High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: To Get Promoted, Get Feedback from Your Critics

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• To Get Promoted, Get Feedback from Your Critics: "Find adversaries who are critical, pinpoint specifics, and are nitpicky. But rather than having them point out your deficiencies, ask them to identify your strengths, and show them you’re committed to improving."

• 10 Things Job Seekers Are Tired of Hearing From Family and Friends: "To someone who isn't engaged in the daily slog of a job search, this question can sound innocent, but it can be exhausting to have to explain repeatedly that no, that job didn't come through."

• 5 Things Being a Marine Taught Me About Being an Entrepreneur: "Show up early. Do your homework. Take the extra time to do it right. These are things that are good advice no matter what your profession, but they are especially important when you are running a business."

• 5 Things Freelancers Do to Supercharge Their Careers: "Companies don’t always invest in sending employees to conferences, which is where they can network to advance in their field. (Many that do go are busy representing their company at the event and less focused on making connections to propel their own careers.)"
• 10 Job Skills Veterans are Great For: "LinkedIn analyzed the profiles of 1.1 million veterans in the workforce and found skills that they’re more likely to have compared with average LinkedIn users."

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: A New Mission for Veterans—Disaster Relief

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In this video, Jake Wood, co-founder and the president of the disaster relief nonprofit Team Rubicon, explains how military veterans can effectively contribute to disaster relief responses—and in the process, regain purpose, community, and self-worth.

Learn more in the video below:

High Five Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

Memorial Day Weekend Edition

With heartfelt gratitude for their outstanding service, bravery, and sacrifice, we dedicate this weekly roundup to our nation's veterans and active duty personnel who now look to transition from the armed services to the civilian workforce.

1. The Value of a Veteran in a Competitive Business Environment

This recent article on the Corporate Gray Blog cites a study of academic research by Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families titled The Business Case for Hiring a Veteran: Beyond the Clichés, which "supports a robust, specific, and compelling business case for hiring individuals with military background and experience."



2. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)

IAVA is the country's first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Among its many programs for vets and their families, IAVA's Combat to Careers initiative:

• provides free business suits to veterans
• helps hundreds of them navigate the job market at Smart Job Fairs
• offers critical training to vets through Google Resume Workshops
• advocates in government and business arenas on behalf of unemployed veterans
.
3. From Camo to Corporate: Transitioning from the Military to Corporate America

The blog Camo to Corporate serves as a forum of inspiring success stories, tips and advice, book reviews, as well as a collection of web links to military organizations, recruiting firms, and online resources to help veterans and active duty personnel transition successfully to careers in the civilian world.



4. Marine Executive Association (MEA)

MEA is a national, volunteer, non-profit organization of former and current active duty marines who provide transition assistance to fellow marines, such as:

• resume review
• job hunting and interview tips and techniques
• job posting by employers to the MEA web site
• resume posting by marines for employer download
• resume and interview coaching
.
5. Disney Kicks Off Career Expos for Returning Vets

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Walt Disney Co. announced the kickoff of a series of career expo events aimed at helping returning veterans make the transition to civilian life. The career expos are part of Disney's 2012 Heroes Work Here initiative to:

• provide at least 1,000 jobs and career opportunities for returning U.S. veterans over the next three years
• support military families and veterans during their transition into civilian life
• launch a national public awareness campaign to encourage all employers across the U.S. to hire veterans
.

High Five Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

1. Why Your Career is a Work in Progress
"'Finished' ought to be an F-word for all of us. Because when it comes to our career, we are all works in progress. Each day presents an opportunity to learn more, do more, be more, grow more, often in unexpected or unpredictable ways."

2. Five Tips from a Veteran Who Got a Job
"Many transitioning vets suffer from a 'grass is greener' perspective and focus on that one job they think they’d love. Get settled and take time to learn--you might love something you don’t even know about yet."

3. 6 Secrets for 'Six-Pack' Abs and Successful Job-Hunting
"In many ways, like fashion models, job seekers who areprofessionally “slim and trim,” and in obviously excellent “shape,” have a distinct advantage over those who are not."

4.  3 Tips for Recharging a Stalled Career  
"Don't let what seems like a dead end lead to your career's demise."

5. 5 Secrets to Quickly Land the Job
"The early bird really does get the worm. Half the jobs went to people who had applied in the first week."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

1. Back to Basics: The 15 Most Important Resume Tips for Young Professionals
"When you list bullet points under each job on your resume (and you should always list bullet points under each job), be sure to list the most important task, accomplishment or responsibility first."

2. Following Up After a Job Interview
" ... 22% of hiring managers dismiss candidates who don’t send a thank you note after the interview."

3. Find Your Superpower, Watch Your Career Take Flight
"Research suggests that leaders who identify their core strengths, and play to them, are more satisfied in their work and better paid."

4. What Every Job-Searching Veteran Needs to Know 
"A common problem for job-seeking veterans is helping civilian, non-military hiring managers understand their work history."

5. 5 Green Jobs that Will Increase in Demand
"As more companies strive to adhere to greener initiatives, you can guarantee that the need for individuals skilled in a variety of green technologies will grow significantly in the next couple of years."

5 Marketable Skills Every Veteran Possesses.

I spent two days last week at a veteran hiring event that was kicked off by multiple state senators, congressmen, and representatives. There were more than 150 employers at the event who expressed a dedication to hiring veterans. It was a well-attended successful event.

Throughout the event, the focus was on the inherent benefits an employer gets from hiring veterans. I want to point out what I think are the 5 most marketable skills that every veteran develops during their career of military service. Use these selling points to set yourself apart from the competition during your military transition job search process.

Leadership
Once a military member leaves their entry-level rank, they are often tasked with leadership. Whether mentoring and supervising junior military members or managing tasks, the military teaches excellent leadership skills. Managing for results, especially in challenging or difficult situations, is the backbone of the military.

Teamwork
There is no stronger sense of loyalty, camaraderie, and dedication to your team mates than in the military. Very few tasks are undertaken alone and almost nothing is achieved solo in the military. Team work is essential to a successful military career. Where else can you see such a diverse group of people come together to achieve so much success than in the military?

Efficiency Under Pressure
Working under tight deadlines, working with limited resources, and getting the job done under adverse conditions is all part of a day’s work in the military. There is no overtime in the military, there is only stay until the job gets done – no matter how long the work day may be. Work ethic and military experience must go hand-in-hand.

Respect
Respect for – and accountability to – authority, policies, and procedures is ingrained in military members. Military members know the importance of following procedures, regulations, and policies – as it can be the difference between life and death in many situations. Veterans also understand where they fit in an organization and the importance of respecting authority and the leadership structure.

Ability to Overcome Adversity
Stamina, flexibility, strength, dedication, focus, persistence, and determination are all words that come to mind to describe the military work ethic. Veterans often have a “can-do” attitude, usually because failure is simply not an option when talking about the obstacles they must overcome every day.