Employers show openness to veterans

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NEW YORK, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- A nationwide survey found that U.S. veterans would find a receptive response to their job search when military service ends.

In a poll of 2,800 managers hiring for public and private positions, Harris Interactive said one-in-five employers indicated they are specifically looking for U.S. veterans to fill jobs.

In addition, 14 percent indicated they were actively recruiting members of the National Guard, the survey sponsored by CareerBuilder found.

CareerBuilder North America President Brent Rasmussen said veterans leaving military service for the past decade face higher than average unemployment rates.

"After fighting for their country, they come home fighting for jobs," Rasmussen said in a statement.

CareerBuilder suggested veterans looking for work learn and articulate how to their military skills transfer over to the workforce. "For example, if you served in the infantry, there are a lot of relatable skills for police or security guard positions or for training roles within organizations," CareerBuilder said.

Thirty-six percent of employers in the Aug. 16 to Sept. 8 survey indicated they were interested in recruiting veterans to fill information technology jobs. Twenty-eight percent indicated they were looking to fill customer service positions.

A quarter of the employers indicated engineering jobs in their firms were suitable for veterans and 22 percent expected to fill sales jobs with ex-military personnel.

The survey carried a margin of error of plus and minus 1.8 percentage points.