• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, August 29, 2018

Google has rolled out a series of search tools to help former members of the military to find a job. The "jobs for veterans" search tool allows veterans to enter the military branch code such as MOS or AFSC in which they served to see results for relevant civilian job openings that match their skills.

Google also allows businesses to identify "veteran-owned" or "veteran-led" businesses in Google Maps and mobile search results.

“When I transitioned out of the military in 2014, I asked myself a question that many service members know too well: “What am I going to do next?” wrote Matthew Hudson, program manager for Google Cloud, in a blog post. “For seven years, I had counted on the clear role and security net the military provided.”

He wrote that civilian life for him was unknown and navigating job applications was new. It felt overwhelming.

Hudson, who now works at Google, figured out ways to give back to the veteran community, so he worked on tools and resources for military personnel, their spouses, and veterans' transition to civilian life.

There isn’t a common way to help recruiters match a veteran’s experience with the need for their skills and leadership in civilian jobs, so 1 in 3 veterans of the roughly 250,000 service members who transition out of the military each year end up taking jobs well below their skill level, he explains in the post.

Google also will make this capability available to any employer or job board to use on their own property through its Cloud Talent Solution. Service members can enter their military job codes on any career site using Talent Solution, including FedEx Careers, Encompass Health Careers, Siemens Careers, CareerBuilder and Getting Hired.