For 1000s of men and women who have spent years serving their country in the armed forces, they often struggle with transitioning from the military into private and corporate enterprise. In continuing the spirit of Veterans Day, below are a few guidelines for helping these individuals making this switch to avoid common job search mistakes.
1. Know when to play up your military experience and when to adapt it.
Many military veterans often try to hide their experiences in the armed forces from potential employers when, actually, they should be highlighting it Security Clearance Recruiters in Arlington VA. Recruiters and employers tend to be impressed with a military background and value the discipline and skill that typically accompanies such experience.
With having said that, however, veterans desire to be careful not to distribute a resume written in "military speak." Most employers don't understand the technical jargon and vague titles that are typical with a military background. Wherever work seeker arises from, if an employer cannot understand his or her resume, he then or she will proceed to the next candidate, therefore it is very important to be as clear as you can when detailing past experience. Veterans need to adapt from the military jargon to the corporate lingo.
If the titles and positions held in the military sound vague or unreflective of the specific job description, they should be changed to convey expertise better. Overuse of acronyms and abbreviations should really be avoided. Qualitative results must be highlighted.
2. Give attention to the relevant facts.
Another trap veterans can easily fall into is including extensive descriptions of all of the past trainings a person has accumulated. The military provides training in abundance, however not the whole thing is strongly related the position. Then when applying for work, stick only to those experiences that support the particular job being applied for. Everything else is extra and distracts far from what the employer needs in the perfect candidate.
3. Keep your focus narrow and your target clear.
Often when veterans leave military service, they want to keep their options open and utilize those skills they earned. The issue, however, is that their job search becomes too broad and unfocused.
When finding your way through work search, a good place to begin is by thinking about the industries and firms that actively recruit ex-military members, such as for example defense contractors or nonprofits that support the Armed Forces. This can help narrow the field and give some flexibility in how military experience is presented. Another good tip is to look for firms that value people who have special security clearance. Many military members have previously experienced this process, which can make sure they are attractive to potential employers.
However, just as important as identifying those firms that try to find ex-military members is recognizing the kind of resume the organization is seeking. Different companies try to find various kinds of "resumes." For instance, a defense contractor might be looking for a federal resume, that is much different than the usual corporate resume. So veterans need to know the kind of document these military-friendly companies are searching for and which should adjust their resumes accordingly.
So who am I anyway? Why do I do believe my advice is so valuable?
My name is Stephen Van Vreede. My company is called No Stone Unturned, and I've spent 15 years on both parties of the corporate hiring experience.
The short story is that I've an MBA in Marketing from Villanova University and a dual B.S. degree in Finance & Logistics from the University of Maryland. I'm an avowed professional résumé writer (CPRW) and a member of the Professional Association of Résumé Writers and Career Coaches (PARW/CC). I'm also an Academy-Certified Resume Writer (ACRW) through the Resume Writing Academy. As I mentioned, I paid my dues in the corporate world eventually managing a large-scale call center for a significant truck rental company, and I've spent the past 7 years with No Stone Unturned, assisting job seekers in achieving their goals.
