When you serve in the US Military for more than 180 days in a row, you become a Veteran. From that moment on, you are eligible for different benefits and rights, these benefits and rights stick with you for your entire lifetime. One of these is the federal job benefit. This is the benefit for preference points in getting a job in the Federal Government, and can also be beneficial in getting employment with State or local jurisdictions, as far as job preference. The Armed Forces Veteran Job benefit is one that is given in recognition of service to the United States, and has a long tradition and history in our country.
This is a long standing benefit that is often overlooked. Some people are not in a position to use it, so it?s a moot point, while other people either forget about it or do not realize exactly how it works, so they do not utilize it. The government realizes and gives support to those people who have been a active duty veteran from the Armed Forces, and they allow preference hiring points for competitive hiring purposes. When you are looking for a job, this benefit is available to anyone that has more than 180 days of active duty military service, or is a veteran. It is available in nearly every jurisdiction in the public sector, such as law enforcement, civilian city and state governments, as well as federal hiring. If you are a veteran and disabled, there are often additional preference points that are available because of your disability, it varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. There are some points to remember when you use this benefit, these can include:
Honorable Discharge- When applying for a federal job, you have to have had a honorable discharge. You can have a General Discharge (which is actually a type of discharge) or an actual Honorable discharge, but it cannot be for any other reason. A person with a dishonorable discharge is not eligible under the federal system for job preference points. This is not an issue for most people, unless you have committed a crime and been discharged because of that crime, most individuals have a General or Honorable discharge. If you qualify then there are some steps to application for each individual job, but is a great advantage in using preference points when you are seeking a job. Make sure you have an updated resume, and then make application to each individual state or federal job that you are qualified and interested in.