Government Issued
Your military background makes you a natural for a civilian career with federal government agencies.
by Kathleen Ganster

Air Force veterans might seem like an obvious choice for civilian jobs with the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC). But it’s also a great place for veterans from the other branches of the military to find a civilian career.

“Veterans from all branches know and understand the military culture and grasp it faster based on their military experience,” said Edward Vargas, enterprise recruiter. “That is certainly a plus.”

Variety of jobs available
The Air Force Personnel Center supports the overall mission of the United States Air Force. As such, the employment opportunities vary widely. “The availability of jobs in the AFPC is always present and ever changing. That makes it very difficult to summarize just what we are looking for at a specific moment in time,” Vargas said.

The AFPC needs professional, administrative, technical and clerical support across 20 career fields. These positions include auditors, civil engineers, financial and program managers, day care workers, human resource specialists, clerical support, and safety and security specialists.

“Of course, there is always a need for positions that require special experience and seem to have a steady flow of openings,” said Vargas, including medical positions, engineering specialties, cyber security, and IT information security and contracting. “That is our biggest need right now – hard-to-fill positions that require extra experience and education.”

Like any other organization, salaries at AFPC vary with the types of positions and experience. “Our salaries vary based on the federal General Schedule. Typically employees enter at $30,000 per year or above,” Vargas said. Those with more experience and advanced leadership positions can expect to make $100,000 to $129,000, depending on the time spent in a position.

‘That works for me’
Martha Andrews is a veteran who found that her background did indeed fit well at the AFPC. “After I retired, I took a break from the Air Force, but I really missed it. I missed the environment and camaraderie,” she said.

Andrews’ career field in the Air Force paralleled her current position as a human resource specialist. “I had experience as a human resources staffer with knowledge on how to identify qualified applicants, determine grade point averages on transcripts, work with applicants to complete required documents – that is all important in this job,” she said.

Since Andrews learned about her job through a former Air Force supervisor, she suggests soon-to-be veterans use the Transition Assistance Program and the resources TAP officials recommend.

For Andrews, the match with AFPC is perfect. “We are a component of the Air Force. The mission is the same, the integrity, the service before self and excellence in all we do,” she said. “That works for me.”

Seamless transition
Her colleague Jesse Martinez, also an Air Force veteran, agreed. Martinez, an enterprise recruiter, worked in the medical field as a recruiter after he left the service. But he, too, missed the “comfortable Air Force environment.” He has been with the AFPC for a year and a half.

Like Andrews, Martinez worked in human resources in the Air Force, which helped make his transition to civilian life easy. “It was seamless. My experience in human resources in the military recruiting arena, education in personnel management and my experience in the private sector were all helpful,” he said.

 NRC Not Just for Nukes
A military background also melds perfectly with the needs of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The NRC regulates commercial nuclear power plants, as well as research, test and training reactors; nuclear fuel cycle facilities; medical, academic, and industrial uses of radioactive materials; and the transport, storage and disposal of radioactive materials and wastes.

The NRC is not just for veterans with a nuclear background, said Eric Bowman, senior project manager. “Obviously, since we are the NRC, having a background in nuclear industry and training in the military translates very well, but I want to get across that those aren’t our only needs.”

Other opportunities include positions in technical engineering, security, human resources, financial management, information technology, procurement and contracting, law and administrative support. Salaries vary with experience, education, location and type of position.

A veteran himself, Bowman said his service made it a natural for his current position, providing him with “an understanding and familiarity with inspection programs and the fundamental skills necessary to manage projects to completion.”

Veterans bring their “A” game
Glenn Tracy, deputy director of the Office of Human Resources, likes that he can utilize his military experience at the NRC. “I was attracted by the opportunity to use my nuclear expertise and by the responsibilities of an NRC safety inspector,” he said. He has worked in various positions at the NRC, another bonus of the agency. “My military service provided the foundation upon which my career has developed. The leadership skills, technical training and operational experience provided by the Navy enabled me to be recruited and become an asset to NRC,” he said.

Like Bowman, Tracy said the military background, no matter which branch, helps prepare for a career at NRC. “The fact that there is a clear mission and that we always have to be on top of our game, these are things that you learn in the military,” he said.

Familiar structure for vets
Tom Smith, senior management analyst, said the GI Bill, which allowed him to supplement his military experience with a solid education, is a tremendous asset to veterans. “I would recommend that you get as much education as possible and to take advantage of the opportunities the military provides,” he said.

While Smith points out that the NRC isn’t a military organization, the structure is similar and familiar for veterans. “We know and have a sense of appreciation for the chain of command here. Plus, we have a sense of discipline and focus. That is all helpful here,” he said. Smith added that the NRC fosters an open collaborative work environment that should appeal to veterans.

Networking works
Networking with NRC employees helped James Beardsley find his job with the agency, a tool he recommends to veterans. “NRC is very supportive of veterans and has a large number of vets,” he said.

The veteran friendly atmosphere and ability to use his nuclear engineering background made the agency a good home for the Navy veteran and Reservist. “I am now responsible for a team that develops and implements the NRC’s commercial nuclear power plant construction inspection program,” he explained. “My Navy nuclear experience and the leadership skills I have gained from 21 years as a naval officer have been very important to my success in this position.”

Veterans helping veterans
For Jolisa Webb Dudley, a major factor in choosing a second career at the Department of Veterans Affairs was the opportunity to help other veterans. “I wanted a chance to look out for my fellow vets,” said the former Air Force officer.

After 20 years in the Air Force, Dudley wanted to take her leadership skills and expertise to a new level in serving her country. “What better job could I have than helping take care of the people who take care of us?” said Dudley, an executive assistant in the Office of Human Resources Management.

Dennis May, director of the Veterans Employment Coordination Service (VECS), agreed. “There are a lot of great opportunities in many of the federal agencies, but we have the distinct honor of serving our veterans,” he said.

2,800 jobs!
VECS was created in 2007 to attract, recruit and hire veterans into the VA, including severely injured veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.

A veteran himself, May said there are many opportunities with the VA. “I just did a quick search and we have about 2,800 available positions within 300 occupational series. The top mission critical needs right now are in the medical fields, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need people in other areas,” he said.

Opportunities are nationwide and include Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. Since the positions vary so greatly, along with experience and education, stating a salary range is difficult. But May said all government salaries are posted and available online for the various job openings. They also have federal government benefits, including health care.

President challenges agencies to hire more vets
While there are civilian job opportunities at various government agencies, the agencies have experienced a few ups and downs over the past couple of years.

In November 2009, President Obama issued Executive Order 13518, which charged the federal agencies to recruit and train more of America’s veterans.

According to Leonard Carsley, veterans’ employment manager for the NRC, this initiative helped the agency better focus its efforts to recruit veterans and led to the creation of the NRC Veterans’ Employment Initiative Operation Plan. “We had always looked for veterans, but didn’t really have a concentrated effort. The initiative charged us to concentrate and energize our efforts,” he said. “This was a good thing.”

Don’t be chilled by pay freeze
Despite a pay freeze enacted by the federal government at the end of 2010, Carsley still believes federal agencies are a viable opportunity for veterans. “There is a pay system in the government with a pay scale. While we may not have the cost-of-living increases, there is still the same opportunity for pay increases through promotion,” he said. “Employees are still eligible for promotions and step advances.”

There may be a slowdown in hiring, but veterans are always valuable employees, according to Carsley, and there are always positions due to growth in the nuclear industry and attrition.

The pay freeze shouldn’t scare potential agency employees away either, Carsley said. “With the pay scales and promotions, we can remain competitive with the private market.”

May said the VA worked with other federal agencies to help craft the president’s order and, as such, “it only helped to heighten our awareness about the need to recruit more veterans.” Five regional veteran coordinator positions were created within the VA as a result of the order.

Well worth the effort
In his own position with the VA, May is dedicated to recruit veterans, a natural match as far as he is concerned. “The same skill set that makes a good Airman, a good Soldier, etc., makes for a good employee, not just in our agency but everywhere.”

Currently, 31 percent of VA employees are veterans. The agency’s goal is 33 percent. May and Dudley both recommend veterans determine their status to see where they stand on the veterans preference list for federal employment. “You may be eligible as a disabled veteran and not even know it,” Dudley said. “And that will give you a leg up.”

May said veterans should reach out to their veteran employment offices for assistance. “We have all heard the horror stories about obtaining federal jobs and while it can take a bit longer than the private sector, it is not an impossible task and well worth it.”

Air Force Personnel Center
HQ: Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio
Employees: 180,000
Veteran Employees: 76,650 (43 percent)
www.afciviliancareers.com

Jobs
The AFPC needs professional, administrative, technical and clerical support across 20 career fields. These positions include:

• Auditors
• Civil engineers
• Financial managers
• Program managers
• Day care workers
• Human resource specialists
• Clerical support
• Safety specialists
  

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
HQ: Rockville, Md.
Employees: 4,000
Veteran Employees: 790 (20 percent)
www.nrc.gov
www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/employment

Jobs
Civilian job opportunities include positions in:

• Technical engineering
• Security
• Human resources
• Financial management
• Information technology
• Procurement and contracting
• Law
• Administrative support
  

Pay
Salaries vary with experience, education, location and type of position.

• Security specialists
• Medical personnel
• Engineers
• Cyber security specialists
• IT security specialists
• Contracting specialists
  

Pay
Salary ranges vary based on federal 
General Schedule.

However, employees typically enter 
at $30,000 per year or above.

Those with more experience and 
advanced leadership positions can 
expect to make $100,000 to $129,000, 
depending on the time spent in a position.

Department of Veterans Affairs
HQ: Washington, D.C.
Employees: 311,000
Veteran Employees: 93,000 (31 percent)
www.va.gov
www.va.gov/vecs

Jobs
At press time, the VA had more than 2,800 job openings within 300 occupational series.

Pay
Salaries are based on the federal 
General Schedule.