Jamie Doud ⋅ Houston, TX JRD Consulting; (Prior): Easton Sports ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Richard, thank you for your service to our country, my Father was in the USAF.

I've been in H/R, recruiting, accounting/finance, and general business with large companies, including my own consulting business (30 years total).

I always tell people to pursue what they are passionate about, and work in a career that they really enjoy getting up every morning to go and work at. But people also need to bring a paycheck home and pay the bills. So you need to decide if you are in a finanically secure place for a period of time where you can afford to continue to go after your "dream job"? * I think you've selected a fairly strong AAS degree, due to the shift from paper to computer for medical information, and the "baby boomers" such as my self who are using an ever increasing amount of medical care.

With that said, here's some general suggestions that only you will know how to interpret and potentially use in your particular situation and life.

1) Make sure your resume is a concise (1-2 pages max), focused, chronological review of your experience, skills, education, goals, and make sure to "motivate" and catch the eye of potential employers in your opening paragraph. Make sure all is accurate and truthful. *You can have as many "different" resumes as you need to make sure you target the specific industry/job you are applying to. Make sure to have the proper "buzz" words in your resume that the prospective employer provided in their job description (most big companies have computer systems that "data mine" for key buzz words, and they find the resumes that match their needs, and send them to the recruiter/hiring manager for review; the others that don't, end up in the trash can).

Make sure to have a 1 page "generic" cover letter that you will modify each and every time to the specific company/job you are applying to. Make sure it matches the info in your resume. Most recruiters won't even review resumes without an up to date, specific cover letter.

2) Once you have a strong resume, make sure to get your profile up on LinkedIn (LI). Make sure your LI profile matches the info in your resume. Keep LI up to date at all times. You can connect with other people, network, look for jobs, etc. It's the best place to do all of these things in my opinion.

3) Try finding several temporary work agencies or staffing firms (specific to your AAS, etc if that is your goal.) that may be able to get you a temp or part-time job in the medical coding/billing arena. That may allow you to get a foot in the door to something bigger, and allow you to get some experience on your resume.

4) Try doing some volunteer work with your AAS in a non-profit hospital, etc., and get some experience, and maybe get a lead on something you may be interested in.

5) Network, network, network as much as you can with friends, other like minded professinals (google groups that may be in your particular AAS field, etc.). Join a professional organization that fits your goals (I belong to two HR groups: SHRM and HR Houston).

That' it, Richard good luck with all, and hang in there, and keep a posative mental attitude.

Jamie Doud

Richard Gummere ⋅ Terre Haute, IN U.S. Army National Guard, Sergeant ⋅ 22 years served

Phil, I have my A&P license. I went to an aviation maintenance school after my first MOS was eliminated. After school, I enlisted in the Guard where I was qualified to work on the OH-58 A/C, UH-1H, and the UH-60. Some of the AH-1 mechanics would let me assist when they needed it. Civilian experience is on Cessna 152, Boeing 727, 737, and 757, and Lockheed L-1011 Thanks for your input.

Phil C. ⋅ Fort Worth, TX ⋅ 3 years experience

Richard,

I'm a former Army aircraft maintainer like you, and I would recommend sticking with the aviation field. If you have VA educational benefits left, I would recommend an A&P license, BS in aviation maintenance management, or engineering. What platforms did you work on?

Richard Gummere ⋅ Terre Haute, IN U.S. Army National Guard, Sergeant ⋅ 22 years served

Thanks to Jamie, Charles, and Christine for the advice. I'll work on building my networking base. I was just wondering though that my experience in the medical field is limited to school and an externship that when the hiring managers see my mechanical background they view that as a negative?

Christine Pouliot ⋅ Big Lake, MN Evocent Coaching Inc ⋅ 35 years experience

Richard, thank you for your service! As Jamie says, Network, network, network. Reach out to the hiring managers before you submit your resume. Get information interviews. Connect on linked in to someone in the target company and get introduced. If they have spoken to you when they see your resume they are more likely to take the time to read it. They say 80% of jobs are filled through networking. Good luck

Charles Ferree ⋅ Charleston, SC Boeing ⋅ 6 years experience

Richard
Thank you for your service.
I would think that the college would have a job placement team to help in the transition once students are ready to graduate. See if this school has one, they should be able to help

Take a look at your resume. Whatever job you apply for, ensure that all bullet points are geared towards that job (contruction and aircraft maintenance are far from medical coding, and while I am sure that you excelled at those jobs, they are far different that what a potential employer in the medical field is looking for)
Look at the job description of the position that you are applying for and also look at the qualifications that they want you to have. Gear your resume towards that

Good Luck