Military to civilian transition: interview tips?

A lot of former military get hung up when the interviewer asks a bad or awkward question. For example, "how many people in your unit were killed" or "How many war crimes did you see?" Below are some examples how to respond. They key point is to sell your value and not answer the question directly.

The biggest point for military veterans when poised with an awkward question is to not answer it directly. A military veteran has to constantly promote and demonstrate with examples how they can create greater value for the organization, the organization's customers, and help improve fellow employees. For example:

INTERVIEWER: Well, I heard that the roads were dangerous! What's it like to shoot machine guns when you probably hit innocent people? Did that bother you?

MILITARY VETERAN RESPONSE: The situations were almost always dangerous, but we developed several standard procedures to help minimize the danger. One of my responsibilities was to make sure each resupply convoy was fully utilized. One of the ways we did this was to make sure we developed a standard process for military organizations we were supplying to order and forecast supplies in this way were were able to ensure each vehicle on the convoy carried a maximum load of essential supplies. In this way, even if a unit had not already asked for an item, we anticipated their needs so we could help reduce the need for a follow up resupply convoy. The results of this ordering and forecasting process were a reduction in the total number of convoy's by 15% but an increase in the tons shipped by 10%. Even in a dangerous environment, we hauled more tons to our "customers" and exposed fewer military personnel to danger. My experience in inventory management, forecasting, and on-line ordering systems will be invaluable to this position. The danger that I was exposed to will provide a great leadership base as I develop and train new employees so they can be the best they can be in front of customers.

The key response for veterans is to: (1) use the STAR format: Situation, Task, Actions, and Results; (2) create a story that demonstrates the value you will bring to the company, (3) show how your military skills translate and apply to the company and industry that you will work, and (4) how military leadership creates a foundation for successful corporate leadership.

Veterans will lose any discussion where they directly answer a "dumb" question: For example,

Interviwer Question1: How Many people did you kill?

Vet Response 1: I did not kill anyone.

Interviewer Question 2: Didn't kill anyone? Were you a failure? Why were you there then?

The proper veteran response is to ALWAYS sell your value with easy to understand, simple, and solid examples that demonstrate how you will create value for the firm

There are several things transitioning service members can do to help out when interviewing for jobs; these are some that I practiced.

Do you think this will work only after you receive an interview? Do you think that we as military are sometimes passed over for interviews because our of background?

#1 Interviewers are always measuring your ability to integrate into the work force of their company. You have to look, speak, act and be the part. In the military you are placed and receive orders. Very rarely do you interview for a job. You have to deal with the people you work with and those with you. Not so in corporate america. We pick who we work with. Can you influence people and build concensus?

#2 Describe your ability to build consensus between labor and management on organizational initiatives at whatever level you were at. Translated: your ability to lead enlisted and influence officers.

#3 Be willing to learn, be willing to move and be able to articulate what you want to do. Many servicemen (me included) cannot articulate what they want to do when they get out, especially if you were in the combat arms. I know, I had that issue for awhile. Nothing could measure up to being a platoon commander or company commander. Where in the civilian world do you get that type of life? The answer is there is no direct job lime it. But you have to ask yourself can I be happy in life doing job XYZ for 40+ hours a week. Eventually you will find your niche as I have and you will grow to love your job. The great thing is, if you do not like it, then MOVE! I have had 3 different jobs before I landed on where I am happy.

As someone who has interviewed those transitioning, my only advice is to not come off cocky, a little humility can pay off. You don't know everything and what you don't know you are willing to learn. I hated interviewing the "I know everything" people trying to get on my mod team.

When I switched career paths, as an interviewee, it worked perfectly well for me to land the position without a college education as a self taught software developer by being prepared and confident with a mix of "I don't know at this time. However, I will research it after the interview." When they call you back for the second interview, they will ask you again, just to see if you had the integrity to follow through with that personal commitment.

One of the big things is thinking ahead of time about how to convert military speak into something plain language that conveys your talents to a civilian employer. Because we in the military talk in acronyms so frequently, it becomes very easy in our closed environment to forget that the rest of the world doesn't talk that way. Much of what we learn in the military particularly in some of the more technical fields translates easily into the civilian market, but unless properly communicated doesn't get a second or third look by recruiters or HR folks.

Another thing we too often overlook is simple leadership skills. If the US military has a hallmark and universal trait, it is that everybody is expected to take initiative and lead from the front. Being able to demonstrate the capacity to make things happen gets people's attention. It shows that you're an impact player who can get things done.

Inc.com always has great (short) articles. This is a great one from the interviewers perspective.
http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/8-crucial-things-interviewers-never-tell-job-candidates.html?cid=sf01002

The online ACAP and TGPS courses available to all Service Members and Veterans on JKO are great reference courses for those that want to ensure they're reading tried and proven information. It includes an interview preparation course that's very helpful and builds on the information you should've received within an ACAP workshop.

The challenge I find when I speak with veterans at a job fair I ask what is it that you want to do post military?

I want to do anything........okay where do you want to work? I want to work anywhere I will go where the job is. Unfortunately you have you come with a zeroed plan like in BRM..... you are not battlesight zero if you do not achieve five out of six rounds in two consecutive shot groups within the 4-centimeter circle.

So you have to help the recruiter help you. I usually use this as a teaching moment not telling the Service member that I am prior service. I say if you are looking for anything and anywhere.....go down to the broom closet get out the broom and start sweeping this room. You have a job and a location locally. I then reveal that I am prior military and that they have to come to the table with a plan. It is the same language believe it or not between military and civilian just a slightly different dialect. So you have to learn the dialect.

Remember the military is a business and I will explain how an infantryman is a business man. You may be deployed and your mission for the squad is to go in an occupy a village a 1k grid coordinate. You go in a gain 100% of the market share. Remember the enemy has some say in the process so they come in a take 20% of your market share.

Now you have to figure out how you to gain your market share back so you go to the G-2 to get some intel to see what trends are the enemy attacking, is it the morning, the evenings, what tactics or marketing campaign are they using to promote fear in your AO. So after an analysis of the situation you devise a plan of attack to go on the offensive to regain your market share. This is just one example of communicating your transferrable skills. And you notice I did not talk about how many doors I kicked in, how many bad guys killed. Hopefully you get the point. This can be done to any role in the military.

Dylan