Welcome home and thank you for your service.

Pick yourself up by your boot straps and get the job done! There is no substitute for hard work! Quit complaining and just do it!

As proud Americans, our foundation for success is based on people succeeding in the face of adversity and we like to present them as doing it all on their own. This is NOT the case! (Yes I am using a lot of exclamation points.)

Everyone has had support and help from their friends, family, brothers-in-arms, and mentors. Anyone who says they did it all on their own is lying to you. Ask them for help.

You have a vast array of resources available to you to succeed in your career after the military. Companies and people WANT to hire veterans. Own that knowledge and act on it.

If you do not have a LinkedIn profile, build one now. Add me as a connection as well as everyone else you know. Find people in industries you are interested in and ask them to connect with you. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Most of us want to help and are just waiting for someone to ask.

As a hiring manager for multiple firms within the IT industry, I can tell you that one of the first things I did after I found a resume that wasn't full of grammatical errors, was look them up on LinkedIn. How you present yourself in your resume and online is critical to the next step.

Find people who work in an industry you are interested in and ask for guidance. Ask for help. Come with specific questions. Don't ask for a job. Ask for what employers are looking for in their next great hire. Don't ask if anyone knows how to find a job. Ask to speak with someone doing that job.

You will not be handed your next opportunity. You need to seize it. Take the hill soldier. Your resource group is everyone you know, and everyone they know, and everyone they know. Take advantage and ask for help. It doesn't matter if you have ever met that person, simply tell them that you are a vet and need help. If they help, great! If they don't, so what. Ask the next person. Keep asking for help and keep thanking those helping you.

You will be successful and you will find your next great opportunity!

Stay Strong and Succeed,

Erik

Erik Lindholm
www.linkedin.com/in/eriklindholm/