The method behind the madness:

• A lot of interviewers open with it as an icebreaker or because they’re still getting organized, but they all use it to get a sense what you think is important.
• Many interviewers want to see how articulate and confident you are to determine what type of impression you would make on the people with whom you would come into contact on the job. 

The wrong response:

• DO NOT, under any circumstances, ask, “What do you want to know?” This tells the interviewer that you are unprepared for the interview and, potentially, the job. Have a plan and rehearse it.
• Avoid rambling, recapping your life story, or digging into ancient work history or personal matters. Understand that, as harsh as this may sound, the interviewer really doesn’t want to know about you as a person. Not yet anyway.

The correct response:

• The interviewer wants to know that you can do the job, fit into the team, are ambitious and accomplished in your prior positions, and how can you help their organization. Start with your most recent experience and explain why you are well qualified for the position. Sell what the buyer is buying.
• Hiring managers don’t want to look unprepared by reading your military resume in front of you, so provide them some topics to ask you about. Properly answered, this question can put you in the driver’s seat and steer the interview in a positive direction.
• Be brief – offer two or three interesting things that may be useful to the interviewer. Your answer should take about one minute.

Rather than dread this question, embrace it. Prepare an answer and practice it. With a well-planned strategy, it allows you to set the tone for the rest of the interview, setting you up to answer the questions you most want to answer.

Hanson offers funny, real-life responses heard by various hiring managers from around the country, such as “brownies“ and “I am bipolar.” If your military resume is good enough to land you an interview, do yourself a favor and prepare to discuss your weaknesses well in advance to avoid on-the-spot answers like the aforementioned. Practice your response by running it by your friends and family and solicit their gut reactions.

One popular method of overcoming the “most dreaded” interview question is to flip a weakness into a strength. However, as Hanson explains, there is a tendency to over do it when using this method. “I am so well-loved around the workplace that it is hard to get honest feedback and constructive criticism from my coworkers” is likely to illicit a silent groan from a seasoned interviewer. A better approach is to pick a weakness that won’t obstruct your job performance (for example, fear of public speaking might work for an accountant but not for a teacher) and then describe the steps that you have taken to recognize and overcome your challenge. Your goal should be to demonstrate self-reflection, innovation, and problem-solving skills.

Based on my experience at www.MilitaryResumes.com, working with hundreds of transitioning military job seekers and writing a military resume for them, I’ve noticed that military job seekers are generally modest. If talking about your accomplishments makes you just as uncomfortable as discussing your weaknesses, prepare a response to the interview question: “What’s your biggest strength?” Anticipating key interview questions and preparing accordingly can go a long way in helping you to land your next job.

Consider the benefits:

• Volunteering looks great on a military resume. It compensates for gaps in your work history while you are transitioning from the military into a civilian career. It shows potential employers passion for work without regards to reward and diversifies and expands your experience beyond the military. It also shows initiative in that you have not been idle during the military job search process.
• Volunteering increases networking contacts. It allows you to put in face time with community leaders – people who have the contacts you are seeking and who may be willing to recommend you or have the power to employ you themselves.
• Volunteering is excellent for self-esteem. The military to civilian job search can be emotionally and mentally taxing. Volunteering makes you feel connected and appreciated. Military job seekers with high self-esteem tend to market themselves more effectively and interview well.
• Volunteering can also help you determine if you’re seeking employment in the right field. Many transitioning military job seekers have a difficult time finding their niche outside of the armed services. Volunteering can give you enough exposure to a line of work to help you make the right career decisions.

Select volunteer activities you’ll enjoy. www.volunteermatch.org is a great website that allows you to search for volunteer opportunities by keyword (e.g. mentoring, veterans, environment, etc.) or location. Think outside of the box! Offer to assist non-profits with projects such as designing brochures, organizing fundraisers, or building a website. List this experience on your military resume in a creative way. (For professional military resume writing services, visit www.MilitaryResumes.com.) Then at your next interview, show off samples of your work being used in the real-world.

The more you volunteer, the more people you’ll bring into your networking circle. Just be sure to do enough quality work for each organization so they get to know you, and that you are gaining knowledge from the experience. Solicit feedback from the organization you’re volunteering with about your job-search process. And let people at all levels within the organization know you’re looking for full-time work. You never know who will have the contact you need to land a job.

Use volunteering to establish credentials, gain real-world experience, and broaden your circle of contacts. Studies have shown that volunteering can be a direct route to employment, so add this profitable tool to your military to civilian job search strategy kit.

“The problem is that acting with military bearing during an interview is that it can be interpreted by the untrained eye as a tendency to be “overly robotic” or “personality-less.”  To someone who hasn’t served, this type of behavior can often be judged incorrectly.  The paradox is that the Service Member may be exhibiting the highest level of respect for the interviewer, however the interviewer may perceive this as being disrespectful or “guarded”, “stoic”, or “as if they are hiding something.”

Justin Henderson, an Account Executive (and a former Marine) at Bradley-Morris, Inc., a leading military-to-civilian placement firm, responded with some great advice for military-experienced job seekers on how to properly adjust their military bearing during interviews.  I’m posting his response in full here:

“Thanks for your post. I find this article very interesting as I am also a former Marine, and I currently assist transitioning veterans who are seeking new careers throughout Corporate America. We at Bradley-Morris, Inc. help introduce employers to the military-experienced talent pool via our recruiting services, and in the process, we offer veterans free assistance with military resume writing, company research, and interviewing techniques.

The main interviewing advice we give to military job seekers is 1.) Translate your experience into civilian terms and 2.) Stay away from military jargon (whether writing your resume or during the interview). Related to this, I also have faith that your military training has taught you when to put on your Drill Instructor Cap and when to relax and be more open. As such, we remind military job seekers to adjust to the demeanor of the interviewer, and/or the position. Some companies prefer to recruit level-headed individuals. Production companies, for instance, want someone who can stay focused during the demanding process-oriented environment in a production facility. On the other hand, candidates for sales roles must adjust their “bearing” to highlight their personality and people-skills.

In short, if you stay away from the “yes sir”s and “no sir”s after every statement, and customize your delivery for the specific position, you will do well. Above all, relax and be cognizant of who is interviewing you.

I’ve helped hundreds of civilian companies recruit military candidates for their civilian positions and have rarely if ever heard a negative comment regarding our candidates’ military bearing.

Thanks again for bringing always appreciated attention to the value of military job seekers in Corporate America!”

Semper Fi,
Justin”

If military bearing has been an effective tool in interviewing or a detriment to your career search, let me know via email or leave a comment.

What would you do if you were asked, “What is your service connected disability?” or “Which religion do you practice?” After the initial shock wears of, you might wonder why it matters. Should you answer for amicability’s sake or refuse to answer based on legality? According to Military.com, if you find yourself in this scenario, here are three ways to handle this situation:

1. Answer – If you choose to answer, be succinct and clear.
2. Refuse to Answer – Explain that you don’t feel comfortable answering the question. Avoid using the word “illegal” as it might escalate the friction.
3. Tactfully Sidestep –
   • Personal life, you might respond with, “I prefer to keep personal and business matters separate.”
   • Children, you might want to ask, “Are you concerned that I won’t be able to travel or work overtime?”
   • Disability, your response should be, “If you are concerned that I won’t be able to perform the duties of this job, I’m sure I can.”
   • Country of origin, you should say, “If you are going to ask next whether or not I’m authorized to work in the States, I am.”

View the entire military.com article here.

Illegal interview questions are illegal for a reason. Answers regarding religion, race, etc. could pin you to an unjust stereotype and lead the interviewer to make a biased decision on something that should have no effect on your ability to do the job. For these same reasons, I advise military job seekers and clients of MilitaryResumes.com to drop any and all personal information from their military resumes, including underlying sources such as volunteerism within a church and age descriptive statements such as “retired military veteran with over 25 years of experience”.

Because personal information has a way of sneaking its way into a resume, consider assistance from military resume writers. A little forethought, a planned response to illegal interviewing and a review of your military resume will ensure that your military transition does you the justice that you deserve.

Your resume, more often than not, is going to make (or break) your first impression, so we’ll begin with some tactics for military resumes. The temptation for most retiring military job seekers is to list everything they have done in the last 20 years. But hiring managers really only want to see the freshest 10 years of experience. Remove older experience from your resume because it dates you and is likely to be considered irrelevant anyway. Also remove older dates on degrees, etc. and drop phrases such as “retired military officer” and “over 20 years of experience”.

Retired military leaders are renowned for wearing many hats throughout their careers. But when it comes to the job search, I suggest wearing just one. At MilitaryResumes.com, we believe that military resumes should say “I have 20 years of experience” vs. one year of experience times 20. However, only the master copy of a resume should be considered “multipurpose”. A resume should be finely tuned for each position applied for. Represent only experience that lends itself well the job requirements, emphasize your track record of performance in the targeted area, and merely mention or summarize the rest. This will give resume filters less of an opportunity to toss your resume out. CEOs care about return on investment, cost savings, how you are going to help them increase revenue, not necessarily how you are going to train people in your department.

Finally, think like a salesperson, even if you are not. Prepare to deal with objections prior to encountering them. Potential obstacles are age, health issues, and unusually high salary requirements. Don’t pull a suit out of your closet from the 80s. Update your business attire. If asked in an interview how your weekend went, mention the fact that you enjoyed mountain biking with some friends. When asked about salary requirements, make it clear that you would accept an offer within the highest range of what they would offer a more junior employee with the understanding that it will be reevaluated in six months because you are confident in your ability bring more to the table than the company thought possible.

With the proper know-how, an extraordinary military career, and the mindset that age is an asset, anyone can conquer the job market.

The best defense against ageism is information. For information about the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA), check out the Age Discrimination Fact Sheet on AARP’s website. For more information on professional military resume writing services, visit www.MilitaryResumes.com.

“I ended up paying more than $400 to help find me a job and to no avail. I was now out $400 and no job. So I continued to look on my own… I received a call stating that [a company] had seen my resume on a job board and would like to come in for an interview. Well this would be the answer to my prayers… Now I love my job, I get to help people by finding them jobs after they transition and the best part of it is that the people that I find jobs do not have to end up like I did and fork out an arm and a leg to find nothing. Check out veteran job boards, you have nothing to lose.” Submitted by Mrs. Sharleene Davidson. View the entire entry.

Veteran job boards are a safe and effective job search avenue, especially in a tough economy. But be weary of anyone who is willing to take your money in exchange for the promise of finding you a job. Any reputable transition assistance resources (recruiters and job boards) are free to transitioning military job seekers.

CivilianJobs.com is a company dedicated to helping introduce military-experienced job seekers to employers specifically seeking military-experienced talent. Sign up for their services and your resume will be posted on a veteran job board routinely searched by companies already sold on the value of military experience. CivilianJobs.com also hosts military job fairs in cities across the country, allowing you to sell yourself to potential employers in person. Best of all, these services won’t cost you anything.

While job boards (such as the one hosted by CivilianJobs.com) and the services of a reputable recruiting firm (such as Bradley-Morris, Inc. (BMI)) are free, your resume is one tool in your arsenal that may be worth investing in. My company, MilitaryResumes.com, offers professional resume writing services specifically tailored to the unique needs of military job seekers. Your resume can make or break a first impression… and you only get one chance to make a great first impression as it is impossible to apply for most jobs twice.  A great resume will also get you a greater rate of return on job board searches.

These are the top three reasons that MilitaryResumes.com customers point to as to why they think it was beneficial to have their resume professionally written:

1. Modesty can be a roadblock to adequately playing up one’s knowledge, skills, ability, and accomplishments.  Professional resume writers who specialize in military resume writing have the know-how to make military-experience shine.
2. Portraying military experience to a civilian audience in a meaningful, attention-grabbing way is daunting for many military-experienced job seekers.  The MilitaryResumes.com team not only consists of professional resume writers with years of specialized military resume writing experience under their belts, but is managed by a team with decades of military-to-civilian placement experience.
3. The job market is more competitive than ever. There is a glut of resumes crossing hiring managers’ desks and filling their inboxes. Our customers realize that they only have one chance to make a first impression and aren’t willing to risk that perfect opportunity by presenting a less than perfect resume.

The offer letter is especially important to those ex-military who are already employed in the civilian world. That is because you will need to serve notice (typically a two week notice via a resignation letter) at your current company when you choose to accept a job elsewhere. In the civilian arena, you should never serve notice at your current company until you have an official offer letter from your new company.

The offer letter should contain the terms of employment (full-time vs. part-time or independent contractor, exempt vs. hourly, job title, name of the reporting official (your boss), etc.). Next, the letter should cover compensation. Details pertaining to bonuses and commissions should be spelled out meticulously to avoid any confusion. Additional compensation such as benefits, vacation, company vehicle, severance, etc. are typically included in a separate attachment. The letter may also contain conditions of employment (more on that below) and rules such as normal work hours.

Beware that letters of offer, or large portions of them, are often canned documents. Read the letter thoroughly as there may be a discrepancy between what you were promised in an interview and what appears in the letter. This usually stems from an administrative oversight. Resolve the issue by contacting the authority listed in the letter (usually a Human Resources title) and ask for another letter with a slightly extended deadline. Be sure to submit your signed letter of acceptance before the deadline as most letters have an expiration date.

While smaller companies may be unfamiliar with letters of offer, no reputable company should refuse to give you one. Once a verbal offer has been made, reply, “That sounds great – when may I expect the offer letter?” If you are told not to expect one, offer to draft one yourself, but also be wary and ask why.

Also note that in some cases, offer letters will outline conditions of employment. That is, it will say that the offer is contingent on the candidate successfully passing certain screening procedures such as background checks for a criminal record, driving offenses (in cases where you will be driving a company vehicle as part of your job), financial / credit history and / or a drug screening. Unfortunately for the candidate, due to the expense of this type of screening it not typically done until after you have accepted the offer.

]]> http://www.militarytocivilian.com/2009/01/offer-letters/feed/ 0 http://www.militarytocivilian.com/2008/12/closing-an-interview/ http://www.militarytocivilian.com/2008/12/closing-an-interview/#comments Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:55:22 +0000 JessicaRichardson http://www.militarytocivilian.com/?p=200 Military.com recently posted an article by Carole Martin, Monster Contributing Editor, entitled Successfully Closing the Interview. Interviewing can be an uncomfortable process for some and as far as awkwardness is concerned, closing the deal takes the cake. Ms. Martin’s take on closing an interview is particularly interesting because she walks her audience through tailoring a closing technique to the job at hand.

Aggressive jobs (think sales) may call for a more forward approach while more subdued jobs (think administrative) require a more subtle approach. Check out the article for more details. Below is an excerpt on how to safely act in any interview, regardless of the type of job at hand:

“Regardless of your style or how you choose to close the interview, there are some key points to keep in mind:

• Leave your interviewer with the right picture of you. Think of at least five skills or traits you want remembered after the interview.
• Ask if there is anything else you can provide, such as references, background information or work samples.
• State your interest in the position. Don’t be overly anxious, but act interested. Remember to mention the added value you can bring to the job.
• Ask about the next step in the process. It’s important for you to know the next step so you can follow up. Ask for the decision date.
• Find out how to contact them. If you don’t hear back, you will need to know who to contact and whether they will accept calls to check the status.

Closing the sale is important, but your closing should be tailored to the position, your personality and interviewing style and the interviewer.”

“I think the most difficult part of transitioning is putting military experience into civilian terms. Civilians don’t understand what a NCOIC is or how important it is to manage a squadron munitions account. Moreover, transitioning to the civilian work force oftentimes requires making a profit. We all know that military units don’t have to do that, they simply have to stay within their budgets.”

The entire blog post can be found at http://transitionstories.military.com/2008/10/do-not-give-up.html?ESRC=careers-b.nl

The author’s insight into the civilian workforce (profits-driven) vs. the military (driven by budgets) is spot on. At companies actively seeking out and hiring military-experienced talent through military-to-civilian recruiters, the biggest complaint doesn’t seem to be the lack of experience in driving profits. Rather, it seems to be the military’s general lack of understanding when it comes to just how important the bottom-line is.

So here is how I propose military job seekers overcome this obstacle: Remember that the civilian world is seeking employees who can not only make them money, but save them money and time and/or increase efficiency. Savings in money, time, materials and manpower; increased production and efficiency; quality assurance; and safety all contribute towards the bottom-line.

With this in mind try to list quantifiable accomplishments that show a track record of above average performance on your military resume.

The following is an example of an impressive, quantifiable accomplishment:

“Saved Navy $X and decreased training time by 2 weeks by re-designing and combining 3 separate classes while maintaining comprehensive course material.”

Always state the impact first and then the accomplishment.

The same principle applies to interviews. When interviewing, convey the fact that you understand the company’s need to increase profits and tell them how you are poised to make that happen. Of course, avoid military jargon.  Speak to and write about your experiences in terms your grandmother could understand.  But keep in mind that success in quantifiable terms is the most universal language of all in the corporate world.