Expert Career Advice for Transitioning Military Members
“Be sure to take advantage of the transition assistance program (TAP).” This is a statement you’ve heard one too many times as you prepare to make the move from military-to-civilian life. But could there be more information to gain besides what TAP offers?
Of course, there is. And as a military member in transition, you should be nodding your head in agreement. So, what other suggestions are there to guide you on your journey?
At Empire Resume, we understand that leaving the military can be overwhelming with tips and strategies offered by people who have no military experience. That’s why today, you’ll find expert career advice from those who have walked in your shoes.
Accept that Your Military Experience is a Gift
First, we’d like to introduce you to Evan Hafer, the founder and CEO of the veteran-owned Black Rifle Coffee Company based in our hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah. In an interview with Military.com, he provided unique tips for making a successful transition out of the military.
Although leaving the military is a long-lasting, challenging process, Hafer wants you to know that your military training is a gift. He says, “Lean your ladder on the fact that you’ve had tougher circumstances.”
This advice is important for you to hear because you may begin to feel that your time in service isn’t valuable outside of the military. But if you heed Hafer’s words and think positively about your time in the military, you’ll project positivity and, as a result, you’ll always be approachable to civilian hiring managers.
To hear more encouraging advice from Hafer, check out his transition tips for vets in the Military.com article.
Prepare to Shift from We to Me
After serving in the Army for 23 years, Scott Mann, a retired Army Green Beret, says that the transition comes with societal and cultural differences. Therefore, you should brace yourself for a major culture shift.
In the military, you’re accustomed to being a part of a tight knit community, and putting the mission and the needs of others before your own. This is the norm. After all, the U.S. military makes up 0.5% of the population, so you’re among a unique group of people that take pride in looking out for one another.
According to Mann, “It’s about the collective. On the other hand, the civilian job landscape tends to be individualistic,” he says in an interview with Business Insider.
There’s no “I” in team, when it comes to the military. But in the civilian workforce, it’s every person for themselves. Your accomplishments and military performance evaluations are based on what you do individually. They aren’t based on your team, department, or unit as a whole.
Additionally, the language barriers can be discouraging when you’re suddenly made to translate your stories as well as the military terms and phrases you’ve come to know over the years, so you can show managers and hiring authorities the benefits of hiring veterans and why you’re the best candidate for the position.
Making the adjustment from “we” to “me” will be an extreme change that requires you to take plenty of time to ease into.
Get more advice from Mann in the Business Insider article and his book Mission America: Straight Talk About the Military Transition.
Build a Strong Profile that Leads to Opportunities
It is important for you as a future veteran job finder, to build a strong profile that opens the door to many opportunities.
So, last, but not least, we’re leaving you with some awesome advice from our very own, Dr. Phillip Gold, President and CEO of Empire Resume Career Services.
Dr. Gold served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force where he was responsible for leading nuclear missile security. Today, as a Certified Professional Resume Writer, he stresses the importance of having a strong military-to-civilian resume.
He says, “I see many resumes coming from military personnel transitioning into the civil world and am constantly amazed at the number of low-quality resumes that come across my desk from servicemembers who just completed transition assistance programs.”
According to Dr. Gold, your resume should be:
- Easy to understand
- Accomplishment driven
- Two pages or less
And, you should always keep your resume updated.
Finally, Dr. Gold says, “To stay marketable to employers, every military veteran should have an all-star LinkedIn profile.”
LinkedIn is the key marketing tool that you need to land your dream career because you can create a strong professional network by joining groups and inviting people to connect with you.
As you’re searching for jobs, you can also identify and target key decision makers, as well as easily submit an application with the click of a button, all through the professional networking site.
For more advice from our in-house veteran, connect with Dr. Gold on LinkedIn and keep an eye on Empire Resume’s Career Resources Blog, where much of his transition expertise is embedded.
Reach out to a Career Professional
Are you frustrated because you’re trying to create a resume without guidance? Don’t risk making a negative and unprofessional first impression on a recruiter or hiring manager because you used a free resume template that you found online.
Contact the certified professional resume writers at Empire Resume.
We’ve helped thousands of military members save time and rest well at night with our resume writing services. These service men and women were able to secure positions at major corporations and change their life by simply by reaching out to us by phone at 801-690-4085 or email at info@empireresume.com. Will you be next?
Dr. Phillip Gold is President/CEO of Empire Resume and has vast experience writing resumes for service-members transitioning from the military into civilian roles. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force responsible for leading nuclear missile security. Phillip is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and holds a BA in Communications from The Ohio State University, an MS in Instructional Technology, an MBA in Finance, and a PhD in Finance.
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