Posted on Jun 11, 2015
What are some initiatives or things Veterans can do, in no particular order to ensure successful transition out of the military?
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What steps should they take?
Posted >1 y ago
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Considerations For Transition
I haven’t seen a posting like this in a while…apologies if I missed something recent, but I thought it might be helpful to put some words down about my observations concerning getting out of the service and trying to find a job.
Now, this is not an exhaustive list but does point to things that I think everyone should look out for and most importantly think about. I list these in chronological order since one thing tends to build on another. Further if you find you’re reading this and already have gotten out, not to worry, start at bullet point two (2) and move on from there.
It’s my hope that others add to this list and it gets past around….good luck:
- [Start early] Start your plans for getting out of the service from one to two years back. Now I know that sounds like a long time, but there are reasons and I’ll note them later on. From whatever point you do start, you have just taken on a very important job. Treat it like a job (one where you’re the boss); it is not a chore, or something that is done only on weekends. Make it your business to be organized and understand what you need and what the outcome should be, because no one else will.
- [Start planning] Think about what you want to do. Note that I don’t include where you want to live since this is often a great disappointment to people who plan on settling in an area, but they can’t find the job they want. Start being a little flexible in your thinking.
- [Financial Planning] I will not go into this in any more detail since there are some real professionals out there and you should be always tracking your money. Suffice it to say, make sure that you have a financial plan that covers everything from gas and food, to lodging and everything in between. Make a list of all your costs, and consider every purchase you make to ensure you’re saving all those pennies when you might need them later.
- [Start studying] Consider whether what you are doing now will help you do the job you want. This is the time to consider if you need additional training/degrees/certificates/certifications/etc. If you feel that a Bachelors or Masters degree is the thing you need then you may want to get it while you’re in the service. Refer to bullet point (1) when you’re considering how much time you’ll need to complete this.
- [Develop Contacts] Consider professional groups or associations that support your job interest and join them now. The key here is to network as most jobs come from references. Many of these have on-line forums and services about training, and job placement. If you’re going back to school, make sure to ask about job placement services.
- [Put things down] It is helpful to keep a journal of your activities while in the service. Briefly write about the jobs you had, what you accomplished, who you worked with and for. I see this as an important step in creating your resume. Again if you’ve not done this then consider doing it now.
- [Start the Resume] Before you spend a dime on having someone take your money to write a resume, do a complete final version yourself. Don’t worry about document formatting; just start writing a chronological account of your experiences.
- [Keep writing] If you need a template, there are a number of available templates on the web that you can use. Speaking of which, include in your web searches any resumes that you can find about your job interests. As I wrote this post I did a quick search with nothing more than “job title resume” and got over 5 million results.
- [Refine and Shape] Writing your own resume, even for an experienced person can be a time consuming and sometimes frustrating exercise. You are in effect, trying to tell a complete stranger not only what you’ve done but what you are capable of doing…it’s this last part that can be a little troubling. But, it is also something that you alone know best how to explain. Again use the notes from “Put things down” and let people read and comment on what you wrote….now would be a good time to set aside any ego and be prepared to rewrite several times. If the Transition office offers resume writing classes or services take advantage of them. Let them review what you wrote. In the end you’ll have a better resume. Believe me when I say I didn’t like doing it either, but it does get easier over time…keep at it.
- [More than two pages] I have both read this and heard this from many so called “professional resume writers” and job placement experts, that a person’s resume should only be one to two pages long. This is BS! Having been a hiring manager for many years I can tell you I want to see it all. Further, since most resumes are OCR scanned and word searches done against those files it is in your best interest to have a complete work history which answers the questions I discussed in “Refine and shape”. This is not to say you must write more than one or two pages, but if your career spans more than five years I suspect you have something to say…and you should say it.
- [Good impressions] When you get that first interview, you want to make a good impression. Bring at least three copies of your resume (someone will forget to bring their copy), and wear a good suit. Remember, you may have to go through multiple interviews with different people. Many of them will have all the respect in the world for someone who has served, but that doesn’t mean they will understand why you don’t have at least one good fitting...yes tailored suite. Spend the money on this one. Now-a-days you don’t have to spend a fortune on a suit, white shirt, simple tie, and a black pair of shoes. Here’s the trick, being able to wear the suit all day long, look professional as if you belonged in that work environment and feel comfortable.
- [Answer questions] Be prepared with knowing how to answer the following questions: Why did you pick this Company; what do plan on doing in the next 5 years; what are you going to bring to this Company; what are your measures of success? These are all probing questions that not only tell the interviewer about what you know but more importantly how you answer questions.
- [Ask questions] Do not leave an interview without asking some questions of your own. They can give you the same type of information as those asked of you about who is on this team and how the office is run, so consider: How long has this team been active; did you start at your present position; are you the team lead [who will be the team lead]? Any one of these questions can and may very well be answered through the small talk at the beginning of the interview, so improvisation is the key.
- [Take notes later] Don’t take notes during the meeting. You’re having a conversation and are expected to remember what is being said and who you meet, so remember to always ask for a business card. After the interview find a quiet place where you can write down everything that happened. Describe who you met said and what they do, relative to your position. You might have just met a program manager from another team who is also looking for someone with your qualifications or maybe they’re just standing in for someone else. Most importantly, write down what they asked you. This will tell you about their priorities. Later that same day write each person a note. Now there are two schools of thought on this. You can write a personal letter to each person or you can write an email msg. The letter is sure to get their attention but if your handwriting is like mine then someone needs to write it for you. On the other hand the email is faster, but it also may not be read, remember these people do have day jobs.
- [Repeat] Now that you have the rudimentary steps down it’s a matter of perseverance. You might try calling back to the Human Resource person of your last interview, but if you don’t get any feedback, move on. Continue to expand on your personal contact list (network, network, network) and don’t hesitate to reach out to people in the field you’re interested in. They above all know what’s going on.
Remember what I wrote in the beginning of this posting. Your new job is now trying to find a job. Treat it like a job; keep a daily and weekly schedule of events and tasks that you have to perform. Take time off during the weekend and relax your mind for next week. Stay connected and listen to what others are saying in the field you’re interested in. Be flexible to changing your plans, you may find that taking a chance with one thing can lead to much bigger and better things.
I haven’t seen a posting like this in a while…apologies if I missed something recent, but I thought it might be helpful to put some words down about my observations concerning getting out of the service and trying to find a job.
Now, this is not an exhaustive list but does point to things that I think everyone should look out for and most importantly think about. I list these in chronological order since one thing tends to build on another. Further if you find you’re reading this and already have gotten out, not to worry, start at bullet point two (2) and move on from there.
It’s my hope that others add to this list and it gets past around….good luck:
- [Start early] Start your plans for getting out of the service from one to two years back. Now I know that sounds like a long time, but there are reasons and I’ll note them later on. From whatever point you do start, you have just taken on a very important job. Treat it like a job (one where you’re the boss); it is not a chore, or something that is done only on weekends. Make it your business to be organized and understand what you need and what the outcome should be, because no one else will.
- [Start planning] Think about what you want to do. Note that I don’t include where you want to live since this is often a great disappointment to people who plan on settling in an area, but they can’t find the job they want. Start being a little flexible in your thinking.
- [Financial Planning] I will not go into this in any more detail since there are some real professionals out there and you should be always tracking your money. Suffice it to say, make sure that you have a financial plan that covers everything from gas and food, to lodging and everything in between. Make a list of all your costs, and consider every purchase you make to ensure you’re saving all those pennies when you might need them later.
- [Start studying] Consider whether what you are doing now will help you do the job you want. This is the time to consider if you need additional training/degrees/certificates/certifications/etc. If you feel that a Bachelors or Masters degree is the thing you need then you may want to get it while you’re in the service. Refer to bullet point (1) when you’re considering how much time you’ll need to complete this.
- [Develop Contacts] Consider professional groups or associations that support your job interest and join them now. The key here is to network as most jobs come from references. Many of these have on-line forums and services about training, and job placement. If you’re going back to school, make sure to ask about job placement services.
- [Put things down] It is helpful to keep a journal of your activities while in the service. Briefly write about the jobs you had, what you accomplished, who you worked with and for. I see this as an important step in creating your resume. Again if you’ve not done this then consider doing it now.
- [Start the Resume] Before you spend a dime on having someone take your money to write a resume, do a complete final version yourself. Don’t worry about document formatting; just start writing a chronological account of your experiences.
- [Keep writing] If you need a template, there are a number of available templates on the web that you can use. Speaking of which, include in your web searches any resumes that you can find about your job interests. As I wrote this post I did a quick search with nothing more than “job title resume” and got over 5 million results.
- [Refine and Shape] Writing your own resume, even for an experienced person can be a time consuming and sometimes frustrating exercise. You are in effect, trying to tell a complete stranger not only what you’ve done but what you are capable of doing…it’s this last part that can be a little troubling. But, it is also something that you alone know best how to explain. Again use the notes from “Put things down” and let people read and comment on what you wrote….now would be a good time to set aside any ego and be prepared to rewrite several times. If the Transition office offers resume writing classes or services take advantage of them. Let them review what you wrote. In the end you’ll have a better resume. Believe me when I say I didn’t like doing it either, but it does get easier over time…keep at it.
- [More than two pages] I have both read this and heard this from many so called “professional resume writers” and job placement experts, that a person’s resume should only be one to two pages long. This is BS! Having been a hiring manager for many years I can tell you I want to see it all. Further, since most resumes are OCR scanned and word searches done against those files it is in your best interest to have a complete work history which answers the questions I discussed in “Refine and shape”. This is not to say you must write more than one or two pages, but if your career spans more than five years I suspect you have something to say…and you should say it.
- [Good impressions] When you get that first interview, you want to make a good impression. Bring at least three copies of your resume (someone will forget to bring their copy), and wear a good suit. Remember, you may have to go through multiple interviews with different people. Many of them will have all the respect in the world for someone who has served, but that doesn’t mean they will understand why you don’t have at least one good fitting...yes tailored suite. Spend the money on this one. Now-a-days you don’t have to spend a fortune on a suit, white shirt, simple tie, and a black pair of shoes. Here’s the trick, being able to wear the suit all day long, look professional as if you belonged in that work environment and feel comfortable.
- [Answer questions] Be prepared with knowing how to answer the following questions: Why did you pick this Company; what do plan on doing in the next 5 years; what are you going to bring to this Company; what are your measures of success? These are all probing questions that not only tell the interviewer about what you know but more importantly how you answer questions.
- [Ask questions] Do not leave an interview without asking some questions of your own. They can give you the same type of information as those asked of you about who is on this team and how the office is run, so consider: How long has this team been active; did you start at your present position; are you the team lead [who will be the team lead]? Any one of these questions can and may very well be answered through the small talk at the beginning of the interview, so improvisation is the key.
- [Take notes later] Don’t take notes during the meeting. You’re having a conversation and are expected to remember what is being said and who you meet, so remember to always ask for a business card. After the interview find a quiet place where you can write down everything that happened. Describe who you met said and what they do, relative to your position. You might have just met a program manager from another team who is also looking for someone with your qualifications or maybe they’re just standing in for someone else. Most importantly, write down what they asked you. This will tell you about their priorities. Later that same day write each person a note. Now there are two schools of thought on this. You can write a personal letter to each person or you can write an email msg. The letter is sure to get their attention but if your handwriting is like mine then someone needs to write it for you. On the other hand the email is faster, but it also may not be read, remember these people do have day jobs.
- [Repeat] Now that you have the rudimentary steps down it’s a matter of perseverance. You might try calling back to the Human Resource person of your last interview, but if you don’t get any feedback, move on. Continue to expand on your personal contact list (network, network, network) and don’t hesitate to reach out to people in the field you’re interested in. They above all know what’s going on.
Remember what I wrote in the beginning of this posting. Your new job is now trying to find a job. Treat it like a job; keep a daily and weekly schedule of events and tasks that you have to perform. Take time off during the weekend and relax your mind for next week. Stay connected and listen to what others are saying in the field you’re interested in. Be flexible to changing your plans, you may find that taking a chance with one thing can lead to much bigger and better things.
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