EDITOR’S
NOTE:
The
following article from “Military.Com” is an excellent treatise
from an employer perspective about the challenges often faced by
veterans returning to or entering the civilian workplace.
It
does not address, however, an understanding of why these challenges
exist and what to do about them from both employer and employee
perspectives.
For
that insight I suggest you combine your review of this article with
the article at our companion blog , “Smalltofeds” “MeetingVeteran & Employer Challenges During Transition from Military toCivilian Work”
A respectful partnership and realistic expectation must evolve between the veteran and the company for success in transitioning former military personnel into the civilian work force. This must be achieved through education, training, communication and assessment of both the veteran and the company personnel.
_________________________________________________________________
"MILITARY.COM”
"Transitioning
from the military into civilian life isn’t always easy. Despite the
fact that you come from the same country and speak the same language,
the culture of the civilian working world is radically different from
the U.S. military. Both have different hierarchies, practices, and
industry-specific language. Making a successful transition means
learning a new set of skills to adapt to civilian workforce
culture. Business
Insider provided
a list of the top nine obstacles transitioning veterans usually face,
and we’ve touched one each of them for you below.
1.
You don’t see the transition from the military as starting over
professionaly.
When
you first joined the military, how much did you know about it? Maybe
a few basic concepts from books or what you heard from friends and
family, but not much else. It took months of training and
acclimatizing to fully integrate, and years to move up the ranks.
Every step of the way brought new lessons and new ways of doing
things.
The
working world is no different. No matter what you did in the
military, no matter how competent you are with the core skills
necessary to do the job you want, it takes training and experience to
climb the ranks. Although some may move quickly, the learning curve
is unavoidable.
When
they join the civilian workforce, it’s important that veterans
realize they are, more often than not, taking a step down. Their
responsibilities won’t be as intense or, likely, important as they
were in the military. Accepting that is imperative to maintaining a
focused, realistic perspective.
2.
You overestimate how unique your skills and experiences are.
Years
of intense experiences have shaped you in many positive ways. You
should be a shoe-in for any civilian job, right? If there were far
fewer people competing for the same positions, then
maybe. Monster.com reported
that 470,000 resumes were uploaded every week in 2012. If you compare
that number to the number of job openings available, you have roughly
187 candidates, qualified or not, per job. No matter how qualified
you are, you’re likely competing with many others who are just as
capable as you or are otherwise flooding the recruiter or hiring
manager. Don’t ever rely on your inherent worth – finding jobs
will always require work.
3.
Your resume is too long or too short.
How
do you condense the depth and breadth of your work history and
military experience into a single sheet of paper? According to
Business Insider, you don’t. The trick is to cherry-pick jobs and
tasks from your work history, military experience included, that are
most relevant to the job you’re applying for. That means you might
need to create a slew of resumes for different applications, but
doing so will prove fruitful. An employer will respond more favorably
to a resume that clearly identifies what in your history suits you
well to the open position rather than a laundry list of miscellaneous
accomplishments.
4.
You did not proofread your resume.
If
your version of proofreading is scanning for all the red squiggly
lines and unthinkingly making the suggested changes, you’re doing
it wrong. Proofreading tools that accompany word processors are
powerful but limited. They won’t always catch obvious spelling
mistakes, sometimes autocorrect to the wrong word, and their sense of
grammar isn’t as impeccable as yours should be. Take the time to
honestly analyze every single sentence and scrutinize each
punctuation mark. Have other people read it, read it five more times
yourself, then have even more people read it; do whatever it takes,
even using a professional resume
writing service,
to make sure your grammar, spelling, and formatting are impeccable.
5.
You aren’t using LinkedIn, or your profile isn’t complete.
The
civilian working world takes LinkedIn seriously, and so should you.
You don’t have to be a social media expert, but creating a complete
profile and remaining open to networking opportunities will serve
well any job-seeker. Some may even argue it’s a necessity. A
LinkedIn profile shows off that you’re capable of navigating modern
technology and adapting to shifting business standards. Even if you
don’t have your sights set on working in upper management, having
an easily accessible professional online profile will help you
regardless of your chosen industry.
6.
You aren’t trying to leverage social media.
A
few years ago, scoffing at Myspace or the then young Facebook wasn’t
an outmoded thing to do. Social media started off as an interesting
way to reach out to others online, but only recently has it exploded
into a nearly ubiquitous cultural phenomenon and enraptured the
working world. Just as with LinkedIn, you don’t have to be an
expert but competency will make you a stronger candidate.
Websites
like Facebook and Google+ allow you to remain in contact with
individuals who may offer you a new job; even if you don’t see each
other face to face on a regular basis, professionals tend to remember
who they like and trust when it’s time to fill a position.
Furthermore, Twitter isn’t just for bragging about food or
lamenting about “first world problems” – hiring managers and
companies alike often tweet about job openings and provide
information about their company, industry, and other useful
information.
7.
You did not prepare adequately for the interview.
No
matter how many jokes you’ve heard about professionals successfully
faking their way through work, the reality is that valuable employees
train, prepare, and make sure they’re ready to accomplish a given
task. Job interviews aren’t to be taken lightly, and research and
practice can only help you. The more you know about a company and the
industries it’s a part of, the more knowledgeable and prepared
you’ll appear during an interview. Potential employers respond well
to candidates who show genuine interest, and that’s proven by
knowing who they are, what they do, who their competition is, what
industry trends they’re grappling with; the list goes on and on.
8.
You wrote a lackluster thank you note.
Thank
you notes are simple, easy, and help you stand out. After a job
interview, get busy procuring and crafting your note, and make sure
it gets to the right people as soon as possible. Having said that,
it’s not enough to write: “Dear potential employer, thank you for
the interview. I’m awesome. Take care, veteran of the U.S.
Military.” The thank you needs to be accompanied by genuine
introspection. Recall what you discussed during the interview, and
mention one or two points in the thank you note. The note itself is a
mark of appreciation, but what you write is an indicator of what you
learned and how much you pay attention.
9.
You don’t know what you want to do.
If
you really don’t know what you want to do professionally, your
job-searching forays are a poor time and place to figure it out.
Candidates who lack focus aren’t appealing to employers. You might
not know what you want to do, but no one else will figure it out for
you, especially hiring managers and recruiters. Rather than use job
listings and the application process to find your path, try securing
informational interviews, attending gatherings for different careers,
and researching online.”
