Posted on Feb 19, 2021
Transitioning from active duty, what do you look for in an employer?
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This question has been asked time and time again, but with the changing world and employment landscape, as a recruiter this is critically important to know what we're missing, or what we could be doing better for our veterans. I would love to hear what folks transitioning from duty are looking for. For full time positions here at King County we have you covered already with health benefits, transportation options, compensation. In the below survey, what on this list is most important to you?
Have a great weekend everybody! :)
Have a great weekend everybody! :)
Civilian Career
Employment
Transition
ETS/EAS
Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 5
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I hate to disappoint you, but there is no "one true way" for your answer. We are not Mandalorians there is no "it is the way."
When I was transitioning, I shocked almost all of the folks in my transition class because high on my priority list was uniforms. I had worn a uniform for so long that I don't have a wide assortment of business clothes, and, frankly, didn't want to invest thousands of dollars in creating a professional closet. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy because they couldn't wait to STOP wearing a uniform.
And every single person in that class had at least one "wierd" thing they were looking for. None of us had the same list of priorities. No two out of the 35 in the class matched.
Most retirees couldn't care less about your health benefits - TriCare retired is cheaper. Guaranteed. Especially once you get to family coverage. However those who are getting out prior to retirement, those health benefits may be a TOP priority.
Same is (partially) true for money. I worked until retirement so that I have a paycheck for life and I don't have to worry about finding a high-paying job. I make $25K / year in retirement (and most retirees will make more than that), and I count that as part of my income when looking at jobs. I don't need a six figure job - a $75K job means I AM making six figures. (And when you add in disability from VA, I only need a $35K job). Those who are getting out prior to retirement are much more likely to be motivated by the benjamins.
Combat Arms folks are probably looking for more physical / active jobs, while Intelligence folks are looking for cerebral jobs and Supply folks are looking for logistics job. Generally speaking, folks will want to find jobs where they can put their hard-earned skills and knowledge to use. Except for the ones who don't - I retired with 4 years in Combat Arms and 16 in Intelligence, with 5 deployments, including some REAL DEAL stuff - but I intentionally took a job as a pizza driver so that I could have VERY low stress and make decent (liveable) money (remember that part where I only need to make $35K / year to make 6 figures - I make $30K a year in a low cost of living area). I literally planned on being a Wal-Mart greeter, but I can't handle standing that long.
What I am trying to say is that if you are looking for a one-size fits all path to recruiting former service members, the ONLY path you can follow is to LISTEN and treat each person as an individual. We each have our own wants, needs, and priorities.
When I was transitioning, I shocked almost all of the folks in my transition class because high on my priority list was uniforms. I had worn a uniform for so long that I don't have a wide assortment of business clothes, and, frankly, didn't want to invest thousands of dollars in creating a professional closet. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy because they couldn't wait to STOP wearing a uniform.
And every single person in that class had at least one "wierd" thing they were looking for. None of us had the same list of priorities. No two out of the 35 in the class matched.
Most retirees couldn't care less about your health benefits - TriCare retired is cheaper. Guaranteed. Especially once you get to family coverage. However those who are getting out prior to retirement, those health benefits may be a TOP priority.
Same is (partially) true for money. I worked until retirement so that I have a paycheck for life and I don't have to worry about finding a high-paying job. I make $25K / year in retirement (and most retirees will make more than that), and I count that as part of my income when looking at jobs. I don't need a six figure job - a $75K job means I AM making six figures. (And when you add in disability from VA, I only need a $35K job). Those who are getting out prior to retirement are much more likely to be motivated by the benjamins.
Combat Arms folks are probably looking for more physical / active jobs, while Intelligence folks are looking for cerebral jobs and Supply folks are looking for logistics job. Generally speaking, folks will want to find jobs where they can put their hard-earned skills and knowledge to use. Except for the ones who don't - I retired with 4 years in Combat Arms and 16 in Intelligence, with 5 deployments, including some REAL DEAL stuff - but I intentionally took a job as a pizza driver so that I could have VERY low stress and make decent (liveable) money (remember that part where I only need to make $35K / year to make 6 figures - I make $30K a year in a low cost of living area). I literally planned on being a Wal-Mart greeter, but I can't handle standing that long.
What I am trying to say is that if you are looking for a one-size fits all path to recruiting former service members, the ONLY path you can follow is to LISTEN and treat each person as an individual. We each have our own wants, needs, and priorities.
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Suspended Profile
Consider PAE when you are transitioning from active military duty. We hire a lot of Veterans and transitioning Service Members. Join us and continue to make a difference!
SSG William Thaxton
Very well said! Being retired with TRICARE benefits, I usually scroll right past the benefits when looking for job offers online. I have yet to come across any company that will pay higher in Salary if you decline their benefits though.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
SSG William Thaxton Depending on the job, you CAN negotiate that. Some of those benefits cost companies big time. If you give up the $600 / health care many places will be happy to give you an extra $200 a paycheck.
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SSgt Mathew Cummings
No disrespect towards the Mandalorian comment. Truly had no idea of what it was.
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Blake Bennett
That is also a good point, and an idea for a future post to ask a similar question from the lens of a specific body of work, such as program management, info tech, etc.
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You left one option out. The thing I look for most in an employer is "Will they hire me".
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Blake Bennett
The easy answer to your question is yes, whether we're hiring for full time, or term limited positions. In the same breath we currently have fellowship opportunities that are only open to veterans, reservists or active duty members. We can see up to 16+ positions annually that are created for this program, each can vary by position type, but are paid internships that typically last a minimum of 6 months with opportunity to extend.
Our current fellowship pooling requisition is posted now on our King County Careers page, and is being utilized to reach out to applicants about each fellowship that is created this year. The goal is to hire veterans, but hire into career and position types that best fit what each veteran is looking for in their future career.
Our current fellowship pooling requisition is posted now on our King County Careers page, and is being utilized to reach out to applicants about each fellowship that is created this year. The goal is to hire veterans, but hire into career and position types that best fit what each veteran is looking for in their future career.
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Blake Bennett
SGT Robert Johnson - Great question! The requirements to be eligible to apply are veteran, active duty or reserve status. The requirements to be the successfully selected candidate for one of the various fellowship will be based upon the combined skills, experience, qualifications, or education that relate to the fellowship. That last sentence is where the meeting halfway portion comes into play.
For instance, I am working on a fellowship opportunity for an IT position that touches on IT Program Implementation, developing system requirements, data visualization, etc. We essentially will email everyone in our eligible pool of applicants with a description of the work, to first understand who is interested, and this can often times help clarify what opportunities folks are not interested in at the same time.
Everything on your list I can see being very valuable for our King County Information Tech Department, but could most certainly be used in other departments or job categories. My best advice, is to always focus on exuding the qualifications or desired skills on a resume, which may seem obvious, but oddly enough candidates around the country don't focus enough time using the job description as their north star when creating an application/resume.
What I mean by that is custom tailoring each resume to each job you apply to to. This ensures the recruiter or hiring manager can easily see the similarities of what they're looking for, and what you have in your combined life experiences (Service, private sector work, education etc). We have all used a generic resume in our lives, but removing that as a practice can be HUGE to getting calls back from recruiters/organizations.
If I was forced to pick an item from 1-4 I would do so only after looking at the position you wanted to apply to. If you were joining our customer support services team, then the Comp IA cert #3 would be important as that is sought after for those types of positions. Say your Technical/Job Experience lined up with the above fellowship regarding program implementation, then I would say #1 depending on if your technical/job experience aligns enough with the needs of the department and your level of interest. Thanks again for the question!
For instance, I am working on a fellowship opportunity for an IT position that touches on IT Program Implementation, developing system requirements, data visualization, etc. We essentially will email everyone in our eligible pool of applicants with a description of the work, to first understand who is interested, and this can often times help clarify what opportunities folks are not interested in at the same time.
Everything on your list I can see being very valuable for our King County Information Tech Department, but could most certainly be used in other departments or job categories. My best advice, is to always focus on exuding the qualifications or desired skills on a resume, which may seem obvious, but oddly enough candidates around the country don't focus enough time using the job description as their north star when creating an application/resume.
What I mean by that is custom tailoring each resume to each job you apply to to. This ensures the recruiter or hiring manager can easily see the similarities of what they're looking for, and what you have in your combined life experiences (Service, private sector work, education etc). We have all used a generic resume in our lives, but removing that as a practice can be HUGE to getting calls back from recruiters/organizations.
If I was forced to pick an item from 1-4 I would do so only after looking at the position you wanted to apply to. If you were joining our customer support services team, then the Comp IA cert #3 would be important as that is sought after for those types of positions. Say your Technical/Job Experience lined up with the above fellowship regarding program implementation, then I would say #1 depending on if your technical/job experience aligns enough with the needs of the department and your level of interest. Thanks again for the question!
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Blake Bennett
SGT Robert Johnson Of course! I think with public sector, combined experience, education etc is looked at very carefully, and I am proud to say that is the recruiting model we have here at King County. In the private sector there can often be more strict education/certification requirements that can make the opening of doors slightly more difficult.
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Suspended Profile
Veterans: Please visit the PAE website for employment opportunities using the following link to our company career page on the Work For Warriors site:
https://wfw.mysmartjobboard.com/company/4588/pae/
Hope this helps
https://wfw.mysmartjobboard.com/company/4588/pae/
Hope this helps
Jobs at PAE | Work For Warriors
Jobs at PAE on Work For Warriors
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