Posted on Jan 29, 2018
After leaving the military, do you feel companies truly recognize your worth during their interview process?
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Posted in these groups: Veteran Transition Specialist
My Veteran Community
My Veteran Community
Posted 6 y ago
Responses: 14
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This really comes down to how you present yourself and if you really have worth to that employer. As veterans, we like to believe that our soft skills can get us into any position and that some of our hard skills will translate and make us great applicants, but the truth is that many people think so highly of themselves that they attempt to go with positions that they have no chance in hell of being employed for. People need to start taking a hard look at what they really have to offer an employer and perhaps begin thinking about going after a few certifications or continuing their formal education before applying for some positions. Just because one holds the title of veteran does not make them superman.
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SGT DeMario McIlwain
Point well taken! Thank you for sharing. We're working to make this process of transitioning veterans easier, would love for you to visit our site http://www.getbranddisco.com/veteran --take the demo and provide us with a review as we are pushing hard into the civilian workforce to aid in veterans getting jobs they deserve based on the understanding of their personal brand value.
Introducing BrandDisco, an automated discovery tool designed to make the Veteran recruiting process a simpler, better and faster experience so that top-recruiters can hire Veteran top-talent faster!BrandDisco works by converting military values into civilian worth that can be immediately applied to a number of comparable career choices.
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COL Vincent Stoneking
SGT Joseph Gunderson Very well stated, and the #1 issue I have seen. #2 being horrid, horrid resumes that are unreadable.
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SGT Joseph Gunderson
I have noticed that the inability to create and organize an intelligible resume is not an issue unique to veterans. I have no clue how many resumes I have either written from scratch for people or had to overhaul because they were god awful.
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MAJ Grant Gutkowski
Agreed. When I left the military, I took what effectively amounted to a $35K pay cut (BAH, COLA, etc.). I was horribly upset that I thought I was so undervalued. However, patience is a virtue, and my skillset shone through. After 5 years, I've received 4 pay raises and 3 promotions. Now I'm right back where I was, and am perfectly happy with my employment and employer.
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SGT DeMario McIlwain When I was discharged in June 1972, I went through an extensive series of tests and three interviews for a high paying job at a chemical plant. One of the interviewers was anti military/veterans. He brought up my service in Vietnam and asked if I was stable. I kept my calm and answered his questions without flying off the handle. The other two interviews went fine, and I was hired along with someone with a degree out of 100 applicants interviewed. When I obtained my degree, I started work on the Space Shuttle Program. No mention of my military service was made during the interview process. I had a good resume, was knowledge about the Space Program, and was confident during the interview. Since I was hired for these jobs, they must have recognized someone that could get the job done.
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SGT DeMario McIlwain
Great story! We have developed a tool to make this transition smoother for veterans and HR Recruiters! Would love for you to visit our site http://www.getbranddisco.com/veteran --take the demo and provide us with a review as we are pushing hard into the civilian workforce to aid in veterans getting jobs they deserve based on the understanding of their personal brand value.
Introducing BrandDisco, an automated discovery tool designed to make the Veteran recruiting process a simpler, better and faster experience so that top-recruiters can hire Veteran top-talent faster!BrandDisco works by converting military values into civilian worth that can be immediately applied to a number of comparable career choices.
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SGT DeMario McIlwain When I retired from the Navy in 1990 after 23 years I was recruited by my County Sheriff's Department. One of the steps was to come before an Oral board of deputies of various ranks. They were trying to see if I could hold up to what they saw as issues I would encounter in the job as a Deputy Sheriff. During the interview it became very clear to me, by their questions, that they had no idea what I went through, the training I had, the duties I had acquired and the sacrifices I had to endure. So in short, I do not feel the civilian companies fully understand or are able to value your experiences and worth to them, unless they are all ex-military. As the old saying goes and is para-phrased, Do not judge me until you have walked in my shoes". By the way I got the job and became their boss in the long run. What I did was try to get in their shoes, and talked to them in terms they understood. A civilian will never understand the responsibilities the military put on you, even as a young man! This is just my experiences going from Military to civilian.
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SGT DeMario McIlwain
Thank you for sharing such a powerful story! And congrats on getting the job. I went through something similar but didnt end up with the job..(lol) My end result is Co-Founding a new development to help translate military strengths into corporate terms. We've recently launched our veteran's tool. I would like to invite you to take the demo and please by all means share a review as we are using this information to push into the HR Recruiter market so veterans can have a better chance at not going through what you and I did as prideful soldiers! It takes about 5 mins and we would love to review your results. The website: http://www.getbranddisco.com/veteran (We also will welcome you to a free debriefing and how this tool is being used with some of our clients)
Introducing BrandDisco, an automated discovery tool designed to make the Veteran recruiting process a simpler, better and faster experience so that top-recruiters can hire Veteran top-talent faster!BrandDisco works by converting military values into civilian worth that can be immediately applied to a number of comparable career choices.
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CWO3 Dennis M.
SGT DeMario McIlwain - Thank you for the high five! It sounds like you are well advanced in what you are doing and will do for veterans. I congratulate you on what you are doing. I am not sure that I, as a a veteran that entered the Military over half a century ago, is viable in today's market. I am 70 years old. I retired from the military 38 years ago! I am a dinosaur to say the least. BY the way, I think the company that passed on you made a serious error! Also, the job I got after that oral board was as a part time Deputy Sheriff. Within a year. I was the Chief Deputy of the Department (#2 man under the Sheriff). I held that position for 11 years. I then became the High Sheriff for 7 years, from which job I retired once again and that was in 2008. I will look at the web page, but I will not make any promises. You do not want an old Navy Veteran, knuckle dragging sailor, throwing a wrench in today's modern work force hiring tool! I am ancient history!
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SGT DeMario McIlwain
Thank you very much CWO3 Dennis McClure. We STILL would welcome your advice! 70+ years of experience sounds great to me.
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