John Abernathy ⋅ San Francisco, CA U.S. Army, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 6 years served

From my experience it is mostly just a marketing campaign, especially with big corporations. A number of vet friends of mine from MBA schools have been hired at the big investment banks and been put on tracks where they don't get substantive work and basically don't have any chance to really make it. A few have been more successful, but honestly I think it's 90% PR.

The biggest joke of all are these pledges to hire 'X number of veterans' by certain companies. The websites are a joke and the placement opportunities are pretty uniformly awful. So many of my classmates have applied to dozens of jobs and heard absolutely nothing. Nothing.

At least ACP is honest that they are only a mentoring program and not about jobs. It's sad that that's all that these major companies are willing to do, but so be it. Glad we vets can help their public image!

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

Reggie,
Focus on your goals, and what you can influence or control.

Here are several actionable suggestions:

* If you have not yet done so, request a formal one-on-one mentor from ACP.

Work with advisors and mentors (your university's career center and alumni network should be able to help) and develop:

* career goals

* a message that concisely and effectively communicates the benefits and skills you offer to potential employers.

* an 8-10 second "opening benefits statement" (what benefits do you offer to an employer?)

* a 30-second "elevator speech"
see:
http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=4466143&type=member&item=276992091&qid=4a4286f3-2f1b-407b-87d3-a1f26b52d888&goback=%2Egmr_4466143%2Egde_4466143_member_5791772078784929792%2Egmr_4466143%2Egde_4466143_member_278128667%2Egmr_4466143

* a personal "networking plan"
see: http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=277096830&gid=4466143&commentID=5791700807355224064&goback=&trk=NUS_DIG_DISC_Q-

* join a local toastmasters.org chapter near employers to network and improve your public speaking skills
see:
http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=4466143&type=member&item=278128667&qid=8131a75b-2093-4bae-8f15-39c0f5938162&goback=%2Egmr_4466143%2Egde_4466143_member_5791772078784929792%2Egmr_4466143

* an effective online profile and 1-page resume

* if you are seeking a civilian career, change your online profile photos to a photo in professionally appropriate civilian attire

* buy an old-fashioned pen and paper, take a few days, and read through prior discussion on this board and others - there's a lot of great information on these boards and an abundance of resources and people willing to help. Again, focus on your goals, and what you can do to achieve your goals.

Seth Mitchell ⋅

Reggie: thank you for your service to our Country. The answer to your question is absolutely, veterans are incredibly valuable to the private sector because of the training, skills, and experiences that one can bring to the table, strictly in the generic sense.

But you ask the wrong question. What you should be asking is: do employers want Reggie!

Being a veteran sometimes will get you in the door, but to be hired, you, Reggie, will have to be the competitive candidate based upon a matching of your background and interests and the requirements of the specific role for which you are interviewing.

So, what is it that you want to do, and why do you feel you are qualified to move into that role? That is the right strategy for you to start thinking about to help you land your dream job.

Best wishes for success,

Seth Mitchell, CFA

Joel Greene ⋅ Canton, GA International Sales Network, Inc. ⋅ 29 years experience

Senior Airman Lee, while it's difficult to properly answer your question with any degree of assuredness, based primarily on the wide range of potential Employers who have purportedly expressed a desire to want to hire our nation's Military Veterans, as a hiring representative of our company I can assure you that our interest in working with Veterans is sincere based on our belief that a person with a lengthy Military background will have been trained to demonstrate certain qualities that we believe are critical to one achieving success in the for-profit sector.

These personal attributes include, but are not restricted to, the following: Mental discipline; Intestinal fortitude; An ability to respond logically when faced with a pressure packed situation, and; Social skills, including courtesy and manners when interacting with others within a business environment.

Senior Airman Lee, these are but some of the attributes that we feel a Veteran will likely be able to provide our company with when he is afforded an opportunity to serve our valued Customers.

Reggie, please feel free to contact me directly if you'd like to explore what our company has to offer. San Antonio and the Hill Country is a wonderful place to be situated.

Best of luck in completing your academic pursuits at U of T-SA.

Ron Abrahamson ⋅ Maywood, NJ UPS ⋅ 18 years experience

A lot of good suggestions / comments here. Certainly the advice from Tom Cal is critical to moving to the private sector. The most critical thing (my opinion) to understand is a business in the private sector (of any type) is there to make money. Their bottom line being red or black will shape their decisions. I have always looked at my own military service as a compliment to the skills an employor wants, not the primary sales pitch.

Finding a good job is very hard. It can take time and you might need to hop from one thing to another to reach your goal, but keep your eye on the ball and keep positive. We all get upset and setbacks will happen, but keep moving forward. That is the one attribute learned from the military that will prove most beneficial.

Michael Morgan ⋅ Olympia, WA U.S. Army, Chief Warrant Officer ⋅ 9 years served

Just my experience as I go through this process. I would flush all aspects of how you fit into the military (rank, experience) from your mind and work on extracting aspects of career progression and level of responsibility from it. That is not enough for a resume though. You need to articulate measures of success. Winning a board, earning a coin, awards etc don't mean much unless you are talking to a veteran. Earning your Bachelors degree is a great step, but that is entry-level for most civilian/corporate jobs. Many are looking for specific skills and experiences for those looking for management or mid-level positions. However, all is not lost.

I can't stress this enough - NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK.

If you are wanting to get into a non-entry position outside of government and contracting then you will need to build relationships. A 1 or 2 page resume will not sell you and the many soft skills you have acquired.

Speaking specifically about companies and their Veteran hiring, I would say that it caters towards junior and first-term soldiers that have flexibility and are willing to learn a new skill and/or relocate as needed (This is the bulk of available Veterans and it is the group with the highest unemployment). Mid-career and senior level service members have become accustomed to a much higher salary and level of responsibility than they may be able to attain in the transition.

I am a firm believer that there will be a suck it up period once transitioning. But after the first year, many of the skills learned and acquired in the military will quickly become evident and position you for success and outpacing your peers.

Good luck and stay hungry!
Mike

Blair Tolbard ⋅ Woodstown, NJ NUB ⋅ 36 years experience

Preparation and execution. Just like any other mission.

You joined the service because you are the kind of person that puts the welfare of others ahead of your own. You truly understand the power of the 'TEAM' and, very early in life, you were asked to be a leader.

It sounds like college after the military was right for you. Neither your college degree or your military service are a guarantee that you will get a job. Companies have no obligation to hire Veterans. There is no law stating that Veterans get special treatment. Just about every college graduate today ends up with either no job or a job they feel is way below their desired level of both pay and responsibility. This has become the norm. The question is, what is your next step. Your next job. If there is a secret sauce to finding a great job it has two ingredients:

1. you have to differentiate yourself, and,
2. you have to get others to recommend you

If you are still in college then find an internship, even an unpaid one, just get yourself established as a civilian resource. If you have already graduated then you need to put yourself in play. Tons of networking advice already stated here, all of it is good but you need to have a plan and stay focused. Being a Veteran makes you part of an Affinity Group, one that happens to have the largest number of resources to network with on the planet. Don't rely on it to get you a job but do use it to get introduced to someone you want to meet.

Graham Odenyo ⋅ Lithonia, GA Strategic Alliances / Affordable Mobile ⋅ 7 years experience

Reggie,

There are tons of employers looking to hire military veterans , you just need to know where to find them. Go to http://www.hirepatriots.com/SA , and click on the job board banners on the website.

Graham Odenyo

Mark Layne ⋅ Cumming, GA Verizon ⋅ 28 years experience

Reggie many thanks for your service. Your military service commitment is what gets you in the door; next your willingness to be a team player, fitting in, and able to perform/train for the job function are what prospective employers are looking for. The previous posts here have provided some very good recommendations on being competitive, and making yourself standout as the candidate.

I have worked for Verizon now for 20 years, having served 11 years in the AF, and know that as company there is huge push to hire Veterans.w for 20 years. One of the main areas that I always used to evaluate potential candidates was their desire and willingness to do what is needed in perform the job, ie advanced education, training, and certifications.

My suggestion is to look at companies like Verizon, if interested. All the best for the upcoming year ! Mark Layne - Sr SW / Technical Engineer.

Mark Russell ⋅ Altamonte Springs, FL Hewlett Packard ⋅ 20 years experience

Hello Reggie: Personally, and I think it does come down to the hiring managers in each firm, no matter what edict from on-high. I look for Veterans first in my list as I've had the best success with ex-service members in career advancement and willingness to get the job done. However, we also have to look at overall fit and fit with our customers when making these decisions. I recommend that you spend a bit of time with a civilian employer either in HR or in a direct hire department and get a sense for the skills, personalities, policies and see if these are things you can accommodate in your post Service life. It may take some getting used too on both sides. Thank you for your service and all of your future contributions. Regards, Mark Russell, Program/Project Manager, HP.

Reggie Lee ⋅ San Antonio, TX U.S. Air Force, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 4 years served

Thank you all... Appreciate all the comments!

Janine Buck ⋅ Baton Rouge, LA ⋅ 1 years experience

I personally feel that there are not enough applicants in my field that are veterans. I am very patriotic and I love the opportunity to speak with those who have served. It shows a lot of character and discipline.

Marc Newsome ⋅ West Monroe, NY CSX Railroad ⋅ 6 years experience

YES try GI jobs for Employers

Reggie Lee ⋅ San Antonio, TX U.S. Air Force, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 4 years served

Thank you.

Casey Neff ⋅ Glastonbury, CT Travelers ⋅ 7 years experience

Reggie, frankly, some companies will hype it because it sounds good for marketing, but they don't really put any energy into it. Look at some sites like Military.com and look at the companies they list as veteran-friendly. These companies make an effort to find, groom and hire veterans. I'd start with them, if any interest you. Tom Cal's advice above is also sound; get a mentor from ACP to work with.

Reggie Lee ⋅ San Antonio, TX U.S. Air Force, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 4 years served

Mr. Cal,

Thank you for your suggestions!