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I have unique skillsets that I need help illustrating on paper as well as verbally

Veteran

RODERICK WILLIAMS Germantown, MD

I would like to talk with anyone about this.

20 November 2020 4 replies Career Advancement

Answers

Advisor

Jeff Martin Ashburn, VA

I’d suggest that you network at the target company or industry. Use LinkedIn to find people already working there and reach out to them. Ask them the process they used to get hired and ask them to help you navigate the hiring process and if they are willing, ask them to submit you as a referral. These activities require much more time on your part but in my opinion would greatly increase your chances for success. Good luck!

Advisor

Thom Roose Ft Mitchell, KY

Specialist Williams- As a former field artilleryman, I understand how hard it is to translate what we do ("blow stuff up") into civilian-speak. First and foremost, have one of your non-military buddies review the resume, or share it with any of us via ACP. We're happy to help with the translation. But in general, and most importantly, you need to remember that even though a skill doesn't seem relevant to civilians, it really can be. For example, in artillery an E4 might be the Number Two man on a howitzer. He preps and fuzes the rounds prior to firing. Not very applicable to, say, Microsoft. But on a resume he can say that he "ensured specific technical requirements were set and performed quality and control checks prior to execution." Or, "critical member of the team responsible for the first phase of the service line, upon which mission success was reliant." It may sound flowery, but everything we did in the army can translate in some way. Just need to get out of the mindset of how it served the army, and into how it could serve the civilian world. Think about what is important to companies- teamwork, quality, on-time delivery, leadership, project management, organization, tech enablement, etc. If you focus your resume bullets in those terms, and fit your skills into them, you should have no problem. Good luck, and if there is a way to connect privately, I'm happy to help further!

Advisor

Jim Schreier Milwaukee, WI

Always willing to help with this -- plus information that I've directed to veterans' issues on 212-careers.com. Could definitely start by reviewing your resume for you. Please send a copy to me.

Advisor

James Watters Norman, OK

Specialist Williams -
Of course it would help to answer your question if you would have described your skill set. My advice would be to search the Internet, describing these skills in detail. On paper, focus on how these skills could solve business problems and help companies achieve their objectives.
Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. Good luck.

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