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Do you agree with the this military-to-civilian transition comment?
Additional comments and veteran insights are at the following link:
https://www.military-transition.org/graphics.html
Additional comments and veteran insights are at the following link:
https://www.military-transition.org/graphics.html
Transition
Civilian Career
Employment
Jobs
Family
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
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A common theme among vets in transition. There is a reason that the TAP process can start at the 12 month to ETS / Retirement mark. Sadly, most don’t take it seriously and use the time wisely. Getting a mentor who’s “been there, done that” to help.
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Sgt Casey Rash
"Thumbs up" & "thumbs down." While your comment can and is indeed true for some, many employers don't care about the idea that you're trying to prepare a year in advance. They've heard too many stories about stop-loss and other happenings out of their control that end up impacting business and other qualified candidates.
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COL Dana Hampton
SGT Rash, You maybe missing the point of the original statement and my response. You are correct in that most employers are not interested in making a hiring decision a year before your availability. Makes sense.
What the Service Member can start doing is preparing for the transition more effectively at least a year out. Here’s a list of “to do’s” that will help:
1. Start researching possible post-service careers of interest.
2. Begin networking in the fields of interest and building contacts in those companies of focused interest.
3. Take courses and earn civilian certifications needed to be competitive. (Many are available free or at discounted rates while still serving.)
4. Develop a mentor who has already transitioned and is working in an area you are interested in following.
5. Start writing resumes. Each draft will improve on each version. And seek advice/edits from professionals who “know” what employers in your chosen field want to see in a resume.
6. Practice writing cover letters that don’t repeat your resume, seem like tired form letters and actually engage the reader to find you interested and a problem solver they need!
7. Join organizations that force you to mingle outside the military community. (Rotary Clubs, Society of Human Resource Professionals, Project Managment Institute, etc.) These groups allow you to continue to grow your network of contacts.
8. The internet is an information tool. It is not a crutch or a guarantee of a job. Dropping resume after resume on Indeed, Career Builder, Monster, etc is a black hole...
Prepare yourself. Understand that in the military we are taught from day 1 at MEPS it’s not about you, it’s about the team and the mission. And that’s a good thing. The problem is when we write a resume, we tend to talk about “duties and responsibilities” and not how we were an individual contributor to success. That’s what today’s employers want to know...what can you do and how well can you do it?
I’ve worked in this transition space for 5+ years. I’ve been a civilian hiring manager and an HR leader. I’ve 15 years Active Duty and 33 total with the Reserve and National Guard. I’ve live both sides of the transition process. I’m sharing professional experience.
I hope it helps!
Sgt Casey Rash
What the Service Member can start doing is preparing for the transition more effectively at least a year out. Here’s a list of “to do’s” that will help:
1. Start researching possible post-service careers of interest.
2. Begin networking in the fields of interest and building contacts in those companies of focused interest.
3. Take courses and earn civilian certifications needed to be competitive. (Many are available free or at discounted rates while still serving.)
4. Develop a mentor who has already transitioned and is working in an area you are interested in following.
5. Start writing resumes. Each draft will improve on each version. And seek advice/edits from professionals who “know” what employers in your chosen field want to see in a resume.
6. Practice writing cover letters that don’t repeat your resume, seem like tired form letters and actually engage the reader to find you interested and a problem solver they need!
7. Join organizations that force you to mingle outside the military community. (Rotary Clubs, Society of Human Resource Professionals, Project Managment Institute, etc.) These groups allow you to continue to grow your network of contacts.
8. The internet is an information tool. It is not a crutch or a guarantee of a job. Dropping resume after resume on Indeed, Career Builder, Monster, etc is a black hole...
Prepare yourself. Understand that in the military we are taught from day 1 at MEPS it’s not about you, it’s about the team and the mission. And that’s a good thing. The problem is when we write a resume, we tend to talk about “duties and responsibilities” and not how we were an individual contributor to success. That’s what today’s employers want to know...what can you do and how well can you do it?
I’ve worked in this transition space for 5+ years. I’ve been a civilian hiring manager and an HR leader. I’ve 15 years Active Duty and 33 total with the Reserve and National Guard. I’ve live both sides of the transition process. I’m sharing professional experience.
I hope it helps!
Sgt Casey Rash
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Absolutely. Especially if you are interested in a government position. Those can take a year or more.
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