9 Reasons United Rentals Is the Perfect Next Step After Your Military Career

In 2021, five organizations recognized United Rentals as a leading employer of veterans for its commitment to recruiting, hiring and training veterans and supporting their career development. Almost 10% of the employees at United Rentals come from a military background. Because United Rentals appreciates the skills, values and discipline these employees bring to the table, it would like to see that percentage rise even higher.

What makes a career at United Rentals such a good fit for former (and current) service members? Here’s what a handful of these employees have to say.

The camaraderie is similar

“The camaraderie can be very similar to the camaraderie you remember from the military,” said Nick Kahler, District Manager for West District Fluid Solutions. “Vets rally around working hard together, and so do folks in the equipment rental industry.”

“When I picked United Rentals to hire me, I was looking for a great employer who was military friendly, and that’s what I got,” said Kelly French, Talent Acquisition Program Specialist. “We have this kinship because we’ve all been to the sandbox in desert.”

Our values align with yours

United Rentals employees do whatever it takes to get the job done. “The military is a band of problem solvers, and United Rentals is too,” said Kahler.

In addition to upholding a strong work ethic, the company is committed to serving others with dignity and respect, and to strong leadership, teamwork, discipline, and diversity.

Teamwork and dedication are on full display when disaster strikes and members of United Rentals’ Emergency Response Team (ERT) rush in to help. ERT volunteers take care of customers and employees after an event such as a hurricane, tornado, earthquake or fire, delivering generators, pumps, heavy equipment and relief supplies.

“It almost makes me feel like I’m back in the field,” said Shamera “Sparks” Pratt, an Outside Sales Representative based in Tampa, Florida, who served two tours in Afghanistan and three in Iraq.

Ryan Chinn, a service technician in Wilmington, North Carolina, remarked on the teamwork among his ERT group during one disaster. “The only other time I’ve seen a group of people that barely know each other come together like this was from my time in the military.”

You’ll use the skills you developed

The technical and leadership skills learned in the military lend themselves to a variety of career paths at United Rentals.

Andrew Chesnut knew how to weld on high-pressure piping as a mechanic in the Air Force, where he tended to destroyers. Today he tends to equipment as a yard foreman and Service Tech IV at a United Rentals branch in San Francisco.

“In the Air Force, you go out there with what you’ve got and you get that ship or that equipment running again so they can continue the mission, and that carries over here at United Rentals,” said Chesnut. “You’re getting people the equipment they need and keeping it running, whether you're hands-on or you’re in sales or inventory.”

You’ll never be bored

At United Rentals, “lots of things have clear procedures and processes, like in the military,” French said. But no two days are the same.

Chesnut described his job: “One day I'm in the shop doing repairs on the equipment, the next day I’m driving to a different part of the state to deliver a key piece of equipment, and the next day I’m on a jobsite setting up a filtration system. If you're used to trouncing around in the mud doing a lot of hands-on stuff, it’s an easy transfer.”

In terms of the work itself, he added, “There’s always a new challenge waiting for you, things to learn from and pass on to the next person.”

We offer training and support

United Rentals’ Service to Employment Program (STEP), provided in conjunction with Workforce Opportunity Services, consists of ten weeks of in-class and hands-on training to help veterans transition to civilian working life and discover what it’s like to work at United Rentals. Pratt joined United Rentals through STEP and has never looked back.

Once employed at the company, veterans benefit from Veterans United, an employee resource group (ERG). “It’s committed to effective job placement, easing the military-to-civilian job transition and fostering the career development of all our current and former service members and their spouses,” said Samantha Harmon, Parts Manager on the Corporate Service and Maintenance Team and the volunteer head of the ERG, which not only supports employees but enables them to support each other.

Pratt noted, “With the ERG, we have that option to connect with other veterans in other places when we're having a hard time. They can provide their outlook on a situation.”

There’s room to grow

United Rentals offers the ability to move up into management positions for those who want to do more.

“We have Staff Sergeants that are now Regional Vice Presidents,” said French. “There’s no end to the job progression, very much like it was in military. The goal is to learn the job of the person above you so you can progress and grow.”

As Chesnut put it, “You can go as far as your ambition takes you.”

You can work both inside and outside

Most veterans are used to being in the field, not sitting at a desk every day. Many jobs at United Rentals involve time away from the office, whether it’s time spent visiting a customer site or delivering and installing equipment.

“You can move from a shop out into the field, which is similar to a deployment. I call it ‘office shoes and dirty boots,’” said French.

You can choose where to live

United Rentals has branches in 49 states and ten Canadian provinces.

“With United Rentals, you can work a long, fulfilling career in one location or seek opportunities in other places that you decide to live, not simply go where you’re ordered to go,” said Kahler.

Our employees give back

United Rentals employees support veterans and others through fundraising events and days of service.

Pratt was a driver in the Army when she saved her Command Sargent Major’s life during an ambush by treating his wounds using what she had — parts of her uniform and an office stapler — and she continues to help others in multiple ways. For example, she makes sure fellow veteran employees receive “veterans packages” full of goodies, contributes to the company’s compassion fund and volunteers for Fisher House Foundation, which provides free, comfortable housing for families while their service member or veteran receives medical treatment nearby.

“When you’ve seen so much bad,” said Pratt, “you give so much good of yourself because you know that somebody out there is having a worse day than you.”

Search for jobs at United Rentals by using our Military Skills Translator Tool, an easy-to-use job search engine that filters results by military title, position title and location.

Marianne Wait is an editor and writer who creates content for Fortune 500 companies.