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What is the biggest key to making the military to civillian transition as smooth as possible?

Veteran

James Hendrickson Jacksonville, FL

By this I mean, networking, resume, face to face interaction? I seem to be struggling finding a job with little to no responses to my applications. Could this be because I am still 6 months out from my separation date? Thank you.

3 January 2019 4 replies Military to Civilian Transition

Answers

Advisor

Dr. Scena Webb Auburn, WA

James,

I don't believe that it's too early for you to try and gain some momentum in your transition. Six months will fly by before you know it. Face-to-face is an excellent way to brand your skills with future employers. The Jacksonville area is a tough market because there is a heavy population of veterans in that area. What profession are you pursuing? I am open to communicating via Zoom to discuss more.

Veteran

James Hendrickson Jacksonville, FL

Thank you very much for the advice! I will make sure I put it to use.

Advisor

Emanuel Carpenter Alpharetta, GA

James - Unless you know the business owner or hiring manager personally, six months out is too early. However, I highly recommend you start to get an idea of what companies you want to work for. Look for their job postings on LinkedIn and start connecting with the hiring managers on the LinkedIn website. When you connect, ask for advice on how to get a job at that company without asking for a specific job. They will remember you when you start applying for jobs, when the time is right.

Hope this helps.

Advisor

Matt Dubois Dover, NH

James, in my experience, the two keys were networking and then using that network to request informational interviews. I went on half a dozen informational interviews and a few turned into job offers along the way. Applications sent to anything other than someone in your network generally have a single digit response rate. Networking is the foundation of it all.

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