Ken Hjerpe ⋅ Saint Petersburg, FL U.S. Navy, Petty Officer First Class ⋅ 11 years served

Unfortunately, I am viewed as being "unskilled" in spite of my skills. What are my skills: Warehousing, Distribution and Delivery, Transportation, Logisitics, Supply Chain and Material Management, Purchasing and Procurement, Requisitioning and Ordering, Resource allocation and appropriation, Accounting and Budgeting, Supply Financial and Equipment Configuration Management (look at NEC 2814/2820), Should I mention Computers, too.

I was once told by someone in power who worked for the federal government that she didn't care what I did in the Navy and that bringing up my prior Naval career and skills was disgraceful. I've been told - IN WRITING - by the federal government employer who is now forcing me into mandoatory retirement due to a medical condition (medically, I'm fine) that my "veteran status" and my college degree are meaningless to them. What's even worse about how my government views my college degree is that my college degree is in government.

As I said, there are no programs advocated or financed through any government agency to help veterans with college degrees transition to gainful, meaningful employment. Jobs like working as a bagger/cashier at some retail venue only helps contributes the stigma of being "unskilled" (low-wage, low-skill jobs only lead to other low-wage, low-skill jobs). Besides, you and I will agree that my background is just a tad bit better than having a "McJob" or "Wal-Marty" job.

I was once told by an elected politician that having a college degree and being a vet often isn't good enough to get someone a job. He had a point but he was also dead wrong. The failure of government to put value in the veteran status and educational accomplishment is why so many people become economic and social rejects in the land of opportuntiy. Until government invests in programs that are aimed to take veterans and college graudates who are left behind, this is a situation that will only exacerbate.

Government will agree that, currently, there are 4 to 4 1/2 million Americans who suffer from structural/chronic unemployment. To be honest at this portrayl I just gave: THESE AMERICANS ARE PERMANENTLY UNEMPLOYED FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES AND GOVERNMENT COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THEM. Not is it possible, but it's probable for a normal, healthy American never be able to work in our society. I'm not talking criminals, those who suffer from drug and alcohol problems, those physically, mentally, or socially unable to work. We're talking about everyday Americans. One of the staggering facts about statistical long-term unemployment is that the majority of those suffering from that devastating disease have a college degree. I have no idea how many vets suffer from long-term unemployment but it's probably higher than average or normal.

I'm correct to ask government agencies to declare me permanently unemployable for the rest of my life and to declare me a social and economic reject because what else am I.

Travis Streeter Sr., PLS, DML ⋅ Richmond, TX U.S. Army, Sergeant First Class ⋅ 21 years served

Ken,

Are you networking with friends, neighbors, mailman, cashiers at the grocery store, relatives etc. and letting them know that you are actively seeking employment opportunities. Have you worked with firms like Bradley Morris, The Lucas Group etc...?. Are you getting interviews? If not, something could be wrong with your resume. Are you getting interviews without any call backs? Maybe you could work on your interview skills. If you are networking correctly, have a good resume, having interviews and not getting callbacks, maybe your location (wherever that may be) is hurting your chances.

I will say that being in the logistics sector, your skills are in high demand. During my transition I had many opportunities/interviews/interests with so many different companies (UPS, Nestle, Boeing, Amazon, CACI international etc). I personally ended up accepting a government (GS12) position with Defense Logistics Agency in Europe while on transition/terminal leave. I turned down a couple of opportunities that i was more passionate about, because passion did not pay the bills. Maybe later I will be able to do work that I am passionate about (teaching). I was enlisted Soldier and did not let that be a barrier. I was willing to work in all sectors (government, private, and contracting) and I was open to relocation in three places (Greater St. Louis, Greater Atlanta, Huntsville, AL). I ended up in either, lol.

Keep working at your craft and keep a positive attitude.

Michael Apt ⋅ Bend, OR MJ Enterprises ⋅ 23 years experience

Hello Ken,

I wish you well. Your frustration shows, a similarity to yours truly in the early 1980s, honorable discharge. A knack for solving problems, fixing things, enthusiastic desire to help, did not very much good towards hiring. Here are some pry bars, the ones that ultimately helped me.

1) Ask not what the company can do for you, what you can do for their company need be discovered in advance. If you can surveil the setting, see what problems they are having, perhaps high turnover, and offer, deliver, that.

2) Walking the streets, dizzy from starving, the one thing that worked every time for every job is to tell the actual person you're going to work for ...I know how to work, and show up on time, every time... The impudence is masked by the exceptional nature of the statement.

3) There was a person recently met, a mental force to be reckoned with, serious analytic capability. He called the stock market more than twice days in advance and WHY. However, his personal space did not exist, he would show me excellent graphs on his phone, but place it inches from my face, not to be mean, just unaware. He also needed to see the dentist, but in our world, there was no way to explain politely this was killing me. Is it possible there is a DIFFERENT but comparable thing you could improve? Not the exact things, but a combination of two presentation traits that play poorly?

4) Post military persons oft have great intensity that is mistaken as aggressiveness. When one tries to hide it, it may seem like hostility. That wonderful experience (if your experience is like mine) of no bullcrap, no varnished unclarity, no sugary coatings on orders and directives, making duty and reality discernible, does not work remotely as well in any scene in civilian life- particularly at the V.A. where one would think the potent, direct, way would be standard. Instead, they seem downright uncertain, or fearful, as if the person there just prior had scared them shipless. Imagine yourself a shark in a goldfish tank, some masking of your true nature, initially, may open most doors, the very doors you point to as irrationally closed. In sum, people are easily offended, something like ones feet are easily burned if never exposed to the Sun. It could be the persons you interact with do not wish such intensity, attendance to duty, capability, as they must rise to the bar you raise.

5) An unnoticed facet of potent personality, being in the military continuum, is the perception (not the reality!) of danger, threat, causes persons with more delicate... sensibilities... to feel threatened. The very perfect, true, potence plays against the applicant. The slightest indication you could be the fabled, barely existing, crazed veteran (like the more fabled crazed postal worker) makes people withdraw.

Have you ever spoken with an FBI, State Police, or extremely diligent local police officer? Every aspect of their presentation imputes, relays, solid, safe, non judgmental, duty bound, perfectly manicured, clothed, uniformed, presence. Merely standing there, posture perfect, chest out, chin back (not down) creates a magnetism- their mere presence persuades and connotes intensity. My intuition is you could pack your evident intensity, into a package that will get you more jobs than one would anticipate.

My sister bought me a 15 dollar coat once, the kind that goes past the waist, like an overcoat. As I went about my normal trip to town, the effect was show stopping. Trust me, when women give me fashion advice, it is not normal, far less when half my age. I think it is not attractiveness, but a sense of safety, that was available at a thrift store, may be helpful for you, if, like myself, not that into dressing up.

This last tip is sort of a spiritual stab at what may be at issue in part. Like you, I trust people will look past tiny imperfections that do not matter. A worn collar, scuffed shoe, typo, or smudge is not who I am, instead, am the person delivering on time, every time, whether I like it or not. People are not this mature. They will not mind of you have hands that will not clean up without an acid wash burning your skin off IF they need your skills as a mechanic, but if you go to McDonalds for a burger, those same work signs despite freshly washed hands cause intense, predictable, aversion. Use this weakness of humanity to find a path towards your exact, precise, occupation you seek. You may need a job that is not your ultimate passion, but notice it is easier and more powerful to reveal true enthusiasm, so going directly for the type of work you like may grease the wheels of opportunity.

If you like, let me know how it goes.

Ken Hjerpe ⋅ Saint Petersburg, FL U.S. Navy, Petty Officer First Class ⋅ 11 years served

I'm not one of those "high tech" type of person -i.e., if there's a problem with my computer I am most likely to take a mallet and use it "fix" my computer. Some have the type of brain to thrive in those occupations. It's not that I'm "unskilled" but that I'm viewed as unskilled. Having been basically told that to my face only emboldens my argument that the the vet preference (and I don;t mean just the government hiring point system preference) isn't what our own government makes it out to be. I have challenged my government to put me in a program that encourages employers that hire vets with college degrees. That has fallen on deaf silence. Remember with a college degree, you aren't eligible for the Pell Grant and if you aren't receiving unemployment compensation then you're not eligible for WIOA programs. Has automation "wiped out" the occupations for which I'm best qualified for - only maybe to a certain extent. A lot of people say you have to earn respect but when the skills I obtained from the military and the education level I achieved doesn't engender some form of respect, then I know there's a serious problem As I often like to say when it comes to concerning veterans: JOBS, NOT PARADES. Of course, the job and labor market are far worse than our government is portraying - like they're in a state of denial of some of the changes occurring in the current economic and labor market dynamics.

Sincerely,

Ken Hjerpe

John Green ⋅ Cary, NC Information Technology ⋅ 40 years experience

Well the skills you listed are not in high demand. All of the supply chain and warehousing efforts are being automated heavily. That means humans are no longer being used to produce that work.

Find some skill that IS in high demand.

Being a vet does not entitle you to a job. Being skilled in the right skill paves the way.

I served 8+ years in the USAF and was very fortunate to be a 456X1 Electronic Warfare Systems specialist. When I left the USAF in 1991, I continued my training in software development and Information Technology. You could do the same if you choose.

Drew Schildwächter ⋅ Wilmington, NC Salesforce ⋅ 8 years experience

Ken: John has a great point though. It is not just having the skill, but identifying the employer's need and matching your diverse skills to address it. You have a lot of experience with many skills as a result, but what's your passion? If you begin with what you're passionate about and learn (through research and networking) about the pain points in that field then you will begin, I think, to have much better success.

There is veteran preference for government employment, but there is also a very real insider network there with which to contend. In the civilian world, as you said, there are impressions to overcome in some cases, but veterans thrive when we endorse the best preconceptions about us: that we're hard-working problem solvers, for example. You begin to make that case with a thoughtful pitch as to why you fit for the specific role to which you're applying.

Best of luck,
Drew

Ken Hjerpe ⋅ Saint Petersburg, FL U.S. Navy, Petty Officer First Class ⋅ 11 years served

The problem is that I have a plethora of skills: Warehousing, Distribution and Delivery, Logistics, Supply Chain and Material Management, Purchasing, and Procurement, Requisitioning and Ordering, Appropriation and Allocation Resource Management, Budgeting and Accounting, Supply Financial and Equipment Configuration Management. Should I mention the use of Computers and various military and non-military software. Yet, I am viewed as "unskilled" by the majority of the private and public sector. As I said, having a "vet preference" is a misnomer. Sorry, look at the "hiring and recruiting" standards of the military and they're no better than McDonalds, Wal-Mart, etc. There are also some negative stereotypes attached to veterans - beyond TBI and PTSD, etc. Stereotypes that those in the military are only good for marching in formation, blindly obeying all orders, firing weapons, performing cleanliness maintenance, etc. I have applied for a couple of jobs advertised by Robert Half and never heard back. So, I'll keep on applying but I'm not optimistic. I should also mention that I have a CDL A license, a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, and a merchant Marine Credential. Along with all this, remember I'm a vet and I have a college degree and all of that could end up having me up being homeless and permanently unemployed for the rest of my life in the "land of opportunity".

Sincerely,

Ken Hjerpe

John Green ⋅ Cary, NC Information Technology ⋅ 40 years experience

The equation is simple : offer the needed skill to an employer who needs that skill.

https://www.roberthalf.com/workplace-research/salary-guides

Perhaps you should consider training in a skill that is in high demand. An average IT guy or gal can earn a salary well above $100k. If you specialize in a high demand skill like Cyber Security you could pull down above $200k.

Don't get down in the dumps, do something constructive to solve your problem. The only person that stands in your way is you.