It’s no secret that the veteran unemployment rate is at a historic low of approximately 2.9 percent. For servicemembers who have served during the Global War on Terror, it’s even lower – hovering around 1.7 percent.

So, what does success mean for veteran job seekers when there are more jobs than candidates to fill them? In earlier years, landing any job could be considered success upon transitioning from the military. But in today’s environment, you, as the veteran job seeker (or gainfully employed veteran), have several unique advantages. No, I’m not recommending that you “rest on your laurels” and wait for opportunities to come to you. You are still contending with other well-qualified and motivated candidates. Maintain your competitive mindset.

I am saying that you have options. By understanding the current environment, leveraging your experience, and staying professionally curious, you’ll set yourself up for long-term success in an unprecedented job market.

Understand the Environment

Along with DAV, RecruitMilitary hosts over 140 career fairs each year, and it’s not uncommon for interviews to happen onsite. However, some candidates think that if they were not interviewed, then it was a waste of their time or that the job fair wasn’t a success. This is untrue!

Even in this job market, results aren’t necessarily instantaneous. You may need to recalibrate how you see a “successful” event. For example, one indicator of success at a career fair is being encouraged to apply online. Contrary to popular belief, a recruiter is not brushing you off when they tell you to visit their website and submit an online application. Common human resources practices require that candidates enter the system through an [applicant tracking system (ATS). Consider it the first step in building a relationship – and take it seriously.

Leverage Strategically

Not long ago, transitioning servicemembers and veterans often had a sense of desperation in job hunting. You had to take the best you could get. In this market, you can be selective. In recent years, organizations have been able to quantify the value of hiring military and veteran talent. The data supports the idea that a veteran will most likely outperform their nonmilitary counterpart.

Simply put, now is the time to strategically leverage your military experience and background. Many organizations are willing to compromise on the education and background requirements for certain roles. This could open doors to apply to roles that may have seemed out of reach before. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to pursue higher education or have relatable experience for certain roles, but your military background can help you break through some of those barriers now more than ever.

Success could mean initiating a conversation with a recruiter or hiring manager about your background, your career goals, and how you can contribute to an organization, laying the groundwork for you to apply for roles with set prerequisites, even if you only meet some of the requirements.

If you can strategically place yourself as a valuable candidate for that role with proven successes in leadership, responsibility, and operating in high-pressure situations, the fact that you lack a set number of years in a similar civilian role might not be a deal breaker.

Be Professionally Curious

We were taught in the military that complacency is dangerous. In the job market, it is dangerous as well. Being complacent means you might miss opportunities to grow your career, salary, or general experience.

Train yourself to stay professionally curious. What I mean by that is staying up-to-date on the landscape, understanding your marketability, and knowing what kinds of opportunities are available, both now and in the future.

A big part of professional curiosity is networking and building relationships. This can obviously be done through LinkedIn and online groups, but it can also be accomplished by attending a career fair, even if you’re not actively searching for a new role.

These are great opportunities to take a long lunch break, or even a half-day of PTO, to explore the many career options in your area. If you can’t make it to a physical event, consider attending one of our regional or national virtual career fairs.

In this job market, success is not just getting a job right away. It’s building lasting relationships and having meaningful conversations about professional goals and visions. It’s time to redefine what we think of as success. It might be closer than you think.

For more information about and a complete listing of DAV and RecruitMilitary job fairs please visit jobs.dav.org.

*Chris Newsome is vice president of candidate acquisition at Bradley-Morris and RecruitMilitary, a veteran of the U.S. Army, and DAV lifetime member. He can be reached at [email protected].