You must approach the description and translation of your military responsibilities, experiences, and accomplishments in the proper manner to perspective employers. I am a Veteran of the US Army Reserves and currently a San Francisco City Planner. Here is my “By a Veteran, For Veterans,” job search guide:<\/b><\/p>\n
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If a hiring manager has to read through four pages of a resume<\/a> to quickly figure out a quick sense of your job history and your education, you\u2019re doing it wrong!<\/p>\n To make your resume more concise and comprehensible, use bullet points<\/b>:<\/p>\n Chronological job listing is NOT a requirement<\/b>; especially if it doesn’t pertain to the job you are applying for. You can put previous jobs in order of relevance, especially if you recently took a part time temp job<\/a> to make ends meet, but you\u2019ve had more substantial\/relevant jobs a year or two ago.<\/p>\n Education versus work experience.\u00a0<\/b>If new to workforce, education should come at the top of the resume, then experience. If your school experience involved hands-on application relevant to the job, then mention it.<\/p>\n State accomplishments in numbers\/scale;<\/b>\u00a0whether $$$, number of people managed, square footage built, state the measurements of what is measurable. For example: You were a Finance Clerk in the Military. An employer has no idea from that title if you handed out $20 bills to buy stuff from the Post Exchange or if you balance ledger books for million dollar accounts.<\/p>\n Save the resume as a PDF<\/b>. Don’t hire a resume writer; it’s often a waste of $100-200.<\/p>\n Military Supervision\/Management experience.<\/b> Explain your rank and the size of any group you led. Were you akin to a Supervisor, a manager, or CEO?<\/p>\n Most civilian managers don’t know what a Sergeant or Captain means. If you indicate you lead a squad or platoon, they don\u2019t know if that means 5 or 50 soldiers.<\/p>\n Did you engage in counseling, write performance or counseling reviews? If so, convey that!<\/p>\n Many employers assume it\u2019s all akin to boot camp and you yell all day, when it came to supervisory experience in the military. Highlight your ability to engage in effective written counseling. Brag (mildly) if you improved outcomes or morale.<\/p>\n You’re a bit special; your experience might make some managers awkward about asking questions (so you\u2019re not alone in terms of comfort level).<\/p>\n Hiring managers<\/a> with no military experience might wonder: if you come back \u201cunable to deal\u201d with the lack of a strict work structure; can you function amongst a lot of hippies\/hipsters? Play up the fact that you probably dealt with all types in the military. If you think it will work with the interviewer use sports analogies at times.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t use military acronyms. If you use terms that sound \u201cunique\u201d then put a short explanation next to it. For example:<\/p>\n \u201cPsychological Operations (battlefield public relations\/media engagement)\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n Create a LinkedIn profile<\/a>. Remove\/block photos of you acting a fool on social media sites. Don’t be afraid of establishing a professional facing profile on Twitter<\/a> or Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you do all this, and you don’t have someone else, who is a professional, read your resume, then you’re wasting your time. Don\u2019t be shy about asking. If you don\u2019t know anyone personally, and you\u2019re in a small town, check with the EDD (Employment Development Department, or organizations like Kiwanis, Rotary, the Chamber of Commerce<\/a>, etc.). They\u2019re often looking for opportunities to connect with and mentor vets.<\/p>\n Intel.<\/b> Use Google.com\/alerts<\/a> to receive an email every time a search term shows up online. Follow a company or field and receive emails about it automatically from Google. Read the mission statement of the company<\/a> you\u2019re applying to (often in the \u201cAbout Us\u201d portion of the website). Follow interesting companies on LinkedIn, Twitter, and\/or Facebook (people sometimes notice it then reach out to you).<\/p>\n Volunteer or intern<\/b>. UnitedWay, Friends of the Library, Veteran’s Affairs, Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross, County Parks, City Hall, local Federal agencies like a nearby National Park. Sometimes, what starts out as an unpaid internship can turn to a paid opportunity.<\/p>\n Practice!<\/b> Print out some interview questions<\/a>\u00a0and ask your friend to interview you or record yourself. Reduce your likelihood of using words like \u201cum,\u201d or rambling.<\/p>\n Spell check<\/b>\u00a0every resume, cover letter, and email to the company!<\/p>\n White space!<\/b> Leave some room on your resume<\/a> so it doesn\u2019t have an overwhelming sense of being too full of text. Print it out and take a look at your resume. There is no magic rule on the number of pages (less is more), but generally the first page should convey a fairly complete sense of relevant<\/b> job history and education. If needed, try to only use the 2nd<\/sup> page to list certifications, and other less relevant jobs.<\/p>\n Include the same keywords<\/b> in your resume (to the extent relevant) that are in the job description (e.g. technical qualifications\/concepts, lead, manage, supervise).<\/p>\n Strongly advise against expensive private schools in combination with private loans. Be very skeptical on job placement claims. Always ask for increases in Subsidized Stafford versus Unsubsidized Stafford loans whenever job or medical or family expenses change for worse.\u00a0Do not be afraid to ask for assistance\/scholarships<\/b>. It\u2019s a hand-up, not a handout. You\u2019ll do far more for yourself, and your Country if you take advantage of any assistance now and succeed in the long run.<\/p>\n Did you come back from serving, act a fool one night, and get caught up with a misdemeanor? If so, get it expunged<\/b>. Start the paperwork 2-3 months before you are off probation. If you need help, write a letter asking your County\u2019s public defender if they have a \u201cClean Slate” (San Francisco Example: http:\/\/sfpublicdefender.org\/services\/clean-slate\/<\/a>),\u00a0or similar program. Check with local law firms (written letter, not a phone call\/email), if they do any pro bono (free) legal work with Vets. You\u2019d be surprised how often they just might say yes.<\/p>\n Dress Code<\/b>. Even if it\u2019s some funky\/hip company and they all wear jeans, you\u2019re still wearing<\/a> a suit to the first interview. No sport watch, white socks, or funky ties.<\/p>\n Your turn: when you are asked if you have any questions during the interview, don\u2019t ask about salary or hours. Instead, ask for a description of workplace culture<\/a> and priorities<\/b>. Ask what would make a person successful in this position. Show an interest in any interesting mentions that came up earlier.<\/p>\n Consider taking notes during interview<\/b>. Often times you\u2019ll receive a two-part question. The trick is making sure to look down at your notes and not forget to answer the second part of the question.<\/p>\n Send a thank you letter<\/b>; by email OR written letter. Yes, it may seem cheesy, but it\u2019s important. I\u2019ve seen an example where a Vet was only contacted after the interview because he sent in a thank you letter. Or times when the Vet didn\u2019t get the specific job they applied for but received a call months later because another position opened up. Don\u2019t ramble in your letter, but use two or three bullet points in your letter as an opportunity to build upon the interview.<\/p>\n Don’t use the phrase \u201creferences available<\/a> upon request.\u201d<\/b>\u00a0If you are asked for a list of references before\/after the interview, then list their contact information and also include two to three sentences about how you interacted with them. Did you report to them? Was that person a peer who can speak to your ability to work in a team?<\/p>\n Team\u2026<\/b> highlight your ability to work in a team environment (often with folks you would have never known had you not joined the military) and what you specifically contributed to the team, especially if the job involves small team groupings.<\/p>\n Get excited about the next phase of your career. <\/b>Opportunity is out there. Don’t believe me? Check out tech resources for vets<\/a>, TED talks for job search inspiration<\/a>,\u00a0these job and skill specific job sites<\/a>, or VetNet (Hire Heroes USA and Google’s Partnership to Help Veterans)<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stay the course, and stay on point.\u00a0Finding a career is a job in itself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SmartRecruiters<\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0the hiring platform with everything you need to source talent, manage candidates, and make the right hires.<\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You must approach the description and translation of your military responsibilities, experiences, and accomplishments in the proper manner to perspective employers. I am a Veteran of the US Army Reserves and currently a San Francisco City Planner. Here is my “By a Veteran, For Veterans,” job search guide:","protected":false},"author":192,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":""},"categories":[840,838],"tags":[],"series":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Podcast-icon.jpg","download_link":false,"player_link":false,"audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/hiring-success-podcast\/id1472174987","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9oaXJpbmdzdWNjZXNzcG9kY2FzdC5jYXN0b3MuY29tL2hpcmluZy1zdWNjZXNzLXBvZGNhc3Q","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"soundcloud":{"key":"soundcloud","url":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/smartrecruiters\/sets\/hiring-success-podcast-1","label":"SoundCloud","class":"soundcloud","icon":"soundcloud.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/3bM8YzLjM2G9qJXLBBySaB","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast","embedCode":"\n
Bravo<\/h1>\n
Charlie<\/h1>\n
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Delta<\/h1>\n
Echo<\/h1>\n
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Foxtrot<\/h1>\n
Golf<\/h1>\n
Hotel<\/h1>\n
India<\/h1>\n
Juliet<\/h1>\n
Kilo<\/h1>\n
Lima<\/h1>\n
Mike<\/h1>\n
November<\/h1>\n
October<\/h1>\n
Papa<\/h1>\n
Quebec<\/h1>\n
Romeo<\/h1>\n
Sierra<\/h1>\n
Tango<\/h1>\n
Uniform<\/h1>\n
Victor<\/h1>\n
Whiskey<\/h1>\n
X-ray<\/h1>\n
Yankee<\/h1>\n
Zulu<\/h1>\n
\nOmar Masry<\/a>, AICP, is a Planner at City and County \u00a0of San Francisco, and Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.<\/p>\n‘By a Veteran, For Veterans’ Job Search Guide<\/a><\/blockquote>