I am currently 8 months away from terminal leave. However, I will be deploying between now and then for a significant amout of time. I would like to try to indicate my interests while I'm still in town and could be avaliable for interviews. The back end of the deployment will be very tight on time and I want to set myself up for success now.
Answers
Drew and ACP both have great suggestions. Unless previously arranged I heard a lot of incidences of transitioning service members being turned down outside that 60+ day window, from civilian companies. Usually civilians have faster turns, due to filling the openings are critical. That is not to say preparation is never to early.
Christopher: my timeline worked out well. I started to prep with 1 year, then started networking seriously at 6 mos (informational interviews, attending webinars, attending meet-and-greets, etc), then sending resumes and attending interviews with about four months. My first interviews were in May and terminal began in August. For me this worked out nicely (I started working a new job while on terminal leave.)
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Hi Chris,
Thank you for your service and question! It's great that you're already thinking of your transition and separation; it is never too early to start preparing. That said, it may be a bit early to begin applying to jobs, especially considering you will be deployed through most of the next months. You want to remain available in the occasion a company reaches out.
That said, practice makes perfect. This is a great time to begin setting up informational interviews with companies you are interested in. You can learn more about the field and its companies, identify which aspects of your experience to highlight on your resume and in cover letters, and consider any skills you want to brush up on before you begin formal job searching.
This could also be a good time to build your network, which could lead to job opportunities down the line. To begin that process, I would recommend looking at the Community page here on ACP AdvisorNet and searching in your area and desired field to see if there is anyone you could begin networking with. LinkedIn can also be a great tool as well.
Once you've networked and explored different roles, you will feel more comfortable in applying and interviewing. I recommend checking out this question for other points of view and suggestions: https://acp-advisornet.org/questions/3300/retirement-when-send-resume-out.
Please feel free to message me if you have any questions.
Best,
Megan
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