Paul Trejo ⋅ Austin, TX University of Texas at Austin ⋅ 40 years experience

Hi William; thanks for your years of service.

Sometimes we just don't have personal connections in every company. So...

Make your resume stand out by having a different resume for every job application. Use the vocabulary in the job opening in your resume. Seek a perfect match. Omit any items that don't match. You will get the interview.

Once you get the interview, have a short anecdote ready for every question, showing how you succeeded in some task related to the question asked. Don't just answer 'yes' or 'no' when you can add a brief anecdote (one or two sentences).

Two interview rules: Never Complain; Never Confess. Everything is always POSITIVE. You loved everybody you ever worked with. Your only goal in life is to make your employer rich.

ALSO: learn as much as you can about each company that interviews you. What's the name of the President? What is the parent company? What are the subsidiaries? What's the history? Be interested in the company. You'll get the job.

Best wishes,
--Paul

Matt Saylors ⋅ Knoxville, TN ⋅ 10 years experience

Hey William, I agree with what has been said about job fairs and LinkedIn. Connections are the easiest way to land a job. If that is not an option, the best way of getting noticed is to send a cover letter along with your resume. The resume shows that you are qualified, but the cover letter describes why you deserve the position. I have always been told to include a cover letter even when they just ask for a resume. The cover letter should include how your experience/ education would be best for the job. Adding your personality (maybe some humor), what you do outside of work, etc., is always good. Try to stay relevant though. The object is to get them to know you before you meet. You might need to do some research about the company. This will help to set you apart. There are websites that have examples and templets of cover letters and resumes. Picking the right style and format are also important in standing out from the crowd. Spelling and grammar are a must. Have someone proof read them before you send them in. Good luck.

Beth Oneill ⋅ Lombard, IL DuPage Workforce ⋅ 15 years experience

William,

First you should be select positions for which you are a fit. That being said, remember the purpose of the resume is to land an interview. perhaps your resume is not strong enough. If you are submitting many resumes and not getting any hits, the resume needs to be redone.

Start networking by calling friends and relatives, former coworkers. Remind them that you are seeking employment as whatever job you seek.
Ask them if they know any companies who could use someone with your skills. Make a business card with your contact info: pass out to people, even your mail carrier, your hairdresser. You never know who might know someone. If a person helps you, send a thank you. You have to seek out those people. Be assertive with this. Joining a job club may also help.

My email is boneill57@yahoo.com if you would like me to critique your resume. Best of luck with this.
Beth ONeill

John Kellogg ⋅ Wellesley Hills, MA Leadership Portfolios ⋅ 30 years experience

The only point I would add is that you must work harder than your competitors to DIFFERENTIATE your approach. I highly recommend a book titled "Don't Send a Resume" by Jeffrey Fox (Amazon). Of course you need a resume, but maybe think about doing deep dive research on target companies, putting together custom PowerPoints, and sending them to the CEO/President/functional "C-Level". Be bold...get creative...stand out from the crowd! That's my pep talk for the day! Best of luck! John

E Y ⋅ Cerritos, CA ⋅ 8 years experience

Hi William,

Have you tried going to job fairs at universities local to you? It is an opportunity to introduce yourself to hiring personnel from the human resources department. You may also want to attend a professional conference in your area of interest. It's a great way to network.
Regards -

sivasankari chandrasekaran ⋅ Jersey City, NJ AIG ⋅ 14 years experience

Wonderful advice here!! Only thing I would like to add on is – Never give up. May sounds dramatic but we should not let the fire go off in us. Keep trying and the honest effort will be definitely recognized. Initially you may face some huddles but later you will enjoy the fruit for your effort.

Bob Molluro ⋅ Wilmington, DE Benchmark Consulting Services ltd. ⋅ 30 years experience

You already have lots of good advice on Networking. Let me describe the mindset you need to succeed. You need lots of at bats. Realize it only takes one break to open the doors. Let me give you an example. I have a very successful son in law who worked for a European based company who decided to shut down its US operation. He was out of work for six months. However, he knew that all he had to do was get up every day and believe that the doors would be opened. One day while having coffee he bumped into a man and he described his situation. The guy said I know a person who owns a company and you would be perfect. Today my son in law is a principle making $500,000. That was 2.5 years ago.
Every day when you wake up read this. "I know that the perfect opportunity will be presented to me if I just do everything I can to network with everyone I meet." Then dress up and seize every opportunity you can find. Tell people what you want and why. People want to help and you need to find your helper. I have helped several people over the years who were fired from their jobs. I would call them each week and ask what are you doing to find that perfect position? You need to take action despite the fact that it may appear fruitless. The power is within you. People with credentials are in demand. Stop feeling sorry for yourself because it has taken this long and refuse to be knocked down. Just get up and keep fighting. The right door will open. Trust me keep the faith and this will work. Every person I worked with found a position and realized that they were much better off than before. This is the mindset of a Champion.

Caroline Herschbach ⋅ Gonzales, LA Deloitte ⋅ 5 years experience

Hi William,

Let me take the networking advice a step further and say don't be afraid to use your network. Often veterans are hesitant to reach out, not realizing how willing people are to help. If there a specific company you're interested in, find that company on LinkedIn and see if you have any connections with them. Reach out to those connections and let them know your intent. If you don't have any connections with them, see if you have an 2d or 3d degree connections and ask for an introduction. And when you do reach out, be sure to be specific in your ask. People usually want to help, but if you've got to let them know how. Just saying "I'm interested in your company" probably won't get as good as a responses as "I'd like to talk about Supply Chain Management opportunities in the Dallas-Ft Worth region."

And if you haven't noticed, being on LinkedIn is crucial, so if you're not there already, create a profile. I know some recruiters won't look at someone unless they're on LinkedIn.

Also, you may also want to look into Deloitte's CORE program: http://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/join-deloitte-core-leadership-program.html?icid=us:pm:ss:core:eng:inc:010914

Among other things, the program talks about identifying your network, building your network, and using your network (as well as how to create an effective LinkedIn profile).

Hope this helps!

Caroline

Kevin Collamore ⋅ San Antonio, TX Deloitte ⋅ 30 years experience

William,

Networking is very important in getting yourself an interview. Staying connected with the business contacts you've established prior to and during your military career is a good starting point...they know you and your capabilities. Joining local military associations like AFA, AFCEA, pilot associations, etc is another great way to network. Using LinkedIN and AdvisorNet can also help establish new contacts and connections and if there's a specific position your interested in, these can help you identify potential new connections specific to the job.

Hope this helps...feel free to reach out direct to me if you'd like to discuss.

Kevin

Joyce Stein ⋅ Santa Clarita, CA Bank of America ⋅ 25 years experience

If you are not getting interviews--that means your resume is not connecting with the recruiter. Be sure that the first paragraph in your resume has some of the same terms as the job description. Recruiters don't have time to analyze a resume - so you have to make sure that the words in the resume match the job description.
The job of a resume is to get you an interview; so if you are not getting interviews, that means your resume is not connecting with the recruiter.
Joyce

Diana C. Navratil ⋅ La Quinta, CA Freedom 4 YOU Life Coaching ⋅ 10 years experience

Hello William,
My name is Diana Cuz Navratil I am a Certified Performance Life Coach with over 500 paid coaching hours. I have been a Life coach since 2008. I donate my coaching sessions to the Men and Women who have raised their right hand to defend this great country of ours. I coach people on where they are NOW in their lives and move them to where they desire to be. The past is important it has brought you to where you are today. Coaching is not about advising or telling you what to do. You have all the answers within you. The question is finding what holds you back from getting what you want. I am here to coach you as you transition back into civilian life.
Diana Cruz Navratil CPC

Anthony Armelino ⋅ Cicero, NY U.S. Army, Major ⋅ 18 years served

William,

I understand your frustration. You have received a lot of great feedback. Let me share some from my perspective.

First and foremost, pick up the book Reinventing You by Dorie Clark. Among many of the brilliant things she talks about, she details the art of getting informational interviews at a company you are trying to gain entry to. You may not personally know someone that works there but chances are there is a fellow veteran there. That is a powerful network that only veterans can tap into. Use it! Find them via LinkedIn by searching for your company and "veteran". Reach out with a message saying you are a veteran and that you'd like to chat for five minutes about the company and get their story about the steps they took to get there. The key is to not send them a message that says, hey I need you to get me into the company, I need you to tell me what is wrong with my resume,... (gimme, gimme, gimme). But to instead, appeal to their story by asking them to talk about themselves. What worked for them, what do they enjoy about the company, how does it compare to their military service... Then end the call with a question for who else they would recommend you reach out to in the company. If you are persistent enough, chances are good you'll talk to someone who has influence regarding the decision to review or interview you. Now your name is familiar to them, you are a known quantity and less of an "outsider".

Secondly, follow-up all phone calls with a thank you email or short thank you card. An email is cheap and easy, and quite honestly, so is a personal thank you card in the mail. The difference between the two is that the card makes you stand out.

Third, find a handful of people you trust to review your resume and cover letter. Make sure it's specific to the position and isn't bogged down with stuff that doesn't relate to it. Your cover letter should highlight all the cool stuff that is different about you that isn't in your resume. Or just hints at the best stuff in your resume.

Just like the others, if you want to, please PM me your resume and I'll take a peek at it.

Good luck.

Vinod Nair ⋅ Fremont, CA PracticeSuite ⋅ 1 years experience

William,
Your resume is on the front line that decides your likelihood of getting an interview call.

Your resume has to cut through the stack of resumes hiring managers' go through with a limited attention span. That said, I have helped several of my friends to format/polish their resumes with the same objective. Perhaps I can help.

I have sent you a private message requesting your resume.

Vinod

Joe Weiss ⋅ New York, NY Toshiba Business Solutions ⋅ 40 years experience

A successful job hunt requires a massive amount of work on your part. Hundreds of resumes followed up by phone calls on each and interviews followed up by phone calls on each. Would be happy to answer further questions. Are you limiting your geographic area or soecific job description?

Henry ("Dr. Hank") Stevens ⋅ Fort Lauderdale, FL Human Resources Quality Assurance, LLC (Now Retired) ⋅ 50 years experience

The VERY short answer is to think, "target presentation." Make yourself a BIG target. With whom are you trying to get an interview? Where does your target go? You go there, too!

Christopher Murillo ⋅ Medina, OH GPI Enterprises Inc. ⋅ 24 years experience

William,
It depends on what your goals are in looking for a job. Some companies, government contractors in particular, are often looking for people with prior military experience. Certain backgrounds, i.e. military, are noticed by certain types of companies. Given that, I would look for companies that have a need for someone with your background and skill set.
Chris

michael convey ⋅ Longboat Key, FL JH Williams Oil Co ⋅ 42 years experience

The first thing I would do is to review my resume and try to make it a results oriented presentation of not only your education and experience, but also something illustrates success that you have enjoyed. The Job Objective on it should, if possible, be focused, on the position and/or company you are applying for. The search should incorporate the use of head hunters, preferably in the field you are seeking. Join Linkedin, and get involved in some of the committees and groups that are focused on your industry and/or the field of employment you are seeking. I would also use corporate websites to identify possible positions that may be open, and/or to identify contact personnel at companies you be interesting in working for.

michael convey ⋅ Longboat Key, FL JH Williams Oil Co ⋅ 42 years experience

Identify companies and industries that you could help and/or that you think you might enjoy working for. Go to their website to search for positions that are open, and identify personnel that might be in charge of a department you think you could assist. Attempt to make contact with the appropriate person by phone? if not successful try email and/or snail mail. Illustrate how your employment could be mutually beneficial.

Mike Convey

Kate Weiner ⋅ Wayzata, MN ⋅ 20 years experience

I love the answer from Paul Trejo above about tailoring your resume to each job. That is critical. I also agree with the research on the company, but if you can, also research the interviewer. You can find out information out on LinkedIn and other areas of the internet on your interviewers and that is always impressive if you can come up with a connection on the alma mater or perhaps a home town. It shows your "go getter" attitude and it also shows your commitment to the job you are interviewing for.

Elizabeth Hendler ⋅ New York, NY Grantwriter ⋅ 20 years experience

Volunteer for board level positions for nonprofits, or volunteer in general, even if you want a job. Advisory committees for nonprofit groups help you meet executives in a wide range of fields while you give back. Volunteering brings new networks of positive, helpful people.
Also meet ups in your area of interest is a no stress way to connect with others in your field of interest without the pressure of the job hunt.

Ed Haugh ⋅ Westminster, MD U.S. Air Force, Master Sergeant ⋅ 20 years served

Trade shows, job fairs, friends, family, ex coworkers. Personal contact helps a lot. Don't be shy. My ex-brother in law helped me with my first position coming out of the military. My son got his via the tradeshow route. Don't just pass out your resume, have a talk with them at the tradeshow or job fair. I hired a guy that was working as a used car salesman as a filler job till he got back into his industry. My industry.
Talk to people. Don't be shy.

Vivek Vadakkuppattu ⋅ Seattle, WA Amazon ⋅ 14 years experience

Thanks for your service, and a happy July 4th!
Others have touched on the networking angle in great detail, so I will touch on another thing that has worked well for me. Getting an interview through an inbound interest i.e. from the company reaching out to you instead of you going after them.
A key cog for this is your online profile - I would start with LinkedIn. I suggest making sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date, and listing your core skills. Many of the headhunters I know search for candidates using the skills filter, so the more endorsed your skill set, the higher you might show up in the search results. Another thing I would highly recommend is publishing an article ideally aligned with the job/role you want to move into in terms of domain or your skill set either on Medium or LinkedIn. This will further go to showcase your expertise.
PM me if you would like to discuss more; I am happy to help!

Michael Cornacchio ⋅ Seaside Heights, NJ AIG ⋅ 2 years experience

Hi William, firstly thank you for your service. I've always given the advice not to be afraid to reach out to your internal network of contacts, those that either work with an organization you are interested in or those that are close with others in organizations you wish to be employed with. You will have the opportunity to give back to the person/people that can help you get set up (or you already have!). One other thing to keep in mind is to utilize LinkedIn to your full advantage. Others here have given fantastic advice on reaching out to companies you are interested in and finding a contact to initiate a conversation with. There is certainly nothing to lose in trying.

A personal anecdote to add to the above advice: My father-in-law was unemployed in 2014 and was searching long and hard to find a job that would support the family. He reached out to everyone he knew, and with a tight job market in his field (Facilities Management) he wasn't having much luck. He set up his LinkedIn profile and built it up in a way that showed his work experience in Facilities as well as his time in Law Enforcement. Eventually, he started connecting with mutual connections, people he knew that worked for other companies, etc. and got his resume out enough where someone took hold and gave him a great job offer.

Hoping this helps, I know it is not easy and the job market can seem tapped out a lot of times. Keep searching and best of luck to you.

Gerald Mannikarote ⋅ Houston, TX dMann Training Technologies ⋅ 20 years experience

Lots of great advice here. The only thing I would add is to Bob's response- which is about getting up every day and moving forward. Set a schedule and stick to it. This alone will help you get up and get out and look. I would recommend a book by a retired Navy SEAL : Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink. This will help you understand the power of the set schedule.
All the best for the future. Thank you for your service to our Nation and us citizens.

Sarah Bates ⋅ Fallbrook, CA Palomar Community College ⋅ 25 years experience

Lots of good advice here, but I have to add my own comment as it worked for me. I always got the jobs I sought because I found out as much as possible about the company in advance and worked that information into my resume and/or interviews. When an employer sits across a desk from someone with a lined pad full of questions about the company, such as "I see your company grew in profits from 2002 through 2010, then leveled off. Did the recession cause that or loss of market share? (I already knew the answer to this question.) Just as in the military, you must be prepared to hit the ground running in a new job. Too many applicants look for what the company can do for them, rather than what an applicant can do for the company. Good luck!

Deb Miller ⋅ Bardstown, KY US Postal Service ⋅ 16 years experience

I would add, if you haven't already, ensure you "show" your networking by listing references with contact info on your resume. It could be the difference between being cut and being interviewed.

Steve Fineberg ⋅ Pleasanton, CA Deloitte ⋅ 27 years experience

Hi William,

I agree with Matt's response. If you would like to talk about effective networking, or have me review your resume, feel free to reach out to me and I'd be happy to help you.

Andrea Gnilka ⋅ Springfield, VA Deloitte ⋅ 5 years experience

Hi William,

I concur with Matt in that personal connections to people who already work in the consulting firms you are interested in will be extremely helpful for you in not only navigating the types of offerings available from those firms, but also in providing references for you as you search. I was hired directly out of my graduate school program, but I know for the experienced hires, strong personal references are extremely valuable.

Best,

Andrea

John Wolsborn ⋅ Arlington, VA Deloitte ⋅ 20 years experience

William - I agree with Matt's advice and networking is critical to getting the inside track with employers. In terms of your resume, please message me your resume and I'd be happy to also take a look and provide advice in terms of how to make that stand out.

Matt Zarracina ⋅ Minneapolis, MN Deloitte ⋅ 6 years experience

William,

Do not underestimate the importance of personal/professional relationships you already have at these firms. Go through linkedin and look at connections you have at those firms or second hand connections you have through your network and reach out for an introduction. I submitted requests to interview with multiple consulting firms (resume and cover letter), for every firm that on my cover letter I was able to reference a current employee I received an interview, the on company where I didn't list a reference, I was not interviewed.

I hope this is helpful.