love meeting people who have served our country. If you're a veteran reading this, I thank you for your service. These brave individuals put their lives on the line to keep us safe. The work they do is important. They learn incredible skills while in the service too. Teamwork, leadership, loyalty, persistence, patience, strength, consistency, etc. Being in the military offers incredible skill development.
Why then, do they struggle to find a job after the military?
Having worked with lots of ex-military job seekers, I can tell you there's one main reason why their transition from the military to the private sector is such a challenge:
4 Tips To Help Veterans Power Up Their Job Search
What I love most about working with veterans on their job searches is how good they are at following directions. The conditioning they get in the military really supports a no-nonsense, let's-get-it-done attitude - which is EXACTLY what you need when looking for a new job. In fact, I've found ex-military personal who use our approach to job search find work faster than civilians. Their consistent efforts pay off. With that in mind, here are the four things military job seekers can do to get their search in gear:
Step 1: Translate your skills. Understanding how the work you did in the military is relevant to working at a major corporation may not seem obvious, but with some help assessing the skills and strengths used on-the-job, you can translate them into the skills most needed by private sector employees. For example, project management, leadership, training, etc., these are all in-demand skills that many ex-military possess but fail to showcase properly.
Step 2: Beef-up the LinkedIn profile. As the #1 recruiting tool for companies today, getting yourself found on LinkedIn means having a fully optimized profile. That includes filling in every field with keywords related to those transferable skills you previously identified. Recruiters search on these terms, so the more they are in your profile, the more likely you will be in their search results.
Step 3: Make your military service known, but not overpowering. While it's important to list your military experience, you don't want to give the impression that you long to go back. Some employers will worry you will be too rigid or expect too much from them. For example, have a civilian headshot on your LinkedIn profile as opposed to your military photo. Why? This helps recruiters picture you in their company more easily.
Step 4: Ask for help! Those that serve in the military tend to have a hard time asking for help. Pride gets in the way. Now is not the time to shut people out and go it alone! First, people want to help as a way to pay you back for your service to the country. Second, it's not like someone is going to get the job for you. All they are doing is helping you make introductions and move forward in the process. It will still be up to you to land the job. Moreover, once you make the transition, you'll be able to job-it-forward and help others. Networking and helping people in your network is a big part of being successful in the private sector. It's time to start learning how to do it right - asking for help is a start!
The next chapter of your post-military career can be exiting and rewarding. The hardest part will be getting the new journey started. But, if you can take all that you learned from being in the military, translate it, and communicate it to employers, you will succeed. Employers want to hire you - you just need to help them see how you'll bring value... which you definitely can do!
P.S. - We are hosting a *free* webinar for veterans called, "8 Ways Veterans Can
Why then, do they struggle to find a job after the military?
Having worked with lots of ex-military job seekers, I can tell you there's one main reason why their transition from the military to the private sector is such a challenge:
They don't know how to translate their military experience into something non-military hiring managers can understand.When it comes to job search, there's a language and communication process you must use to get (and keep!) the attention of hiring managers. Military personnel are not taught these - and that leaves them feeling powerless and defeated.
4 Tips To Help Veterans Power Up Their Job Search
What I love most about working with veterans on their job searches is how good they are at following directions. The conditioning they get in the military really supports a no-nonsense, let's-get-it-done attitude - which is EXACTLY what you need when looking for a new job. In fact, I've found ex-military personal who use our approach to job search find work faster than civilians. Their consistent efforts pay off. With that in mind, here are the four things military job seekers can do to get their search in gear:
Step 1: Translate your skills. Understanding how the work you did in the military is relevant to working at a major corporation may not seem obvious, but with some help assessing the skills and strengths used on-the-job, you can translate them into the skills most needed by private sector employees. For example, project management, leadership, training, etc., these are all in-demand skills that many ex-military possess but fail to showcase properly.
Step 2: Beef-up the LinkedIn profile. As the #1 recruiting tool for companies today, getting yourself found on LinkedIn means having a fully optimized profile. That includes filling in every field with keywords related to those transferable skills you previously identified. Recruiters search on these terms, so the more they are in your profile, the more likely you will be in their search results.
Step 3: Make your military service known, but not overpowering. While it's important to list your military experience, you don't want to give the impression that you long to go back. Some employers will worry you will be too rigid or expect too much from them. For example, have a civilian headshot on your LinkedIn profile as opposed to your military photo. Why? This helps recruiters picture you in their company more easily.
Step 4: Ask for help! Those that serve in the military tend to have a hard time asking for help. Pride gets in the way. Now is not the time to shut people out and go it alone! First, people want to help as a way to pay you back for your service to the country. Second, it's not like someone is going to get the job for you. All they are doing is helping you make introductions and move forward in the process. It will still be up to you to land the job. Moreover, once you make the transition, you'll be able to job-it-forward and help others. Networking and helping people in your network is a big part of being successful in the private sector. It's time to start learning how to do it right - asking for help is a start!
The next chapter of your post-military career can be exiting and rewarding. The hardest part will be getting the new journey started. But, if you can take all that you learned from being in the military, translate it, and communicate it to employers, you will succeed. Employers want to hire you - you just need to help them see how you'll bring value... which you definitely can do!
P.S. - We are hosting a *free* webinar for veterans called, "8 Ways Veterans Can
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