Getting Started in Your Military Transition

For many transitioning veterans, the economy has transformed the job search process into an uphill battle. Military job seekers are in a seller’s market. Companies are able to select from an array of top tier talent at bargain basement prices. It’s a tough pill to swallow, especially for transitioning veterans who have risked their lives in service to their country only to find themselves faced with yet another battle on foreign terrain, the civilian job market. Business language differs from military jargon and new social media and job search tools pose yet another challenge. Rest assured veteran job seekers, this new era of “tweeting” and “branding” via social electronic media is new to us all. With any luck, the following tips will help you better prepare for your next opportunity. 

Let’s walk through the first step in a career search. By now, most of us are familiar with popular job search sites. But these sites are not the best place to begin a job search. Luckily, your military training has instilled you with confidence and resourcefulness as evidence by the very fact that you are reading this article on militarytocivilian.com. (I also highly recommend portablementor.com.)  Glean as much advice as you can from resources such as these and then do some soul searching before you invest in professionally preparing your personal marketing tools and honing your presentation delivery (i.e. your military resume, social media profiles, and interview techniques). It is important to fully understand who you are (strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, etc.) and what you are meant to do before you can build a brand to target the jobs that best suit you.

I recently spent some time with my own career mentors to discuss my own career development and found their direction and advice consistent. They asked me to look at my values and beliefs, make a list of what is important to me, and then find companies and career opportunities that support those beliefs. So, military job seekers, before we get to my next article, “Doer or Accomplisher,” in which I will discuss how you can word your experience to reflect the fact that you are an accomplished leader versus a static manager, take the time to do a personal inventory.

This personal inventory should be a time of reflection. Get to a quiet place and list your values and beliefs. Write out what is important to you. While doing this, don’t worry about how silly and unrealistic it may sound, just write. I know; you are getting antsy. Time is ticking and you need a job. But think about it… getting a job is important… but not as important as getting the right job. Those of you who are married, did you select your partner because you wanted somebody – anybody? Or did you take the time to self-reflect and find the right person? When you selected which branch of the service to go into, did you randomly select? Or did you research the branches to find the best fit? Why not follow the same approach during your job search? The military has provided you with the best training and a disciplined mind. Not everyone can endure the level of development you have endured. Knowing this, do not sell yourself short and accept a job that merely pays the bills. Veteran job seekers can choose jobs that align with their core values and enjoin in a lasting partnership.

So take the time this week to reflect on who you are, what you want, and what you have to offer an employer. Once you do this, you will be prepared for the next article and action item: preparing your introduction – your military resume and your brand.

To MilitaryResumes.com clients, I also recommend  hashing out key work considerations such as: ideal working environment (indoor/outdoors, part of a team/working alone, diverse/like-minded groups, etc.), work motivators (such as financial security, creativity, advancement, intellectual challenge, fixing equipment, etc.), and favorite work skills (organizing, negotiating, writing, problem solving, communicating, etc.), in addition to the key personality considerations (personality type, interests, strengths, achievements, core values, and life goals).

Compile a list of any and all careers that interest you in the slightest – no matter how wacky they may sound. Ask your inner circle for help. Then bounce that list off of your list of key work and personality considerations. Where do the two lists synch up? Start your career search there. I realize this is easier said than done. But like Judy said, investing the mental and emotional energy into this self-reflection exercise will go a long way in your militay job search.

Judy Navarrete contacted me at MilitaryResumes.com to express her interest in sharing her vast human resources and operations management experience and insight into the business world with military job seekers.  Her observations are food for thought as you reflect on your own military experience (and how it applies to corporate America) when preparing your military resume or for an interview.  She draws on her conversations with a poised and well-respected Marine Corps Staff Sergeant to craft informative lessons of her own.  To see all of Judy’s acclaimed articles, keyword search MilitarytoCivilian.com for “Judy”.

Judy Navarrete, SPHR, an accomplished HR manager, contacted me at Military Resumes to express her interest in sharing her vast human resources and operations management experience and insight into the business world with military job seekers.  Her observations are food for thought as you reflect on your own military experience (and how it applies to corporate America) when preparing your military resume or for an interview.  She draws on her conversations with a poised and well-respected Marine Corps Staff Sergeant to craft informative lessons of her own.  To see all of Judy’s acclaimed articles, keyword search MilitarytoCivilian.com for “Judy”.

The Portable Employee

“Everyone is replaceable” is a common business saying.  Despite the truth to that statement, it does not always make economical or common sense to dispose of or swap out talent.  Each individual is just that – an individual, endowed with his or her own personality, attributes, and talents.  When an organization loses an individual, it loses their unique experience and imprint on the business, not to mention the investment in time and money required to source, hire, and train them. 

As a person begins their career, they strive to increase their marketability, responsibility, and experience to affect their imprint and increase their financial return.  Leading business books will tell you how to be an invaluable employee and earn clout.  These books will tell you to plug into the industry, know the trends, gain knowledge and ability, and commit to being the best at what you do.  They will advise you to take on additional tasks and accept challenging, high-profile assignments.  Acting upon this advice will surely land you a great position and career.

However, what happens then?  In today’s day and age, middle managers are often eliminated as companies aggressively streamline and restructure to become more efficient and cut costs.  Perhaps we shouldn’t look to a particular company to define our success, but rather look inward.  The straight and narrow career path of yesteryear has evolved.  One must take ownership of his or her development by honing and diversifying skills…  by sharpening the knife so to speak.  Staying current with technology and industry trends ensures mobility and flexibility, enabling outward movement toward career-building opportunities.  Advancement is not always vertical; it is also outward.  Building bench-strength and diversifying your experience makes you an indispensable, portable employee.

A portable employee is one who can rebound quickly from a layoff or, better, one who sees the writing on the wall and uses their network to secure their next opportunity.  The old saying, “don’t keep your eggs in one basket,” can and should be applied to one’s livelihood.  So who are these portable people and how does one become portable?

 Portable employees absorb information and experience.  They take on projects, especially high- risk and high-profile ones.  They love their work and immerse themselves in it.  They do not forward to the weekend and R&R.  Rather, they use their down-time wisely, on productive things that add value to their experience and benefit others.  To be portable, one needs to be willing to take risks, make mistakes, and take ownership and accountability.  Portable employees are equipped to start their own business.  They are forward thinkers.  Portable employees make it their business to be a business. 

The military creates extreme portable employees.  Each service-member is his or her own machine; his or her own tool.  They are trained to care for their machine mentally and physically.  Should they be cut off from communications with the overall organization, they are equipped to survive and accomplish their mission.  Military leaders are cross-trained and counted on to perform multiple roles simultaneously.  Every Marine logistician, for example, is also a warrior.  Every Submariner has a multitude of collateral duties due submarine space constraints.  Every Sailor is a damage control specialist.  Every Air Force Pilot manages an administrative program.  The list goes on and on for all branches of service.  Whether in a foreign land or close to home, military members have what it takes to be their own business.

In today’s world of mergers, restructuring, layoffs, closures, and outsourcing, it is to one’s benefit to be a portable employee.  Once one realizes the importance of portability, the uphill struggles the business world will likely present will become a little less arduous.  To a portable employee, life would not be challenging or exciting if it were any other way.

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Judy Navarrete, SPHR, is an accomplished HR Strategist and Career Mentor.  Her articles and insight into the business world are helpful in understanding how military training and experience prepares talent for business professions.  Her articles are inspired by her deep respect for a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant, who is currently deployed in Afghanistan.  Fortunately, his skill and experience as a Marine for over 14 years has well prepared him to be portable abroad.  Judy’s articles and blogs can also be seen on portablementor.com.  She can be reached at judy@aorsolutions.com.

As Stone points out, “Before you can translate your experience, you have to know what language you’re translating to. Experts recommend starting with the employer and working backward from there so your résumé is grounded in an understanding of the target industry and the needs of the company.” While this is true, it is easier said than done. As the Director of MilitaryResumes.com, I am frequently asked, “Which jobs am I qualified for?” Many military job seekers don’t even know which industry, let alone company, to target. Surprisingly, the more military experience a client has, the more likely the question. Career search advice and targeted military resumes are things we regularly provide to our MilitaryResumes.com customers. But for those going it alone, I suggest the O*Net website as a resource.

O*Net allows you to pinpoint the civilian job title that most closely matches your military experience and interests. You can use this knowledge to look for companies hiring for your civilian-equivalent job title and target your resume by analyzing your target job announcement for specific language. For more information on O*Net, see my previous post on the topic.

Stone goes on to discuss the importance of creatively drawing less than obvious parallels between military experience and civilian qualifications. Specifically, he cites one Infantry Officer’s struggle to translate his experience. This military job seeker thought about “soft skills” such as “leadership” and added situational details. While I don’t recommend overusing soft skills in the resume itself, as they tend to be interpreted as “fluff”, this can be an effective means to an end.

Creative writers often use a technique called spiraling to develop characters and plots. Spiraling involves placing a main character trait in the center of a blank sheet of paper (such as “Quiet”) and drawing concentric lines around it to point to possible storylines (i.e. repressed memories, solo camping trips, communicates best with animals, etc.). Place a soft skill in the center of a sheet of paper (financially savvy/cost-minded), and spiral out hard skills (fiscal administration and budget management), specific examples (managed a $500,000 training budget), and achievements (optimized training funds and cut travel costs by 50%, saving $25,000 per quarter, by combining 2 courses…). Or try this exercise in reverse; place a tangible experience (managed the construction of an Iraqi school) in the center, and spiral out skills (project management, budget management, quality assurance, etc.). Then spiral out from each of those skills. Are there more examples of project management in your experience? Notice that “budget management” reoccurs. Run with common threads.

To Stone’s well-put insights on how to “word it right”, I’d like to add the importance of putting experience in its proper context. I’ve read hundreds of military resumes and failing to establish context is one of the most common resume writing mistakes veterans make. Lack of context may hinder a civilian’s ability to fully comprehend your experience. The better context you provide, the more the civilian reader can appreciate the unique challenges you have faced on the job. Use context to liberally round out your experience and provide a more realistic backdrop for your accomplishments. Describe your military unit or organization in the context of its industry (size [number of people vs. “battalion”], mission, location [an austere environment like Afghanistan is worthy of mention], “customers”, and services). Briefly describe the scope of your responsibilities, aligning word choice with your status. In other words, a senior executive probably doesn’t need to mention his or her ability to file paperwork.

Military resumes are the most inherently challenging to write, or at the very least, write well. Obstacles faced when building a military resume worthy of civilian attention can be overcome with a little elbow grease and creative thinking. Keep in mind who you are trying to please when writing your military resume – you or the hiring manager? Determine a hiring manager’s needs and, through your accomplishments-driven resume, tell them you are the best person to fulfill those needs.

For more information on professional military resume writing services, please visit www.MilitaryResumes.com or email me at jrichardson@militaryresumes.com.

Judy Navarrete, SPHR, an accomplished HR manager, contacted me at Military Resumes to express her interest in sharing her vast human resources and operations management experience and insight into the business world with military job seekers.  Her observations are food for thought as you reflect on your own military experience (and how it applies to corporate America) when preparing your military resume or for an interview. You may be familiar with her now famed writing through a series she authored for MilitarytoCivilian entitled “Leadership Basics.” In Leadership Basics and her latest article, “Shut Up and Listen,” she draws on her conversations with a poised and well-respected Marine Corps Staff Sergeant, who she has come to know very well, to craft informative lessons of her own.

Shut Up and Listen

We are all familiar with the saying “communication is key” and understand the importance of communication.  But I recently came to understand just how important communication is when I came across a metaphor that likened communication between a leader and his or her subordinate to the relationship between spouses.  The metaphor proposed the question, “If you had a spouse and you didn’t talk to him/her for weeks or months, how long do you think the marriage would last?”  Similarly, leaders who fail to effectively communicate with their subordinates or peers risk disintegrating their working relationships.

Early on in our conversations, a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant for whom I have a great deal of respect explained to me his understanding of communication.  Surprisingly, his biggest influence was not the USMC, but his mother.  She happened to be the wife of a serviceman and degreed in psychology.  His mother and experiences taught him that communication must always be civil.  One should never communicate argumentatively.  When emotions rise, it’s best to say nothing. He said, so long as people can constructively communicate their concerns and actively listen to one another, most issues can be resolved through understanding.

As part of military training, servicemen are taught the keys to communication.  Knowing how to communicate helps develop trust. They learn to communicate clearly and recognize that each individual sees things from a different point of view.  They learn to be open and honest, accept the feelings of others, ask questions, and listen without interruptions.  Sometimes communication is not about speaking or thinking about what to say.  But rather, communication is listening and being attentive to what the other person is trying to convey through words and actions.

“How to Be a Better Listener” by Sherman K. Okum, Nation’s Business, August 1975, and “Building a Professional Image: Improving Listening Behavior” by Philip Morgan and Kent Baker, Supervisory Management, November 1995, mark the traits of a poor listener as tunes out, is easily distracted, over stimulated, seeks arguments, and judges delivery.  Conversely, the traits of a good listener are fights distractions, interprets color words and doesn’t get hung up on them, finds what’s in it for me, holds eye contact, skips over delivery errors, and listens for central ideas.

At a previous employer of mine, the operations manager and department manager were constantly at odds.  After hour-long debates, the operations manager would complain to me that the department manager would not implement his new processes or set team expectations.  Later in the day, the department manager would complain that the operations manager refused to support his method of implementing new processes and would not agree to the expectations he had set for his team.  Ironically, both of them wanted the same things.  I asked each of them, “Have you talked to him about it?”  Of course each responded, “Yes.  We talked for hours, but I wasn’t being heard.”  In this case, their dysfunctional relationship was due to poor listening skills and, unfortunately, resulted in loss of talent for the organization.

To the civilian workforce, the loss of talent is difficult to bear as projects are delayed and recruitment costs rise.  Similarly, if too many servicemen and servicewomen leave the service when leadership fails to listen to their concerns, missions may not succeed and other detrimental affects may occur.

Much can be learned and communicated through listening.

Judy Navarrete, SPHR is an accomplished HR manager, whose experience extends to non-profit, for-profit, privately-owned, and Fortune 500 companies.  She actively pursues to facilitate former military personnel transitions to civilian careers, as well as educate and promote the hiring and placement of military-experienced talent into viable, honorable positions with established companies. Judy can be reached at jnavarretesphr@yahoo.com.

I was recently alerted to the most comprehensive article on the pitfalls of social media sites (such as Twitter and Facebook) when it comes to a job search I have yet to read. The article, entitled “The 10 Worst Social Media Mistakes That Will Prevent You From Landing a Job,” is an in-depth look at common social media mistakes many military job seekers are making through the eyes of potential employers. It even comes complete with external links, resources, and examples. Here are some things you can expect to learn about:

• The dangers of sharing too much information.
• How to customize backgrounds and graphics to make you standout from the crowd.
• Why having too many friends isn’t necessarily a good thing.
• How to create separate social and business accounts and why you should do so.
• When and what to (or what not to) ”update”.
• Why spam, spelling mistakes, and other commonly overlooked issues could hold you back.

The following is an excerpt from the article:

While making one or more of the 10 worst social media mistakes can keep you from landing a job, there are also positive ways to socialize. Because many of us find jobs through friends, a simple “anyone hiring a blank?” update can actually be worth the five seconds it takes to post it. In addition, if there is a company you would really like to work for, be their friend on social media. Not only can you get hiring updates, but it also offers an insight to what excites them, what they are up to, and much more.

You can count on a compelling, professionally written military resume to spark employers’ interest in your value offered. But you can also count on their interest in your social media activities. So before you apply for that dream job, make social media work for and not against you.

Read the first article in the series.

Read the second article in the series.

Read the third article in the series.

Read the fourth article in the series.

Be the Expert

What does being an expert have to do with leadership?  Think about it, and the answer becomes apparent.  Why would anyone follow a leader unless they found some value in doing so?  Most people follow a leader because he or she is an expert, or a champion in his or her field.  An expert is defined as a person with knowledge specific to a field of work.  An expert is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation in a particular area of study.  Not just anyone who practices fervently will become an expert.  Marie-Line Germain found 16 behavioral dimensions found in experts.  Some of these traits include: knowledge that is specific to his or her field of work, the ability to assess a work related situation’s importance, the capacity for self improvement, deduction, drive, and self confidence.  These behavioral traits are consistently held by all experts, whether he or she is an expert marksman, musician, lawyer, or business leader.    

I have witnessed leaders and managers from various organizations successfully transition into new roles with minimal difficulty.  Not because management and leadership is the same everywhere, but because these leaders were able to adapt to new environments.  They were able to pull from past experiences and use their behavioral dimensions to gain new expertise.  Many military and former military leaders also hold these behavioral traits.

Individuals transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce will find that businesses can benefit from the military’s method of creating experts.  The Marines Corps’ method of developing leaders and experts begins with boot camp, is followed by real-world experience, and further refined by guidance from tenured Marines.  During training, Marines are tested and, in some cases, qualification is required.  In contrast, civilian businesses tend to train by informing employees and opt out of testing at the end of training sessions.  I suppose we, as business leaders, refrain from testing and qualification requirements for fear of being sued or having our employment practices challenged.  It could be that our training and testing methods are not as developed as the military’s.  So the aforementioned behavioral traits, as well as skills in team cohesion, encouragement and coaching techniques, organization, and discipline, can provide transitioning military-experienced job seekers a firm foundation for civilian leadership roles. 

However, military leaders contemplating a career change may examine where their expertise truly lies.  Some may realize that their desire and passion is to continue to hone their military expertise and nurture those serving our country.  A career in the military is a fine choice as it reinforces strengths and this country needs expert marksmen, staff sergeants, trainers, and other military professionals.  The decision to stay in the service is a difficult one, since many military careers place strain on families.  But realize there are also civilian professions that cause equal strain on family time.  Lawyers, doctors, salespersons, entertainers, etc. all have extreme demands made on their time.  These challenges compromise their family ties and require much dedication and discipline to their trade.  Military careers are not alone in this.  Therefore, in choosing a profession, one needs to look inward and determine which career is best for them and whether or not they are willing to make the sacrifices required to become an expert in their field… even if it means leaving others behind.   

Judy Navarrete, SPHR, the author of this series, Leadership Basics, is a Human Resources Manager.  She has over 14 years experience in strategic management.  As such, she has extensive experience in understanding the needs of managers and businesses with respect to staffing and leadership performance.  She has worked in the private sector and union and non-union environments, both for profit companies and not-for-profit organizations.  Her understanding of military training and leadership comes from her conversations and interaction with a Staff Sergeant of the US Marine Corps.  This is the last article in the series of her contributions to MilitarytoCivilian.com.  This Staff Sergeant will deploy soon, with his team of Marines.  Once his tour is completed, he will most likely re-enlist.

As of mid-March, only 921 vets have applied out of the 77,000 the Pentagon estimates are eligible, according to numbers provided to The Associated Press by the Physical Disability Board of Review…

Veterans’ advocates say more outreach is needed….

“Less than 1,000 have applied, to me they really need to do a better effort to get the word out,” said Mike Hayden, deputy director of government relations for the Military Officers’ Association of America. “The success rate tells me there was a definite problem and the Physical Disability Board of Review is out there to correct it.”

The article does a great job of shedding light on the military population’s general lack of awareness when it comes to benefits. But it fails to mention one important point. Aside from added income and health care for families, there are hiring benefits associated with a service-connected disability of 30% or more. The federal government extends special hiring privileges to disabled veterans. For more information on this topic, please read my previous post on veteran’s preference.

So be proactive in applying for benefits to boost not only your financial bottom-line, but your federal military resume and job search as well.

For professional military resume and federal resume writing services, as well as military-to-federal career search advice, please consult the professional military resume writing team at Military Resumes.

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.

1. Myth: All government jobs are in Washington, DC.

Fact: Only 15% of federal jobs are actually in DC…

2. Myth: Federal government salaries are low.

Fact: Actually, government salaries have risen faster and higher than private sector salaries. In most cases you will find they are very competitive. In fact, it’s been reported from 2000 to 2008, the pay for federal civilian employees skyrocketed 57%, while the pay for workers in the private sector grew by only 31%. And the White House recently proposed a 1.4% pay increase for federal employees.

3. Myth: To get into the federal government you have to be connected…

Fact: If that was the case, then the government wouldn’t currently have over 60,000 job openings worldwide. Don’t you think the people that know the current government workforce would have networked their way in if that was the case? Networking always helps…

4. Myth: The government is not hiring for what I do.

Fact: The OPM (Office of Personnel Management) uses a classification of 21 occupational groups and families for all GS (General Schedule) positions…. there are literally hundreds of job titles.

5. Myth: The federal government is one huge bureaucracy.

Fact: The Government is made up of several entities. Each of the over 300 departments and agencies operates as their own stand alone “corporation” within a network of agencies designed to serve the best interest of America. Some do operate more efficiently than others, and are more progressive than others. Based on your agency research, consider 3-5 agencies you would like to further explore.

6. Myth: All federal jobs are posted on usajobs.gov.

Fact: Only about 70% are on usajobs.gov. Many jobs are on each federal agency website. And some are not posted on the sites at all.

7. Myth: The federal hiring process is so long and complicated.

Fact: The federal hiring process differs from private sector hiring, and federal resume writing is different. But the process does not have to be long. There are programs, tips, and opportunities that drastically speed up the process…

To these 7 myths, I would like to add an 8th.

8. Myth: If I apply to enough federal jobs using my standard military resume, something will stick.

Fact: As Houston stated in myth #7, federal resume writing, especially federal military resume writing, is different. Federal military resumes must be carefully key-worded. Unfortunately, this is a little known fact among veterans seeking federal employment. As a federal job search trainer, I know this to be true. I hear the same story time and time again: “I’ve been applying for federal jobs for 6 months and haven’t received a response.” But there is good news; this doesn’t have to be your fate. Consider hiring the professionals at MilitaryResumes.com. Our professional military resume writers are experts are targeting federal military resumes using federal resume writing processes that produce results.