Posted on Mar 25, 2014
Would you like to see more Civilian Jobs and Job Related information posted on RallyPoint?
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>I know there are a number of individuals on this site that have already left the Service and many more that will transition soon. There is a Civilian Employment section on this site, which is good, but we should also be able to post career opportunities for our fellow Veterans. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>Finding employment in the civilian sector is not as easy as most Service Members might think. I believe we should be able to provide and help each other with jobs and job related information without limitations. We need to be able to help our own.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>I am a Federally Funded State Employee providing Free Services to Veterans and I receive Job Announcements from Civilian Employers that are in search of Veterans to fill their ranks.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There is a large concentration of Veterans on this site and I would like to share this job related information with them.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>Please let me know if you disagree and why.<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>Thanks,<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>Clarence Zarnes<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>Finding employment in the civilian sector is not as easy as most Service Members might think. I believe we should be able to provide and help each other with jobs and job related information without limitations. We need to be able to help our own.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT color=#000000 size=3 face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>I am a Federally Funded State Employee providing Free Services to Veterans and I receive Job Announcements from Civilian Employers that are in search of Veterans to fill their ranks.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There is a large concentration of Veterans on this site and I would like to share this job related information with them.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT color=#000000 size=3 face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>Please let me know if you disagree and why.<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>Thanks,<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>Clarence Zarnes<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
Civilian Career
Transition
Jobs
Employment
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 22
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Great comments here. I'm pleased to announce that we've brought on 13 new veteran friendly employers in the last couple months that are now posting jobs and recruiting on RallyPoint. <div><br><div><div>- Sears Holdings</div><div>- Honeywell</div><div><span style="font-size: 13px;">- Northwestern Mutual</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 13px;">- Tracking Point</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 13px;">- Methuselah Advisors</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 13px;">- People Helping People</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 13px;">- Teach for America</span></div><div>- Principal Financial Group</div><div><span style="font-size: 13px;">- Carolinas HeathCare</span></div>
<div>- StartUp Institute</div><div>- AdjusterPro</div><div>- NuLife Med</div><div>- Sierra Nevada Journeys</div><div><br></div><div>And growing...<br></div><div><br></div><div><div>3 more large employers are inbound as well. Look for Walmart, Tesoro, and Cintas in the next couple weeks. Word is getting out fast that we have some awesome military talent on RallyPoint. </div></div></div><div><br></div><div>Best way to get recognized by these employers is to keep your profiles up to date and have current resumes uploaded. These companies have civilian & veteran accounts themselves. If you need assistance with resumes, don't be shy...ask a fellow veteran in industry from a past unit how it's done! I'm here to help as well. </div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div>Brandon </div><div><br></div></div>
<div>- StartUp Institute</div><div>- AdjusterPro</div><div>- NuLife Med</div><div>- Sierra Nevada Journeys</div><div><br></div><div>And growing...<br></div><div><br></div><div><div>3 more large employers are inbound as well. Look for Walmart, Tesoro, and Cintas in the next couple weeks. Word is getting out fast that we have some awesome military talent on RallyPoint. </div></div></div><div><br></div><div>Best way to get recognized by these employers is to keep your profiles up to date and have current resumes uploaded. These companies have civilian & veteran accounts themselves. If you need assistance with resumes, don't be shy...ask a fellow veteran in industry from a past unit how it's done! I'm here to help as well. </div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div>Brandon </div><div><br></div></div>
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SGT Ben Keen
The general question I have for the group is how do you define "Veteran-Friendly" jobs? Are they jobs that are within the Federal Government? A job working as a civilian along with the military? Or is it a job with a company that just says they support veterans?
In my time since getting out, I've worked in several jobs. I found that some companies are really doing a great job while others are not. Some people define "Veteran-Friendly" as jobs that are only looking to hire former service members, either because of security clearances or some other reasons. Others give Veterans a "higher seed" in the hiring pool.
So Brandon, maybe you can shed some light on how RallyPoint views the company you choose to feature or something. I guess it's my personal curiosity, but I think it is neat to see how others view the same sort of subject.
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Capt Brandon Charters
Ben- I think you touched on a lot of great topics here. I feel that any company who puts significant recruiting resources behind finding and attracting military talent is a real way to measure if the company is truly veteran friendly. Many employers, as you noted, will hang their hat on being 'vet friendly' but really dedicate no real resources to attracting and training that talent. The majority of the companies you see on RallyPoint have CEO or VP level directives to search out and find military members. That strategy requires a innovative roadmap using all available resources... especially if you plan to hire hundreds, if not, thousands of veterans. I applaud companies like Walmart that have set a goal of hiring 100,000 veterans and gone out, devoted resources, and tracked their success publicly. I think more companies that are serious about the initiative will do the same. Almost everyone loves veterans, but the key differentiator is how are you personally going out and actively reaching these service members. I hope this helps.
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SGT Ben Keen
I agree, but I think some companies take it a step further. They not only actively search for an recruit veterans to fill staffing holes but some companies offer support groups within the companies made up of the Veterans employed by that company. I think this allows newer Veterans to connect not only with their new co-workers but also provides a mentor-style program for them to learn from the Veterans that have been there for awhile and can give great insight into things they faced during their transition.
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SGM Clarence Zarnes
CPT C and SGT K,
Great dialogue! I would agree there are a variety of definitions for Veteran Friendly and a variety of reasons why employers hire Veterans. We could judge or compare each one and place them in some sort of category of priority, but what really matters is that they are hiring Veterans.
SGT K, I like the mentorship idea. But unless the employer is a Veteran own business the likeliness of this happening probably slim. I would like to see some sort of system that better assist Veterans in their transition, something beyond the transition classes provided by the military.
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As a veteran and "employer", I think it is valuable to have civilian career resources readily available even for active duty service members. It's never too early to plant the seed and get networking for your next career move. Many of our counterparts who recently transitioned out found this out the hard way. The military teaches you how to be in the military for years...but teaches you how to get OUT of the military for a few weeks.
In today's job market it's not really WHAT you know as much as it is WHO you know that can help you get the interview.
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I would be interested in getting resume help, I have been told at least a dozen variations on how a resume should look, just today I was at a military job fair on an installation and had 3 different recruiters tell me three different ways my resume should look from the one I gave them.
That to me is an issue that many of us need assistance with as well, the myriad of what is wanted on a resume and the format variations are causing many of us to not even get looked at or get past the computerized HR program for many companies online.
Any assistance or pro tips, or even looking at a resume and adding or highlighting needed changes or formats would be greatly appreciated by many, I know it would by me at least.
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SGM Clarence Zarnes
SSG E,
Thanks for the response. Your situation of being selected and hired is not uncommon, however I cannot provide a valid reason as to why it happens.
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COL Vincent Stoneking
SGM Zarnes,
I fully agree with your #6. As a hiring manager, I look at resumes with the intent of answering two questions in order:
1. Why should I exclude this person? (yes, that is the first question. There are always more applicants than positions, by an order of magnitude.)
2. Is there anything that makes me think this person should be a good fit?
The number one error I see is that people have a generic resume that they use for all positions they apply for. This means that it always includes a lot of irrelevant stuff and doesn't highlight how great a match the candidate is for THIS job.
I have found out a few times that someone I screened out had great & relevant experience. It just wasn't explained well on the resume.
The way I personally attack this: I have what I call a "career management document (CMD)." It is essentially an infinite-length resume. It has every job I've held, my responsibilities & accomplishments, every accolade I've ever received, every certificate earned, etc. It's dozens of pages. All formatted in my preferred resume style. I update it quarterly on a schedule. When it comes time to apply for a job, I cruise through the CMD and copy & paste together a resume. Takes about 5-10 minutes. I then spend a few minutes customizing to the employer, if I can.
After doing that for a while, and noticing that I am only interested in a few niche positions, I have about 4 "stock" resumes that I also update on the same quarterly basis. They are ALWAYS ready to go, with just a few minutes' review.
Interestingly, I've NEVER heard the "no more than 10 years" guidance. I've always heard "no more than 20", but have felt free to drop stuff more than 10-12 years old.
I fully agree with your #6. As a hiring manager, I look at resumes with the intent of answering two questions in order:
1. Why should I exclude this person? (yes, that is the first question. There are always more applicants than positions, by an order of magnitude.)
2. Is there anything that makes me think this person should be a good fit?
The number one error I see is that people have a generic resume that they use for all positions they apply for. This means that it always includes a lot of irrelevant stuff and doesn't highlight how great a match the candidate is for THIS job.
I have found out a few times that someone I screened out had great & relevant experience. It just wasn't explained well on the resume.
The way I personally attack this: I have what I call a "career management document (CMD)." It is essentially an infinite-length resume. It has every job I've held, my responsibilities & accomplishments, every accolade I've ever received, every certificate earned, etc. It's dozens of pages. All formatted in my preferred resume style. I update it quarterly on a schedule. When it comes time to apply for a job, I cruise through the CMD and copy & paste together a resume. Takes about 5-10 minutes. I then spend a few minutes customizing to the employer, if I can.
After doing that for a while, and noticing that I am only interested in a few niche positions, I have about 4 "stock" resumes that I also update on the same quarterly basis. They are ALWAYS ready to go, with just a few minutes' review.
Interestingly, I've NEVER heard the "no more than 10 years" guidance. I've always heard "no more than 20", but have felt free to drop stuff more than 10-12 years old.
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COL Vincent Stoneking
CPL Greeley,
You are right on point. Your resume is a marketing tool and should sell you as a potential employee in language & a format the target employer understands.
I would like to further get on my soapbox and that people who push the "qualifications databases" that do "keyword searching" need to die in a fire. Seriously, nothing pisses me off more than a 2-4 page, 8 point font resume with no white space, with 23 buzzwords per square inch that is unreadable "because I wanted to make it past the computer."
On earth, hiring managers and HR people READ resumes. If your resume is hard/painful to read, you LOSE. 'cuz I've already moved on to the next one.
Don't get me wrong, those qualification databases DO exist, and they do perform keyword matching searches. Now, who uses them? HUGE firms and recruiters. 90+% of small, medium, and large employers don't - They rely on the Mark I eyeball. For the remaining 10%, yes - you need something to get you past the screening. But then it goes to the hiring manager, again with the Mark I eyeball.
In the case of dealing with either a HUGE employer or a recruiter, I would by all means have a CUSTOM buzzword-bingo resume, but I would ALSO ensure that I have one that is readable.
/End Rant.
You are right on point. Your resume is a marketing tool and should sell you as a potential employee in language & a format the target employer understands.
I would like to further get on my soapbox and that people who push the "qualifications databases" that do "keyword searching" need to die in a fire. Seriously, nothing pisses me off more than a 2-4 page, 8 point font resume with no white space, with 23 buzzwords per square inch that is unreadable "because I wanted to make it past the computer."
On earth, hiring managers and HR people READ resumes. If your resume is hard/painful to read, you LOSE. 'cuz I've already moved on to the next one.
Don't get me wrong, those qualification databases DO exist, and they do perform keyword matching searches. Now, who uses them? HUGE firms and recruiters. 90+% of small, medium, and large employers don't - They rely on the Mark I eyeball. For the remaining 10%, yes - you need something to get you past the screening. But then it goes to the hiring manager, again with the Mark I eyeball.
In the case of dealing with either a HUGE employer or a recruiter, I would by all means have a CUSTOM buzzword-bingo resume, but I would ALSO ensure that I have one that is readable.
/End Rant.
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CPL Veronica Orozco
I couldn't agree more. I actually have two resumes that I send out depending on who I am dealing with. If it is a recruiter, I give them their simple text/pdf with nothing more than words, but I will also give them my real resume that should be given to the hiring manager if I am selected. Many times, they appreciate that I do that.
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I am one who will soon be looking for a good Civilian career once I leave Afghanistan this go around. It's tough to find something good enough being an Infantry guy. I think its a great idea.
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Yes. I have been delaying my retirement for 3 years looking for adequate employment in the private sector.
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SGM Clarence Zarnes
SFC, that is a smart decision. Too many Service Members just leave the service assuming that they can have the same success outside the service. The fact is, that is true for only a select few and those few are the ones that are prepared and know what to expect. But having a ready pool of Civilian Employers and looking for Veterans is a Plus.
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No I would not. I get all those dream jobs online. The law says that employers have to post jobs for equal opportunity and all that stuff, but the law does not say that the employer will hire. So...if you really want a job, get one that pays the bills then keep looking until the next one comes up...keep doing that until you find the one you want and they want you.
If you are all about yourself, you may not get wanted.
To get hired, you find a way to get wanted.
If you are all about yourself, you may not get wanted.
To get hired, you find a way to get wanted.
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I came to Rally Point looking for more employment opportunities and to network.
Unfortunately, the positions I am looking for tend not to appear in military-related job seeking sites/fairs. I am looking for work in the communications, public relations/affairs and/or marketing.
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SGM Clarence Zarnes
<P>Your example is why need non-traditional methods of posting jobs for Veterans.</P>
<P>Thanks, Clarence</P>
<P>Thanks, Clarence</P>
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Sgt (Join to see)
I think, soon, Rally Point WILL have many more opportunities posted in all fields. Keep in mind that (no I don't work for Rally Point) this site is rather new, started out as active military only, and many employers either haven't discovered it's value yet or have to make budget arrangements to post here.
Another thing to keep in mind that many of us perhaps don't see, being IN the military, is that the job market still hasn't recovered from the mass exodus of a few years ago. Lots of very qualified, experienced and specialized people lost their jobs, and are still playing "catch up". This is part of the reason so many service members are also having a hard time finding the right positions.
What this means to the veteran/transitioning service member is that their background, not often interpreted properly, might not be the "obvious choice" for such positions when there is a lot of good competition and a lack of awesome jobs.
The good thing is that more and more employers are starting to become aware of how military backgrounds DO equal what they are looking to hire, and they are seeking you out.
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SGM Clarence Zarnes
SGT, you are exactly correct in your various observations and statements. However, I see things getting worse before it gets better. The civilian sector as you put it, "still hasn't recovered from the mass exodus of a few years ago". This is going to worsen with the influx of mass amount of Veterans that will flood the market through the draw down across the Services. This coupled with Veterans having a hard time find the right positions is going to create even more difficulty in Veterans finding suitable employment. I see way too often Veterans that were highly successful in the military that are struggling in the civilian sector. Many Veterans end up in jobs making much less than they did in the military, which often causes extreme financial hardship. Some Veterans loose their homes, spouses and in some cases much more.
I agree the good thing is that more and more employers are starting to become aware of how military backgrounds DO equal what they are looking to hire and they are seeking you out, but the ownership really belongs to the Veteran. We have to teach or train our Veterans how to properly market their skills and experiences to apply for and earn the civilian jobs they want and are deserving of. They should be empowered to fulfil their own destinies, not to be dependent upon someone else to fulfill it.
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More job opportunities would be great. Ever since I came back from my deployment in '11 ive had nothing by off the wall jobs, nothing that lasted longer than a year or so. I would really like some new opportunities, start a career, especially with a military friendly employer.
Shouldn't be too hard in the D.C. area I thought, but this area has to be one of the hardest to find permanent employment where you enjoy going to work.
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SGM Clarence Zarnes
SGT, yes it can be a challenge and I agree that we need more Veteran Friendly Employers and Job Postings.
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