The NYC Department of Veterans' Services (DVS) empowers New York City's veteran community to foster purpose-driven lives. Central to this mission is our commitment to serving veterans who are looking for meaningful employment and opportunities to advance economically. DVS ensures that transitioning veterans receive access to the resources they need to start a new career in NYC.
Connect to employment services by filling out the VetConnectNYC form and selecting "Employment" as your preferred service:
See below for veteran-specific job boards, vocational training programs, career fair listings, professional mentorship opportunities, and other employment resources:
Click a topic, or press the enter key on a topic, to reveal its answer.
Civil Service Exam Information for Veterans
NYC Civil Service Exams: DVS has collaborated with the NYC Department Citywide Administrative Services to make it easier for Veterans and Veteran spouses to join the ranks of the City's workforce. Veterans thinking about becoming a New York City firefighter, police officer, or any other municipal worker can now take every civil service exam for free! And Veteran spouses will be entitled to a one-time waiver of the application fee required to apply for the City of New York's civil service examinations! Those who qualify and are interested can register for the City of New York's civil service examinations through its Online Application System (OASys). Certain exams are offered online and others are offered in-person. The City’s Computer-based Testing and Application Centers (CTACs), available in all five boroughs, are available to register for exams and to take certain exams. To learn more about careers in city government and upcoming civil service exams, visit nyc.gov/dcas.
NYS State Civil Service Exams: Veterans who have used non-disabled veteran credits for a Civil Service appointment or promotion and who were/are subsequently certified as being disabled veterans by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs are eligible for additional credits on subsequent appointments or promotion. Such candidates shall be entitled to 10 additional credits on civil service examinations, minus the number of credits already used for the prior appointment. Learn more about NYS Civil Service Exams.
Criteria for veteran credits or additional veterans credit go to veterans who:
Show proof of an honorable discharge and/or
Used non-disabled veterans credits to obtain a civil service appointment or promotion with New York State or a local government; and
Subsequent appointments are determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to be a qualified disabled veteran, as defined in the New York State Civil Service Law
NYC Civil Service Exam Waiver for Veteran Spouses
NYC Civil Service Exams: DVS has collaborated with the NYC Department Citywide Administrative Services to make it easier for Veteran spouses to join the ranks of the City's workforce. Veteran spouses will be entitled to a one-time waiver of the application fee required to apply for the City of New York's civil service examinations! Those who qualify and are interested can register for the City of New York's civil service examinations through its Online Application System (OASys). Certain exams are offered online and others are offered in-person. The City’s Computer-based Testing and Application Centers (CTACs), available in all five boroughs, are available to register for exams and to take certain exams. To learn more about this one-time exam waiver fee policy extension to Veteran spouses, check out the press release.
DOD COOL
Department of Defense (DOD) Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) is the result of extensive inter-Service collaboration to facilitate credentialing of Service members. All Services recognize the important role that occupational credentials can play in professionalizing the Force and in enhancing the Service member’s ability to transition to the civilian workforce upon completion of military service. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard each have their own Service-specific COOL programs designed to match military occupations to civilian credentials (occupational certifications, licenses, and apprenticeships) and provide resources to help Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen attain these credentials. The Services disseminate this information on their own COOL websites. DOD COOL is the umbrella site providing a single point of access to the Services’ COOL websites.
In addition, DOD COOL includes the following features:
DOD Civilian COOL — Built from the same mold as its sister sites, DOD Civilian COOL helps federal civilian employees find detailed information on certifications and licenses related to their federal jobs. They can also use DOD Civilian COOL to get background information on credentialing and related topics.
Military Occupations Explorer — Learn how military occupations related to each other among the military branches, to civilian occupations and to civilian credentials.
Edge4Vets
Edge4Vets is a job preparation program at Fordham University's Human Resiliency Institute that teaches Veterans to identify skills from their military career and use them to attain civilian jobs.
Edge4Vets General Program The regular Edge4Vets business program prepares vets for careers in banking/finance, life sciences, insurance, pharma, hospitals and health care, cruise, hospitality, media, urban transportation (such as NJ TRANSIT and KEOLIS ) non-profit and more. The program connects participants to HR reps at their partner companies for job opportunities that can lead to careers. Click Here to register for an Edge4Vets workshop series in NY, MA, and NJ.
Edge4Vets at Airports Edge4Vets will PREPARE and CONNECT you to jobs with airport operators, airlines, aviation service companies (retail, food, and beverage) aviation consulting companies, and many more exciting aviation employers. Click Here to register for an airport workshop.
Employment Support for Veterans with Disabilities
Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E), formerly called Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, offers employment support and independent living services to service members and veterans with disabilities that were caused, or made worse, by their active duty service. Veterans must meet all of the requirements listed below for eligibility:
did not receive a dishonorable discharge, and
have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% from VA
The NYS Veterans with Disabilities Employment Program (55-c) authorizes 500 positions to be filled with qualified wartime Veterans with disabilities. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications for the position but are not required to take an examination. A letter of certification of a service-connected disability rating of 10% or higher from the U.S. Veterans Administration (U.S. VA) will be requested. Any veteran who has received the Purple Heart medal or who has a disability rating assigned by the U.S. VA of at least 10 percent is automatically eligible.
If you already have a 55-c Letter of Eligibility (LOE) and would like to use the Recruitment Resource Center as a job seeker, please visit the Civil Service website.
Eligible veterans are not guaranteed state employment and are not placed on a hiring list.
Job Boards
VetConnectPro: DVS launched VetConnectPro, an employment tool designed to help NYC veterans find jobs and advance their careers. The site features a military skills translator, a dashboard with job postings from NYC agencies, information on civil service exams, and more. Check it out at nyc.gov/vetconnectpro.
EmpireVets: EmpireVets is an employment tool for veterans looking for private sector job opportunities across the country.
The VA Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program is designed to assist veterans with service-connected disabilities to obtain suitable employment and/or achieve independent living goals.
NYC Department for the AgingSenior Employment Program has placed New Yorkers over the age of 55 in jobs in data processing, administrative work, customer service, security services, airport services, home care, and more.
Online Video Tutorials: Video training tutorials in various skills including Microsoft, Adobe, HTML, salary negotiation, interviewing skills, business writing.
Career Cruising: Review resume samples, career guides, and professional assessments to discover your transferable skills.
The Spouse Education and Career Opportunity program provides military spouses with resources to create an academic plan, search for scholarships, develop their resumes, and find the right career.
IVMF Onward to Opportunity (O2O) is a free career training program that provides professional certification and employee support services to transitioning veterans and military spouses.
NPower's virtual Tech Fundamentals program is a free 6-month workshop that trains veterans, reservists, and military spouses in careers in technology.
Review Resume Builder's tips to writing a cover letter and resume:
CUNY Upskillingis a curated list of no-cost virtual trainings that will help you get the latest professional skills and knowledge to discover your strengths, give yourself a leg up in your job search and help you shine to prospective employers. In addition, if you are recently unemployed or dislocated, their New York State Department of Labor partnership with Coursera can help you land on your feet.
The Volunteers of Legal Service's (VOLS) Unemployed Workers Project provides free legal advice to low-wage and unemployed workers who are seeking government benefits. If you need support accessing benefits, call the Unemployed Workers Project hotline at 347-521-5720 or fill out the VOLS Unemployed Workers Interest Form.
Work from Home Toolkit
The NYC Mayor's Office of the Chief Technology Officer has developed a toolkit to help New Yorkers make the most of working from home. The advice and tips in this toolkit have been drawn from a variety of sources with expert knowledge in working from home best practices. See the toolkit.