Job Search Tips for Returning Service Personnel

I recently read an article quoting the unemployment rate for veterans, as of December 2011, at over 13%. When you stop to consider what a transition from the military to a civilian position requires, you become very aware of the extra layer of job search complexity veterans have to deal with. That’s why I included a chapter in my book, Position Your Next Move for a Successful Job Search, specifically dedicated to Transitioning from Military and Government Service. This chapter lays the foundation to help service personnel successfully navigate the path to a new civilian career.

With this statistic anticipated to grow as more servicemen and women return from active duty, I thought it might be helpful to reiterate the key strategies to make a successful transition. If you are a veteran, I thank you for your service to our country. If you know a veteran dealing with the issues of transition, I invite you to share this article.

Take the Time to Accept the Transition – As a career coach it’s my job to help clients assess when they are prepared and ready to get out in front of employers. That may sound odd, since their goal is to get a job. But the reality is, individuals need time to get mentally prepared for the transition from one employment routine to another. In addition, they need time to get prepared for how to successfully implement their job search strategies.

So, my first words of advice are: take a deep breath, take it one step at a time, and allow yourself the time required to accept the transition. I often find individuals who have been laid off from a job need a few months to build back their confidence and self-esteem. They often struggle psychologically trying to reconcile being cut from their jobs while offering great job performance and results. It takes time for them to heal and realize the layoff was a business decision brought on by others; it was nothing they specifically did wrong. This same mental transition time is required for veterans – transitioning from a rigid routine and perhaps a stressful environment, to one that is less structured and flexible. It takes time to get your mind comfortable with the personal, professional and environmental changes taking place when changing jobs.

Taking the time to be prepared, however, doesn’t mean you’re not working on your job search. You are - you just may not be quite ready for jumping into an interview. Here are a few things you could be working on:

Work on Translation – Employers love to hire veterans. Veterans bring wonderful qualifications that have already been tested. Characteristics such as loyalty, honor, commitment, project management and teamwork, to name a few. What many employers struggle with is their inability to understand military jargon. So one of the first things to work on is to answer the following for each position held while in the service:

Job title:

Years of service in this position: 19xx to 20xx

Why was this position required? What were you responsible for?

List the primary functions you were required to complete in this position:

Describe the results you achieved in this position (quantitative examples):

Beginning to capture your thoughts about the various positions you held during your military career will give you a great start on the information required for your resume.  BUT we’re not ready to create the resume yet. The next step is to translate all the data you put into your write-ups into the language recruiters, employers, and automated resume systems will understand. This is a crucial step. So many individuals think it’s up to the employer to do the translating. Believe me – they won’t. Competition is tight, so each job seeker has to do as much as they can to help the employer realize they are the best candidate for the job. This may be a project someone at your installation’s career assistance office or a networking group can help with, or it may be worth your time and investment to work with a career coach. There are lots of options – use the one that’s right for you.

Branding What You Have to Offer – Here I’m referring to you knowing yourself and what you have to offer an employer. You need to be able to articulate and demonstrate what you stand for – your reputation, credibility, personality, values and style are important parts of your brand.

So consider for a moment that you just got a job selling a great product – and the product is you! What would prospective employers want to know about this product before they "buy" it? Take time to brand yourself; consider answering the following questions. You might also think about working with your career center to explore your preferences through the use of a variety of assessment tools, such as Myers-Briggs, Emotional Intelligence or Herrmann Brain Dominance.

My top five areas of expertise are:

My former managers (sergeants, lieutenants, etc.) would say I excel at:

I can differentiate myself from other candidates because of the following (knowledge, skill, experience, training, education, background, etc.):

In addition to these questions, identify transferrable skills. Review the position write ups you translated from military jargon to job search speak. Ultimately when you understand what you are selling, you’ll be able to create and deliver your 30-second commercial, without military jargon, in a natural and conversational tone.

Image – Once you are comfortable with what you’re going to say about yourself, make sure your image is a match to your words. Get comfortable in civilian business clothes. Transitioning from your uniform to everyday business may take some adjusting to. The first impression you give a prospective employer is often hard to overcome. Make it a good one.

Although tattoos are common in the military, most employers still prefer tattoos to be covered. Until you are familiar with the dress and appearance preferences of an organization, try not to reveal a tattoo during a networking or interview meeting.

And just one more quick comment about image – image is not only what someone sees, but it’s also what they hear, smell, and sense. If you are branding yourself as "reliable" make sure you demonstrate that by returning phone calls and keeping appointments. Your brand should show through all your job search actions.

Resume Preparation – Again, your career assistance center may offer help with resume preparation. If not, I offer some resume help at my website to get you started. The activities you completed in the Working on Translation suggestion above will be very helpful in completing a professional resume; one that civilians can understand. In addition, here’s a link to an article I wrote on preparing a successful resume which can help with the specifics.

In addition to all the things every job seeker needs to think about when preparing a resume, here are a few other tips for veterans:

• Be sure to list the trainings you attended, and link them to a skill set transferrable to a civilian position. Again be on guard to avoid military jargon. Take credit for everything you did and position it so the resume reviewer can quickly understand how that training and professional development relates to the job you are seeking.
• Be sure to articulate the hours worked per week as you describe your responsibilities. This will help hiring managers align your experiences with their expectations of the depth and breadth of the function requirements.
• As noted earlier, – use as many quantitative examples as you can – how many people reported to you, the cost savings your achieved through a specific initiative, etc.
• One last point, make sure you list your clearances. Although these may not be required in the private sector, they speak volumes about trustworthiness, honesty, and ability to pass their internal background screening process.

Networking – Although you may be tempted to sit at your computer and look for jobs on line, please be aware that until the economy is a bit more robust, the actual "open" positions on the internet will be limited. More than likely what you may find on line is a posting by a recruiter to source resumes to add to a database; there really is not a job at this time.

The quickest way to find job leads is to network. Join groups in your community and at the installation career center. Talking to people you know, and people they know allows you the opportunity to present yourself and your credentials while making an impression about what you have to offer. Don’t overlook tapping into groups that are specifically focused on hiring vets such as Veterans Green Jobs.

Interviewing – Navigating through the process noted in this article will provide many opportunities to practice talking about yourself; your skills, experiences and passions. Take the time to also practice interviewing. There are many interview questions available on line, as well as in books available at the library. Be sure to understand and be prepared to properly answer "behavioral interview" questions. This is a style of interviewing very popular in the private sector and requires preparing answers to question that sound like, "Tell me about a time when ____________." Remember, practice leads to predictable performance!

Job search is challenging for everyone. For returning veterans there are a few more points to be considered – but it’s not impossible to get the job you’re after. For information on seeking a government job, please reference Working For Uncle Sam, an article I posted last year.

I welcome your comments to my post. Please click below. If you found this article to be interesting and helpful I’m very happy for you to pass it along.

This article was written for you by Deborah A. King, SPHR, CEO and Career Coach with Evolution Management, Inc. Debbie and her team can help individuals and organizations navigate the challenging journey of change.  Contact us for more information:  www.evolutionmgt.com; 770.587.9032.

Q&A

It appears my organization is going to merge once again. I survived the last two mergers, but I’m getting nervous. Is there anything I can do to position myself to hang on to my job?
Terry

Check out Dear Jobseeker for my answer to Terry's question.