Leveraging Military Skills and Experience
Military life is behind you, but it is most certainly not forgotten. You possess a unique skill set that only a small portion of the workforce shares with you. Many of the non-veteran careerists out there have grown accustomed to a routine, become comfortable, have stopped learning and therefore overlook the wealth of skills that have been accumulated over the years. This may be your most valuable asset, as no one can devalue the skills and experience you possess.
Percent of the US population that are US Veterans: 13%
Percent of pre-retirement Veterans: 63%
TOTAL % of US population that are work-force veterans: 8%
Now, for some perspective, 28% of the US population (over the age of 25) have attained at least a bachelor’s degree. The skills and experience you possess as a veteran puts you in a unique portion of the population, and therefore gives you an advantage. The knowledge you have as a veteran is valuable.
Educational Experiences – Laying a Foundation
Depending on how long you have been in the military, there is likely a number of schools, classes, certification courses and camps that have contributed to your education. Take some time to list every educational experience that you can think of. Don’t leave anything out. Now, look back at this list and ask yourself: How many of these opportunities do you think a whole lot of people would give anything to know?
Skills – Defining Your Structure
Whether you be Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force or any other branch of the military, it is inevitable your specialty required a unique set of skills. List all the skills you have learned during your military career. List any other skills in your life that contributed to your success. You may feel some of these have been taken for granted. Write them down. As you think chronologically through places you have been, things you have done, and skills you have acquired, this should comprise quite a list. Now, ask yourself: Would you enjoy teaching any of these if you had the opportunity?
Passion – What Holds It All Together
Is there something that you are passionate about? This could be rooted in your childhood from an artistic endeavor, maybe an interest in coping with difficult situations and helping others, or a particular talent. Are you proficient in technology or engineering? Do you have a business mind, with interests in marketing, finance or even an entrepreneurial spirit? No matter what your passion is, write it down.
After your lists are complete, go back through and take inventory of yourself. How can you align the first two lists with the third? Have you identified a niche, or a recurring theme? You may think your specialty is too small for anyone in the civilian world to care. Wrong! These concepts and interests are relative to a civilian career path, and the more narrowly defined your niche is, the easier it will be to locate other people and businesses interested in the same thing.
Email: DrewPeneton@Gmail(dot)com
Five Myths Military-to-Civilian Job Searchers Face
You’ve been out of the civilian job market for some time now. Things have changed. There is a lot to learn about job searching, career opportunities and the best way to communicate your abilities to potential employers. Understanding the job market is understanding the process. Does it seem the job market is well structured? Conducive to dispensing the information and assistance you need? Soon, you will find out that it is in fact, not.
There is a great misunderstanding how military members relate to the job market. Organizing and implementing key processes into your search is what will help you succeed. The following myths and their corresponding realities translate into how you can break through the age-old excuse of “What more can I do?”
MYTH #1: My former military job has little civilian compatibility.
TRUTH: You can maximize you service and experience for all it is worth, but communicate that you have moved on from the military. If you are about to ETS, odds are you have leadership experience of some kind. Few civilian employers care about how well you did in BNCOC, or that you have held a PT patch for 2 years in a row. Use the knowledge that you have acquired to communicate in a relatable tone that you are enthusiastic, honest and intelligent. Experience and qualifications rank below these traits among hiring criteria; why make them more confusing? Stick to the basic, relative attributes.
MYTH #2: Whoever offers me the most money is who I should choose.
TRUTH: Although money is going to be a concern in which you should prepare for, this does not mean the job that pays the most money is what you will enjoy. Is the amount of the paycheck enough to keep you happy 8 hours a day, 5 days a week? Take the time to think about the advantages and disadvantages of each offer. Select the one that best fits your skills, interests and abilities. Odds are, if you choose a job that makes you miserable, you will repeat the process again after only a short period of time.
MYTH #3: There aren’t any jobs left for me with today’s competition.
TRUTH: This is only true if you completely lack any sort of marketable skill and rely on responding to classified ads or use temp agencies. Yes, competition is high, particularly for jobs that take little-to-no skill. Hidden job markets contain numerous opportunities with less competition. Aim high, but realistically. You will find the most competition as at the middle and low-level jobs. If you have a specialized, advanced technical skill your opportunities are endless. If you are interested in a specific skill, talk to an educational counselor and identify the benefits you qualify for.
MYTH #4: Unless I get an education, I won’t get a good job.
TRUTH: A college degree may give you an advantage over the competition, but the door will most certainly not be closed to you. Employers are always looking for motivated “go-getters” that work diligently and help them grow their business. In reality, many employers prefer military personnel due to their reputation for dedication, responsibility and getting the job done. Show how you have benefited from your experience, discipline and strong sense of ethics. I strongly encourage you to pursue a degree in the future; in fact, many employers partially fund the cost of their employees’ continuing education.
MYTH #5: Anyone can find a job if they know how.
TRUTH: As much as we wish this were true; the career counselors in our young age pumped us up with the ideals that positive attitudes, goal-setting, and dressing up meant success, right? Wrong. This may work in a low unemployment society where the demand for quality people is high, but not in today’s high-tech society that requires intelligence, concrete skills, willingness and something unique to offer the community to help advance growth. Knowing job search skills does not help these people.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Every time a company hires someone, they are taking a risk. Often, they make bad hiring decisions. You must convince your prospective employers that they will like you more than other “qualified” candidates. Your task, is to prove to them that YOU are the reason they are going to avoid making a bad decision this time.
Email: DrewPeneton@Gmail(dot)com
Getting Started Right
The reality of military jobs and careers is that they eventually come to an end for everyone. In today’s environment it seems they are coming to an end faster than before. Everyone in the military must go through the career transition process. Your time just happens to be now. So let’s get that positive attitude flowing and find that civilian job that leads to renewed career success!
It is extremely important that you manage this transition responsibly; this should be your central focus. Where have you been? Where are you now? Where do you want to go? A clear sense of your past, present and future will help you focus. Did you enjoy your military job(s)? Chances are you will really love your civilian career too, but you must be diligent in selecting the right fit in the civilian world. This isn’t going to happen overnight. There are no magic pills to take. This is going to happen because of your serious thinking and planning; it begins with these 3 simple steps:
- Set Goals
- Assess your skills
- Chart a course of action
Involve other people in this process. If you are married, consult your spouse. We don’t want this career transition to be any more difficult than it should be!
Chances are you plan on doing something rewarding in your new worklife. If you transition properly, it can lead to a rewarding career. Some people haphazardly wander to inappropriate jobs, become unhappy job-hoppers who communicate the wrong messages to potential employers. Unfortunately, they repeat this pattern of disappointment endlessly. This should not happen to you.
Military veterans have excellent skills and experience that are readily marketable in the civilian world. What you need to know is how to present and market your skills and experience in today’s job market. This is done by acquiring another set of skills – job search skills.
Do you know:
- how to write a job-winning resume?
- what networking is and how to use it?
- how to locate the best employers?
- how to get advice, information and referrals?
- how to negotiate a higher salary?
You will be able to clearly answer these questions once you develop or refine your job search skills; it’s time to start this thing off right!
Email: DrewPeneton@Gmail(dot)com
Overcoming Fear
Some people find changes exhilarating; some people experience the uncertainty of transition as terrifying. But the underlying question is when do you know it is time to change? The end of one career may begin with feelings of uneasiness or frustration, even depression. If you are like many, you’ve thought about what it might be like to have “something better.”
So you’ve had a successful career in the military, but now you are making a career transition that has major life-changing implications for you and those close to you.. This is probably unlike any transition you have ever experienced before and will you will likely never experience it again. Your transition need not be turbulent or dramatic. If you are reading this blog, you have taken a step toward a future designed by wants, summoned by courage to embark on your dream.
Change can be scary. Change can be stressful. Your opposing needs are at war – one fighting for the security of the military life you know, and the other for the freedom to choose a career that might be better. Life’s transitions begin with a series of questions, the answers to which help you develop a method to shaping your future:
- What do you want to do with the rest of your life?
- Are you leaving the military for greener pastures?
- How well prepared are you for the job market?
- Do you know how to communicate your qualifications to civilian employers?
Every person struggling with these questions is limited by fear or lack of information. Don’t worry, you share common and understandable fears with many others. Ask yourself:
What are my three most pressing concerns about transitioning?
Write them down. Your goal is to use the victories of your past to neutralize these fears and sculpt the triumphs of tomorrow.
Most people have the wrong idea when it comes to failure. Do you know how many times a baby falls before she takes her first step? Are her first attempts “failures”? Of course not. She certainly doesn’t think so; she gets up and tries again!
“I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.” – Thomas Edison
We can reframe the concept of failure into something more like a lesson, and succeed. The fear of failure can be so constricting you lose confidence and the ability to take risks – you must possess both qualities to make a successful transition. Using the concerns you identified above, ask questions relating to those fears.
- What is the worst that can happen?
- How likely is it the worst thing will happen?
- How would I solve that problem?
- What steps could I take to prevent that from happening?
- What is the best that can happen?
- How will I feel about myself if the best happens?
- What steps could I take to ensure that happens?
- If I look back on my life 10 years from now, I will be glad I…
Changes are about skill, timing, and the latest strategies. Mental focus, passionate motivation and trust we never knew we had are key. There may be temporary sacrifice followed by triumph. What are successful risks you have already taken in your life? What attitudes and emotions do they have in common?
Fear may be at your back door, but you don’t have to let it in. You’ve conquered risks before. You have what it takes to succeed. What waits on the other side of apprehension and procrastination is the indescribable joy of being in the right place, doing the right job at the right time.
The time is now!
Email: DrewPeneton@Gmail(dot)com
