Sometimes we choose our career paths, and sometimes they are chosen for us.

Just ask Jim Finley, field operations manager for veterans employment programs in Minnesota's Department of Employment and Economic Development. If you think that title is a mouthful, consider that he started on this career path with a shorter one: grunt.

An Army veteran of the Vietnam War era, Finley began his career by signing up for unemployment benefits after his discharge.

Not long after, he received a call from the unemployment office, offering a position within its ranks, as a vets rep — basically, a job-search counselor serving veterans.

When Finley tried to demur — uncertain whether he was a good fit for the work — the voice on the other end of the line kindly explained that turning down a job offer would result in the loss of his unemployment benefits. Oh.

There have been other stops on the path to his current position, but the hook was set with that first job.

As Finley says: "I love this. I love working for the state, and I love working for vets."

Even so, he notes, one thing does wake him up at night and haunts every service provider helping veterans: that someone out there doesn't know how much help is available to vets and their families.

While Finley's work involves Minnesotans, he speaks for veterans programs across the nation when he says, "We worry constantly about getting the word out."

When it comes to job-search and employment services, there are quite a few resources.

In addition to meeting with vets reps at work force centers throughout the country, veterans can access job assistance through special private and government initiatives.

For example, 12 states (Georgia is not among them) are using funds from the Department of Labor's Veterans' Workforce Investment Program to help vets train for and find jobs.

(For a list of grants, go to www.dol.gov/vets and select "What grants are available?" in the left column.)

Another initiative, announced last week by U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, is the 25-day, nationwide blitz of job fairs aimed at connecting veterans with job openings in their communities.

More than 100 events will be held immediately before and after Veterans Day (Nov. 11); for a complete list of locations and dates, go to www.hirevetsfirst.gov.

It's hard not to ask: Is all this activity for real, or is it just good public relations?

As a veteran, Finley understands the skepticism people feel toward government programs. But this is for real, he says, and the initiatives are designed to "go beyond the rhetoric" to get veterans into jobs.

For one thing, employers need these workers. Finley cites several benefits of hiring veterans.

First, veterans are deeply trained. Most military training is not about weaponry, Finley says, but about areas such as information technology, logistics planning, supervision and teamwork — all of which are of prime importance to civilian employers.

Finley also notes that as many as half of military positions correspond directly to licenses or certifications held by workers in the civilian work force.

Veterans are also work-ready, with high personal standards of discipline, punctuality and self-management. In addition, employers who hire vets may be eligible for tax credits or other financial benefits.

With all those advantages, why do veterans need any assistance in finding jobs?

In a word: communication.

"We continue to hear from vets and employers about the difficulty in translating skills and communicating those skills," Finley says.

In other words, it's not easy for either party to figure out what the other one is saying when it comes to matching a veteran's job skills with an employer's needs.

I'll pick up that thread next week, with a column on translating and transferring skills.

GEORGIA JOB FAIRS FOR VETERANS

• When: Nov. 7-8, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Where: VFW Post 665, 1814 Victory Drive, Columbus

• Contact: Walt Pollock, 706-649-7423

• When: Nov. 8, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Where: Georgia International Convention Center, Atlanta

• Contact: Larry Slagel, 513-683-5020

Source: HireVetsFirst.gov

- Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecaree rservice.com or at 1071 W. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55102.