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
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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
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The Top 3 Marketable Skills for Veteran's Spouses

In an earlier blog post, I addressed the most marketable skills that military service members possess. However, what about their spouses? I truly believe it takes a special kind of person to be a military spouse. The spouse may not serve in the military, but they are affected by the service nonetheless. Here is a list of what skills I believe most every veteran's spouse can market.

Adaptability and Flexibility
Adaptability can be defined as the ability to adjust to different conditions. Flexibility is the capability to bend, modify, or adapt without "breaking." The military spouse often follows their service member from one location to another, across the U.S. and worldwide. Throughout this process they learn to change, adapt, and modify to whatever situation, conditions, or location in which they may find themselves. This can bring value to a company by being open to change, being able to "hit the ground running," and being open to new policy, procedure, or technology.

Initiative
Military service members work long hours and can be deployed for months or years at a time. The spouse who is left at home must take the initiative to care for the home and the family if they have one. No matter what comes their way, military spouses find a way to overcome challenges. I find most military spouses to be incredibly self-sufficient and strong-willed. A military spouse seems to naturally have a can-do attitude that translates well into the job market and can add value to most any employer.

Organization and Efficiency
When you have to move your family and household from Arizona to Korea and then to Washington, D.C. within the span of 18 months, you learn to become organized and efficient in order to make the process go as smoothly as possible. Military spouses learn to plan, they learn to organize, and they learn to streamline. Otherwise, when they do have to move (and they inevitably will have to) the process would be unbearably difficult. These planning and organizational skills combined with a common dedication to efficiency can offer unlimited benefits to an employer.

Career Advice for the Military Spouse

If you are married to a military service member, you don’t have control over where or when you will move. However, you can take control of your career. Following these tips will give you a head-start on your next transition.

Be Proactive
With the use of the internet, the job search possibilities have widened. As soon as you find out your next assignment, proactively begin to research employers in the area. Use social networking tools such as www.linkedin.com and www.facebook.com to gain entry to the local network. Start by connecting with people and building a support network before you even get to the new location.

Identify Your Skills
As a military spouse, you have a skill set that is all your own. You are flexible to new environments, you have the ability to quickly adapt, and you are resilient. In addition to these skills, identify what you bring to the table in terms of transferable skills and personal traits. It is very difficult to sell a product – yourself – if you don’t know its features and benefits.

Volunteer
Being perceived as a job hopper is one of the biggest challenges of being a military spouse. To counteract this, consider volunteering your time to build some consistency on your resume. Whether you volunteer with your children’s school, lead a Girl Scout troop, or work with local women’s shelters, build a consistent theme of making a difference and adding accomplishments to your resume.

Consider Alternative Employment Options
You may consider starting your own business and working from home. Starting an eBay store or contracting for a medical billing company can be done no matter your geographic location. Self-employment is not for everyone, but it is another option to consider.

Focus Military-friendly Companies
Consider working for the federal government. Once you enter the federal employment system it is much easier to transfer among your locations. Alternatively, Military Spouse magazine (www.milspouse.com) publishes an annual list of military-friendly companies. Among them are USAA, Home Depot, Re/Max, U-Haul, and HealthNet Corporation. Working for a company that understands, and embraces, the military culture will make your transition easier.