ‘old fashioned’ way by meeting fellow teachers, researchers and innovators at meetings and conferences, exchanging business cards or contact information and then following up with phone calls or emails. Now, as a career coach, I find the LinkedIn tool to be a fabulous source of information for creating new connections as well as discovering really cool stuff about different industries. I most recently happened upon the LinkedIn Social Impact page and found a recent study, The 2023 Veteran Opportunity Report; Understanding veteran employment across the U.S.

According to the LinkedIn introduction page, “The 2023 Veteran Opportunity Report, powered by LinkedIn data and insights, highlights the challenges many American veterans face when entering the civilian workforce today — including low internship rates, undervalued military experience, and prevailing myths around retention.

This report is intended to help employers and policymakers better understand how to serve this underrepresented population and drive more effective hiring practices, policies, and programs for veterans. For veteran job seekers, the report also details the top industries, employers, and occupations hiring veterans in each state.

Insights from the report include:

• Veterans have many of today’s most in-demand skills, with their first roles after the military often being in high-skilled jobs.
• Veterans are less likely than nonveterans to leave their first job within 6 months.
• Veterans are less likely to reach leadership roles than nonveterans, and companies generally do not value military experience the same way they count work experience in non-military roles.”

The full report includes information for Veterans, employers and policy makers. For the Veteran specific information, use this LINK.

As I read this information two things happened. First, I became pretty angry and frustrated by the lack of insight in many industries regarding the amazing talent and skills veterans possess. Veterans come to the workforce with 10 of the most in-demand skills. And Veterans who complete a 4-year or graduate degree have even more to offer. Secondly, the stats relating career success and internships doesn’t bode well for Veterans. Only 5.3% of U.S. Veterans participate in at least one internship compared to 30.4% of nonveterans. We know that internships can provide a gateway to new careers and often lead to full-time job offers. This is where the O’Neill Career Education and Professional Advancement office can help you.

At the Career Hub we offer a wide array of FREE services to our O’Neill students to help them discover areas of interest in their chosen career field and then use that to target internships of interest. We can help you with all facets of the internship search as well as developing and refining your career tools like your resume and LinkedIn profile.

The Career Hub in located in the O’Neill Atrium, Suite 200. You can set up appointments with us on Handshake or drop in during our regular business hours:

SUMMER

9 AM – 4 PM

ACADEMIC YEAR

8 AM – 5 PM