Jim Schreier ⋅ Milwaukee, WI 212 Leadership/Career Coaching ⋅ 50 years experience

Without knowing a little more, I'm certainly willing to look at your resume. Too often resumes from veterans are not structured the best for hitting what the civilian world wants to see. If your resume focuses on your accomplishments, not just "skills" and "experiences," it can translate better to other possibilities.

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

As a thought, perhaps it is not about WHERE you are looking but WHAT you are looking for . . . that is, as a very well-seasoned H-R guy who has a vocational counseling business, I find most folks rely on their experience and ignore their talents when looking for a new career.

Point being, target acquisition is the first step! Once you have a good grip on what you are natively good at, your focus will shift from trying to replicate what you have done before to that of seeking a position you actually like and are good at!.

When I lecture on the subject, I like to use this simple phrase: "PEOPLE WILL DO WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO DO WHEN WHAT THEY DO IS WHAT THEY WANT TO DO."

To put a sharper point on this theme, invest some time in better understanding YOU and define what you are good at. Doing that will focus your energies in a direction that will be fruitful.

Here is a FREE website. It will help you come to grips with defining your talents. If you need some help understanding the results, feel free to contact me off-channel (also for FREE) at hlstevens42@gmail.com

http://www.humanmetrics.com/hr/jtypesresult.aspx

ACP AdvisorNet Staff ⋅ New York, NY ⋅ 10 years experience

Hi Thomas,

I know the job search can be frustrating. I won't lie - it's tough. However, there are plenty of resources out there to help get you through and on to the path you're hoping for. For the application process, I recommend checking out: Resume Writing Basics from Columbia University Center for Career Education and A Hiring Manager's Tips for Your Resume from ACP AdvisorNet.

https://acp-advisornet.org/articles/181/hiring-managers-tips-your-resume
https://www.careereducation.columbia.edu/resources/writing-resume-getting-started

For translating your military skills into civilian terms, check out Military Resumes from Manager Tools Podcast and Skills Translator from Resume Engine.

https://www.manager-tools.com/2016/11/military-resumes
https://www.resumeengine.org/

I would also recommend going to our Community Tab and searching for Advisors based on area of expertise. You can choose the career field you are interested in and send direct messages to Advisors with years of experience working in that field. They will likely have invaluable insights about the job search process, particularly for roles you are pursuing.

I hope these are helpful resources. My last word of advice would be to keep your head up - all of your efforts will pay off! Please feel free to post more questions if you'd like additional assistance or resources.

All the best,
Caitlin

Karen Galecki ⋅ Chicago, IL Aligned Search ⋅ 18 years experience

That sure can be frustrating, and I come across this with civilian job seekers all the time. Sometimes it's not even your resume, it can be what method you are applying (ex, a job posting on a site), where you don't know if your resume is even getting looked at on the other end. I'm not sure what kinds of positions you are applying to, but feel free to send your resume to me at kgalecki@alignedsearch.com and I can take a look and see if anything jumps out and/or some alternative ways to apply.

Thomas Hoffer ⋅ Topeka, KS U.S. Army, Specialist ⋅ 7 years served

I want to thank everyone who is helping me out with the resume and networking tips. Thank you for such a quick response and taking the time to help.