Unemployment has an exponential impact on veterans' health, housing, education, family well-being, and the transition to civilian life. Unemployment is the greatest challenge facing post-9/11 veterans. Historically, the Veteran unemployment rate has been higher than the national average. 

Translating military occupations into civilian language is one of the biggest hurdles for employment among veterans. ICMA's Veterans Guide to Finding a Job in Local Government is a great place to start your journey:

If you are on the hiring end, please explore ICMA's Human Resources Recruitment Handbook: Hiring Veterans for Local Government Positions.

These resources were developed to make that process more manageable: 

Skills Translator and Resume Examples

• Mynextmove.org Military Skills Translator
• CareerOneStop provides a free resume writing guide
• Colin Baenziger & Associates recruits for local government and provided these resume examples
• Advice on formatting a local government resume from a veteran and city manager
• Downloadable and changeable cover letter and resume example
• SkillSyncer is free to military and improves your interview chances through resume optimization and proper keyword utilization

Local Government Job Boards

• ICMA posts local government jobs on the ICMA Job Center
• GovernmentJobs.com posts local government jobs nationwide
• Many local government positions are located on state and municipality websites
• The National League of Cities job board
• National Association of Counties job board
• Special district associations in California, Colorado and Oregon
• American Public Works Association job board
• Recruitment firms such as Springstead-Waters, The Mercer Group, GovHR USA, Colin Baenziger & Associates and CPS HR Consulting are helpful places to look for jobs as well

Interview Information

• Read the ICMA publication; Preparing for an Interview
• Read the Blog Post How to Prepare for a Local Government Job Interview
• Interview matrix to prepare for a local government job interview
• LinkedIn tool for practicing basic interview questions
• Here are five rules for negotiating your salary

Networking and Coaching

• The ICMA Coaching Program hosts a one-to-one coaching resource called CoachConnect where you can search for a free career coach
• LinkedIn free one year premium subscription
• Creating and improving your LinkedIn account

Other Employment Resources 

• ICMA's Careers Resource Guides has several guidebooks and resources that you might find helpful
• Veterans Affairs Veterans Employment Center, designed to help veterans, active duty members, and spouses create resumes and connect with outside employers and training resources
• Learn How to Become has published more resources in their Veterans' Guide to Getting Hired