Job hunting after Military Service

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  • Published on Wednesday, 10 August 2011 13:04

        Each year hundreds of military service men and women transition to the civilian world. But unlike previous generations, the new generation of veterans will have to face a more challenging economy where jobs are scarce. As a veteran myself, I often get calls from former military buddies asking me about transitioning to the civilian side. The four things I often advise them on are College, Preparation, Networking and their Resumes.
 


College Degree – Military experience is valuable however you cannot rely only on this as you apply for a job. Keep mind that as you apply for a

job, chances are other job applicants have the same military experience as you. More and more professional jobs are requiring a college degree even for the most junior position. Gone are the days when a service member can easily slide in a government job. As budget cuts occur, more and more government jobs become contracted out to companies that employ workers with little or no military experience. Companies that used to value military experience are now hiring overseas to cut costs. So before signing those separation papers, make sure to get as much schooling as you can. College credits or certificates are valuable tools for you to be more competitive.
 
Preparing early – Most would advise to prepare at least a year. I say, the earlier the better off you are. Make sure to have an idea about the job market and the types of jobs available in the location where you will be separating. It is important to research about the qualifications required for the job you are aiming for. The average American was unemployed for nine months, but other experts argue longer as many have dropped out from the unemployment radar as people simply gave up looking for a job. It is always good to be optimistic, however be always prepared for the worse. You will need to have extra funds to cover your living expenses during the job hunt.
 

Networking – One big reason I say the earlier the better is because it takes time gathering references and contacting friends and associates for job leads. It’s also important to take note that allot of times positions advertised have already been filled. Laws require employers to post jobs so it doesn’t always mean all these job postings are available. Usually hiring managers go to trusted associates for recommendations to fill a position and if you were lucky enough to know that associate, you would likely get recommended for an interview and possibly guaranteed a job. The line “it is whom you know” applies very much when you are job hunting. In one of my previous jobs, a friend of a friend of mine knew the hiring manager. I got introduced to him so we had a casual chat about my experiences. I had a new job that very same day.
 

Resume – Don’t wait to write your resume during your TAP class. As early as you can try writing and sending resumes out to build on your networking and improve your resume writing skills. There are all sorts of advices from getting rid of military talk, long resumes, short resumes etc. In my experience I have seen some of these advices go against job hunting. In some instance military lingo is helpful especially if you apply for government contract positions. What it comes down to is you need to be smart in using those resume advices. Most importantly you need to tailor your resume to fit the specific job you are applying for. You cannot always rely on one resume to apply for all the Computer Support jobs that you see. So before sending your resume, try to get as much information about the job and build your resume in a way that it responds to the specific job posting. Human Resources are often swamped with tons of applications. To simplify their selection process, they use keyword searches on resume databases. A skilled resume writer is one that can pick and choose the right keywords for their resume.
 

The transition to civilian life can be challenging, even intimidating to some. But what’s important to keep in mind is to be prepared and not to lose focus during the job hunt.