Will being a “protected veteran” give me a leg up on getting a job?

If you’ve been job hunting over the last two years or so, you’ll no doubt have come across the questions near the end of an application asking you if you’re a protected veteran or not. Does it matter if you put yes, no, or I don’t want to answer? Maybe.

Via an application I was looking at.

You’ll easily recognize this screenshot if you’ve been putting in resumes in the last several years. It’s one of the last questions you’re asked if the company you’re applying for does any business with the U.S. Government. However, I was recently asked a very pointed question when it came to filling out the answer, “Does filling this out correctly guarantee me a job as a veteran?” Sorry, but no.

That said, it’s still essential to fill it out, especially if you fall into the protected veteran status. Doing so can still mean the difference between getting (and keeping) a new job.

As mentioned above, this question is required if the subject company does business with the government. In short, the Federal Government wants to be sure that a company they’re doing business with isn’t discriminating against veterans in their hiring, retention, or firing practices. While…