Former military junior military officers are hired for many reasons that differentiate them from civilian age peers:
- leadership, responsibility and accountability roles from the get-go
- ability to perform well in dynamic, high-pressure situations
- decision-making
- risk analysis and management skills
- strategic planning, goal-setting, program and project management
- gap, root cause, trend analysis
- complex problem-solving and trouble-shooting
- articulate in communications
- work well in teams or as solo contributors
- global experience
- reliability, versatility, adaptability, resilience
- fast learners
- self-starting
- self-disciplined and trustworthy
- work well with all generations
- generally healthy and drug-free
- whatever military specialty experience you have
- active security clearance (big expense for companies if they have to pay for it)
There are JMO placement companies that are on retainer with big companies actively looking for separating JMOs. No cost to the JMO. Example:
recruitmilitary.com
Over the last 30+ years, Orion Talent has matched more than 14,000 Junior Military Officers with careers at leading companies across various industries.
oriontalent.com
www.cameron-brooks.com
There are defense contractors looking for specialty areas, with dedicated hiring portals:
Continue Your Mission with CACI. CACI careers allow veterans to continue their mission by providing meaningful job opportunities.
careers.caci.com
There are the big federal “ABC” agencies and departments who have veteran recruiting programs. Yes, there is turmoil there right now, but it will pass. They need IT/cyber people.
Protect the American people and uphold the Constitution by joining the FBI as a special agent, intelligence analyst, or professional in over 200 career trajectories.
fbijobs.gov
There are also military career transition resource and events:
Corporate Gray connects military veterans with employers through its career transition books, military job fairs, and military to civilian website.
www.corporategray.com
Arlington: April 16-17, 2025 Philadelphia: October 2-3, 2025
militarymojo.org
Founded in 2008, ACP aims to ease the transition from the military to the civilian workforce. ACP is the only nonprofit organization engaged in national corporate career counseling for our returning military.
www.acp-usa.org
(For service academy aspirants reading this, there is also:
https://www.sacc-jobfair.com/ )
Most of all - be completely open to the journey, look left and right at opportunities. Every current or former military member on this forum likely has a story of or knows someone who said, “I’m gonna do my time and bail.” And that person stays for 20 or 30 with a full career. Or, “I know I’m gonna be a lifer,” and they are out at 5 years to the day.
I’m a Navy OCS grad. I wanted to serve, but I also wanted some financial stability, healthcare and other benefits and some job experience so I was employable after my ADSO (active duty service obligation). I fell headlong in Iove with the privilege of working with sailors and stretching myself to grow and learn as a leader, had 4 OCONUS tours, developing that burning in the gut for command and increasingly more complex and difficult roles. Twenty-six years later, I went on to my second career in the corporate world, hired primarily for everything I held in common with other post-command senior officers, and not so much my specialty knowledge.
I’m on my third career now, drawing on all that went before.
For OP, choose the community that appeals to you most. If you like it, you will be more inclined to thrive and be successful, and do well in post-military roles whenever you separate.
