The military promised we would have skills employers are looking for but since I retired this past February, I have only received 2 invitations for interviews. I have taken my resume to a professional and they say it is solid. I have a lot of knowledge and skills and only need a chance to prove myself but it seems to not get me anywhere. I even applied to fast food places and didn't get calls for interview.
Answers
Consider leveraging what the Army developed within you... to start and grow your own business. Perhaps working for someone else is not what you are meant to do.
Check out the veteran career coaches with "Discover HOPE Here" in Pittsburgh. They have successfully coached transitioning veterans to employment. Veterans Discover HOPE are the coaches who have served in the military and can talk and walk this journey with you to landing a great career.
Hello James,
Since you are not mentioning a specific type of work I have to provide a broad answer.
Here is a list of jobs that are in high demand in 2015:
Engineering, Pharmaceuticals, Customer Service Representative, Software Developer, Retail Clerks, Finance & Accounting, Healthcare (Nurses, Managed Care Consultants), Human Resources, Office Administrators, Manufacturing, Quality Control Techs, Social workers, Sales Reps, and Truck Drivers.
If your are looking for a position in one of the categories above and you have not been successful, then you should re-assess your resume and approach for finding a job.
If the position you are looking for is not in one of the categories above most likely you are competing for jobs that are rather scarce, therefore your approach has to be more aggressive to beat the competition.
Here are some tips to increase you chances of success:
- Re-assess your resume
- Use job search engines, some of the best ones are: Indeed, Linkup, Monster,
Simplyhired, USAJobs, Careerbuilder, HireVeterans, and Craigslist
- Use Linkedin as a professional network
- Ask yourself if your performance during interviews needs improvement
- If you have a specific position in mind investigate what kind of training may improve your chances to land that job
- Are you using all the veterans tools and benefits that are available to you to find a job?
Thank you for your service and best of luck!
Joseph Hadida
The advice I give to anyone looking to emerge themselves into a new career, is that you need six months to a year to find something that fits your expectations. Dealing with new law graduates, this can come off as the last thing they want to hear. They spent 4 years in college, 3 years in law school, a year or two doing entry work--and they do NOT want to hear the truth. They haven't yet paid their dues in the career they are looking for. They can't rely on lateral transfers, or knowing people in the industry that will give them tips on openings. There is so much against them. BUT almost any time, within 6 months to a year, the people who waiting to get the job that makes them happy are commonly happy they had the very best friend a job-seeker can have: patience. Remember, you are worth a lot to whoever is going to hire you, so make sure you get what you are worth. Don't rush into something where your assets won't be fully utilized. Contact managers without the intention of getting a job, and just ask about their industry. Go to conferences where the professionals in the field you are looking to enter attend, and just introduce yourself to people in order to ask questions. This gives you the ability to talk the talk, and begin to walk the walk. Take a certificate course in the meantime where you show that you aren't just looking for SOME job, but that you want THEIR job. Fake it till you make it. Your experience gives you a major leg up, but you need to be running the same game as your competition. Publish articles on your experience in the military and how it can be adapted to your potential field. Make yourself into an expert, and you will learn the needed ropes along the way.
Honestly the reason is that business changed in the last 30 years. Businesses use to hire more local employees and hire entry level positions. Since the advent of the Internet people can be anywhere to do a lot of jobs. People still tend to look for brick and mortar jobs, but everything is virtual now. Job interviews are done via Skype, employees are all over the world.
Entry level positions will not hire someone who has "experience" because they fear that you will get "bored" and leave. In what fields are you applying? How long do you intend to work?
Have you fired your resume off to someone to review? So many of us have hired vets, I agree with comments above, civilian resume reviewers often are lost in the verbiage and sometimes just give up. Maybe a few of us could take a quick review of your resume. I would like to have your passion added - what things do you enjoy doing? What would you love to see yourself doing 5 years from now. If you send me your resume, please send me a quick overview of your passion for the next 5 years. A civilian review may be just the trick. Not saying I am perfect, but a second set of eyes never hurt.
Don't wait for people to call you back. Go bang on their door and ask WHY they haven't called you back.
Perhaps you should try networking for a job. Go to www.meetup.com and search for business meetings in your area. At most of these business networking groups you will get about 30 seconds to tell the room who you are and why you are there. Create a "pitch" for yourself and deliver it as many times to as many rooms as you can. I am sure we all here can help you create that pitch in need be.
I am making this suggestion because when you meet people and spend a few minutes networking with them you may have a chance to shine with your personality before you ever get to the resume part. Lots of business owners go to these meetings (myself included) to be able to find employees. We get to meet the person before the resume.
I am having the same issue. I translated my military skills into a close civilian equivalent--it goes back to not what you know but who you know. I am still trying to get past my employment gap because I was injured. That is yet another hurdle.
Thank you for your service! I agree with the resume advice. One of my techniques is to take the job announcement, and copy/paste the text into a word document. Then re-write as many of the requirements as you can with your experience. This links what they are looking for with your experience. You can highlight your attributes and military strengths in a cover letter. Also, I believe I submitted around 70 applications when first entering the job market, and had to take a job waiting tables. After a while, I became a manager. Sometimes taking those entry-level jobs can open doors to demonstrate your value and skills. It may take a lot of trying before you get another invitation.
I have been getting more invitations for job offer discussions through networking than submitting resumes. Networking is a good place to start. Look into volunteering where you can, and expand your network through those contacts. That also looks good on your resume.
I agree with applying for companies that hire veterans. I hired several veterans over the years because I knew what I could get out of them at work, and how they approach problems and opportunities. Good luck and hang in there.
James,
I don't know much about nothing, but I feel your pain. I have been out two years now and still have yet to get a job I applied for. But, I wanted to provide a link to my blog and I looked at an article that was written and it was about the: 9 reasons we won't hire you as a veteran. Or something to that effect. http://inklingdesignteam.com/2015/03/24/heres-my-take-on-it/ I just took the 9 questions that they looked at and answered them. Take a look at it you might get a good laugh or it may help who knows. Hope your able to secure something soon. Good Luck.
Hi James, everything said above is correct but you need something while still on standby. Try some HI TECH Temp Agencies. Dysis International is one of the best, Adecco another they hire more for temp to permanent positions rather than just temp. Also they can help with the resume. See if there is an place called Opportunity Inc. in your area there is an opportunity to get paid for retraining or college accreditation in one or more of your specialties.
Take a good look at all of your training and see if there is a way turn your experience into Self Employment. There are business professionals at the Small Business Administration that can help see your best opportunity. Remember "The Road is Rising in front of you". Luck has nothing to do with it.
In addition to what has already been stated here, I also have to note that it is still not an easy job market in many places. I teach grad school at a prestigious Southern California university and find that even with a "name brand" masters degree, many young professionals are having to aim low for a job right now. There are jobs out there, but I don't think the technical/professional space is where they are at, unfortunately. It may well be that military services is not the hindrance, but just the competitive nature of jobs above entry-level service/labor positions.
A few years ago, I heard some interviewing supervisors mention being fearful of PTSD in candidates who have been in combat, but I think (hope) that is dispelling as more good information is being shared.
Hi James,
As a Sr. Recruiter for the Allstate Insurance Corporation and as a Navy veteran the biggest hurdle for you is having your military experience translated into relevant private sector competencies. I would recommend your working with a professional resume writer that has experience translating military competencies to the private sector. You may also want to highlight any volunteer work or experience that add to your skill competencies outside of the military, for example chairing a board. It lets the employer know that you have transferrable skills other than those you obtained in the military. I know this to be true as a Navy veteran returning home. Most of the employers I interviewed with thought I had military group think and couldn't think for myself and only knew how to follow orders.
Thanks L.V.
With 30 years in, I would think you are 48 years old plus. I see your interested in teaching school. Let's say you get your teaching certificate (about 120 college credits including one semester student teaching). Unless you want to teach math or science, I doubt any public school would even look at a 50 year old plus applicant. Your interest in IT is a good idea. Many companies want hands on workers to build communication towers (your Signal background). Take a look at American Tower for jobs. They have 1000's of communication sites and will have to build more with the generation after 4G.
Hi James,
I agree with what everyone is saying about adjusting your resume to the job skills listed in the announcement. Also, many employers are looking for a cover letter which is also called a statement of qualifications. Here is a link to a training seminar from the state of California that may help.
http://www.calhr.ca.gov/Training/pages/recorded-webinar-writing-statements-of-qualification.aspx
Good Luck.
I have just experienced this problem. I rewrote my resume, but even more important, I went to the TWC - Texas Workforce Commission (labor department). I asked for a mock interview.
The mock interview gives a chance to get feedback on your responses, how to answer questions and everything that will get you hired. Good Luck.
Also try this website.
James,
I agree with the suggestions you have been given about your resume. I am going to suggest spending more time on networking as well. How much networking are you doing? Networking will help you to share your experience, job focus, and connect face to face with people who can make introductions to the people who have openings. They can also alert you to openings you were not aware of previously. Your resume is important, but I believe that focusing on making connections through face to face meetings, phone calls, and professional meetings could also help you to move your job search forward.
You can get help with how to network through local transition groups, YouTube videos, and Devora Zack's book "Networking for People Who Hate to Network. I hope this information is helpful.
James,
Most employers appreciate the training and can do attitude vets bring. The biggest stumbling block for vets is to edit out military language and incorporate the language of the career area and position you are now seeking.
You have a lot of great skills, but every employer wants to quickly see that you have the skills they want for their position. That's essentially what the previous comments are recommending.
Best,
I would assume you may be using a one-size-fits-all resume that was reviewed by the "professional". You really need to tailor the resume to each application to ensure you highlight how you meet EVERY "Required Skill" and most of the "Desired Skills". If you do not meet all of the Required Skills, do not bother applying. Your odds are increased exponentially when you know someone/anyone in the company that can provide you some guidance on that job opening. Start balancing your time more toward networking than applying "in the blind" because you may actually save yourself time that way.
Hi James -
The key is to tailor your resume to the job description. I too ran into frustration on my transition out of the Military, the best advice I got was to tailor my resume. Once I did that the responses from employers came and I eventually landed the job I wanted. You are qualified, now you just need to show that in your resume, then confirm it in the interview. Leave stuff off your resume that isn't relevant to the job posting. Try if you can to zero in on 2 or 3 career fields that you feel your qualified for and develop a precise response to questions like, "What do you want to do? Tell me about yourself (30 sec commercial)? Feel free to private message me with questions. Good Luck!
Damin
James, one of the hardest parts of the job search is figuring out how to word your resume to show a recruiter / hiring manager how you will fit into their current opening and tell them what you can bring to the table. Prior to my current job, I was an ACAP counselor at EUCOM in Stuttgart, Germany, and I helped separating service members with these activities. If you'd like another set of eyes on your resume, or assistance with framing your resume to fit with a specific position description, please reach out to me via private message. If you have a current position description that you're working toward, forward me that as well and I'd be happy to connect with you and give you some pointers. Also - are you searching for civilian or federal jobs? As I'm sure you're aware, the two resumes are VERY different. If you're using the same one for both avenues, we'd want to create a separate one as well. I look forward to hearing from you!
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