“SERVICE MEMBERS ACQUIRE SKILLS DURING THEIR MILITARY CAREERS THAT BRING VALUE AND DIVERSE EXPERIENCE TO THE WORKPLACE,” SAYS UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX ASSOCIATE REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT AND U.S. ARMY COLONEL (RET.) GARLAND WILLIAMS. “BUT SOME MEN AND WOMEN LEAVING THE SERVICE MAY NOT KNOW HOW TO MARKET THEIR SKILLS AS THEY TRANSITION TO CIVILIAN JOBS, AND MAY THEREFORE TAKE JOBS THAT DO NOT LEVERAGE THEIR UNIQUE EXPERIENCE.”

 

THE SURVEY REVEALS A HIGH PERCENTAGE (EIGHT-IN-TEN) OF ACTIVE-DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS FACE SUBSTANTIAL CHALLENGES IN LOOKING FOR JOBS AND MANAGING THEIR CAREERS. SURVEY PARTICIPANTS SPECIFICALLY REPORT NEEDING HELP WITH INTERVIEWING, NETWORKING WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS, CAREER PLANNING, FINDING AVAILABLE POSITIONS, CONNECTING WITH EMPLOYERS, AND DEVELOPING RESUMES AND/OR COVER LETTERS. MOREOVER, THE SURVEY SUGGESTS MILITARY MEMBERS MAY NOT BE PREPARED TO FACE THESE CHALLENGES – ONLY ONE-THIRD REPORT HAVING MADE A TRANSITION PLAN FOR RETURNING TO CIVILIAN LIFE AFTER SEPARATION FROM THE MILITARY.

 

HARRIS INTERACTIVE CONDUCTED THE ONLINE SURVEY OF MORE THAN 1,000 ADULTS WHO ARE SERVING OR HAVE SERVED IN A BRANCH OF THE U.S. MILITARY ON BEHALF OF UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX.

 

ACTIVE-DUTY AND FORMER MILITARY MEMBERS APPROPRIATELY IDENTIFY MARKETABLE SKILLS MILITARY THAT ARE MOST BENEFICIAL TO CIVILIAN EMPLOYERS, GIVEN THE ADEQUATE TRANSITION SUPPORT AND PLACEMENT. THEY ARE: RESPONSIBILITY, TEAMWORK, THE ABILITY TO WORK UNDER PRESSURE, ACCOUNTABILITY, LEADERSHIP, PROBLEM-SOLVING, COMMUNICATION, AND CRITICAL THINKING.

 

TIPS FOR MILITARY CAREER TRANSITIONING

ACCORDING TO WILLIAMS, WHO TRANSITIONED FROM THE MILITARY TO A CIVILIAN CAREER FIVE YEARS AGO, MANY THINGS CAN BE DONE TO HELP SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS CHANNEL SKILLS DEVELOPED DURING THEIR MILITARY TENURE INTO PRODUCTIVE CAREERS THAT ARE ALIGNED WITH THESE SKILLS. HE OFFERS THE FOLLOWING TIPS:

 

• START EARLY. BEGIN THE TRANSITION PROCESS FROM MILITARY TO CIVILIAN LIFE AS EARLY AS TWO YEARS BEFORE BEING DISCHARGED. PLANNING AND PREPARATION ARE CRUCIAL WHEN IT COMES TO JOB SEARCH. SERVICE MEMBERS SHOULD START TALKING TO THEIR MILITARY PEERS WHO RECENTLY MADE TRANSITIONS TO GARNER ADDITIONAL BEST PRACTICES, AND TO NETWORK TO LEARN ABOUT OPEN JOBS WITH HIRING EMPLOYERS.

• RESEARCH YOUR OPTIONS. UTILIZE ONLINE TOOLS TO INVESTIGATE DEGREE PROGRAMS AND POSSIBLE CAREER PATHS. THE UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX MILITARY SKILLS TRANSLATOR TOOL TAKES A SERVICE MEMBER’S MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY CODE AND PROVIDES A LIST OF CIVILIAN OCCUPATIONS THAT CORRELATE TO THE JOB SKILL SETS THE SERVICE MEMBER GAINED WHILE IN THE MILITARY. EACH MILITARY OCCUPATION IS LINKED DIRECTLY TO LABOR MARKET DATA TO GIVE SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS DETAILED INFORMATION FOR EACH OCCUPATION THAT MAY APPLY TO THEIR SKILL SETS. THE UNIVERSITY ALSO OFFERS MILITARY STUDENTS AND ALUMNI ACCESS TO ADDITIONAL RESOURCES INCLUDING A RESUME BUILDER, CAREER COACHING, AND LINKS TO CURRENT AND RECENT JOB OPPORTUNITIES FROM EMPLOYERS SPECIFICALLY INTERESTED IN HIRING MILITARY VETERANS.

• BRUSH UP ON YOUR CAREER-SEARCH SKILLS. VISIT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR’S TRANSITIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TAP) AT HTTP://WWW.DOL.GOV/VETS/PROGRAMS/TAP/. TAP PROVIDES SOON-TO-BE DISCHARGED OR RETIRED SERVICE MEMBERS HELPFUL INFORMATION AND WORKSHOPS ON JOB SEARCHING, RESUME AND COVER LETTER WRITING, INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES. AND CAREER DECISION MAKING.

• SPEAK THE LANGUAGE. COMMUNICATE MILITARY EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING WITH WORDS, NOT ACRONYMS, WHICH MAY NOT TRANSLATE ON A RESUME. SERVICE MEMBERS SHOULD PROMOTE UNIVERSAL SKILLS SUCH AS LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, COOPERATION, TEAMWORK, AND STRATEGIC THINKING. MENTION THESE ATTRIBUTES IN THE COVER LETTER AND RESUME ALONGSIDE ALL TECHNICAL SKILLS. ONCE IN THE INTERVIEW, BE PREPARED FOR A DYNAMIC AND POTENTIALLY MORE INFORMAL CONVERSATION THAN WHAT YOU EXPERIENCED IN THE SERVICE. MILITARY PERSONNEL TEND TO BE VERY DIRECT AND STRAIGHTFORWARD, BUT THE CIVILIAN BUSINESS WORLD IS OPEN TO MORE CASUAL AND CONVERSATIONAL INTERACTIONS.

• DON’T BE AFRAID TO TAKE CREDIT.AS EVERY PROUD SERVICE MEMBER KNOWS, THERE IS A “WE” VS. “ME” MENTALITY IN THE MILITARY—A FOCUS ON THE TEAM AND WHAT IT COLLECTIVELY ACCOMPLISHES. THE ABILITY TO WORK IN A TEAM IS IMPORTANT TO COMMUNICATE, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO BE WILLING TO BRAG ABOUT YOURSELF IN A JOB INTERVIEW. THIS MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR SOMEONE UNACCUSTOMED TO SELF-PROMOTION. BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS YOUR OWN CONTRIBUTIONS AND RESULTS. WHEN YOU DISCUSS YOUR EXPERIENCE, MIX IN THE APPROPRIATE “I” ALONG WITH THE “WE.”

• CONSIDER FLEXIBLE EDUCATION PROGRAMS. EDUCATION CAN HELP YOU ADDRESS KNOWLEDGE GAPS AND BETTER UNDERSTAND AND PREPARE FOR FUTURE CAREERS. ACCORDING TO THE SURVEY, MORE THAN THREE QUARTERS OF ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS ARE CURRENTLY PURSUING ADDITIONAL EDUCATION OR PLAN TO AFTER THEIR SERVICE. THE MAJORITY (77%) SAY THEY ARE AT LEAST SOMEWHAT LIKELY TO PURSUE ONLINE EDUCATION AND CITE THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS TO DOING SO: THE ABILITY TO GO TO SCHOOL WHILE ON ACTIVE DUTY OR IN A CIVILIAN JOB, THE ABILITY TO LEARN FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, FLEXIBLE DAILY/WEEKLY STUDY SCHEDULES, A WIDE RANGE OF DEGREE PROGRAMS, BEING IN CLASS WITH STUDENTS WITH DIVERSE EXPERIENCES, AND ACCESS TO MORE DIVERSE FACULTY.

 

NATIONAL INDUSTRIES FOR THE BLIND PROVIDES EMPLOYMENT RESOURCES

National Industries for the Blind (NIB) is the nation’s largest employment resource for people who are blind. NIB and its nationwide network of associated nonprofit agencies operate in 250 locations across the country and employ more than 5,500 people who are blind, including many military veterans and wounded warriors. Working with NIB and its associated agencies, people who are blind produce thousands of products and deliver a variety of services for government, military and commercial customers. Visit www.NIB.org to learn more.

 

NIB’s Wounded Warrior Program is an outreach program for wounded veterans of our nation’s conflicts, explains Kevin Lynch, NIB president and CEO. NIB provides information about training, job placement, and career opportunities in a variety of fields, from manufacturing to service delivery, available at NIB or its associated agencies.

 

The organization works with several government agencies and private organizations to assist wounded veterans seeking employment, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Defense (DoD) Operations Warfighter Program, Army Soldier for Life Program, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Consortium for Citizens With Disabilities (CCD) – Veterans and Family Members Task Force, and Blinded Veterans Association (BVA).

 

In addition to the Wounded Warrior Program, NIB offers opportunities for training in business-focused career areas, Lynch says. “NIB’s Contract Management Support (CMS) Training Program assists in the development of high-growth career opportunities for people who are blind by providing training in the field of contract management. NIB partners with DoD’s Defense Acquisition University (DAU) to provide core training courses. NIB also participates in the DoD Operation Warfighter Internship Program.”

 

To learn about job opportunities at NIB and its associated agencies, veterans can contact Ned Rupp, NIB’s veterans affairs specialist, at 703-310-0537 or nrupp@nib.org, or visit the “Careers & Training” section of the NIB Website: http://www.nib.org/careers-training/careerswithvision. Resumes can be sent directly to Ned Rupp at nrupp@nib.org.