Salary and Career News Round Up: Memorial Day Edition

Today's Memorial Day edition of salary trends, career stories and job news focuses on military veterans.

For many, today is marked by BBQ, beer and fanfare; for others, though, it's a somber day for reflection and reverence. My dad, a Vietnam veteran, always reminded me of the significance of Memorial Day growing up, and if I was lucky, he'd sometimes tell stories about the happier memories he shared with fallen comrades. I have a half-dozen close friends currently serving overseas and a half-dozen more who have returned from a tour of duty in the last year. I'm proud to honor and remember all of their sacrifices today.

• Over 220,000 veterans of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are currently looking for work, and this infographic details the growing ranks of vets who are finding employment in the tech sector. Employers like J.P. Morgan Chase, Verizon, Google, Southwest Airlines and Home Depot are answering the call of the Obama administration to hire 100,000 veterans within the next two years. Some of the fastest-growing job titles include IT consultant, systems analyst, network administrator and network engineer.
• Want to hire a veteran? Focus on their skill sets rather than mere marketing or emotional benefits. Veterans are loyal, goal-oriented, excellent at working in groups, and easy to train. Understand veterans' expectations of their work environment to create an even better fit.
• What are some of the best-paying jobs for veterans besides the tech sector? The BLS projects growth and increased pay for management consultants, FBI agents, intelligence analysts, firemen and business development managers.
• The American Jobs Act signed on November 21, 2011 gives employers financial incentives to hire veterans. On the one-year anniversary of launching the Joining Forces program, Michelle Obama and Stephen Colbert celebrated the initiative by training a Marine to become a political pundit.
• General Electric has announced plans to hire 5,000 military veterans in the next five years. GE currently employs some 10,000 veterans; many of the new jobs will likely be in aviation manufacturing, research and development.

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(Photo credit: The U.S. Army/Flickr)