From Boots to Suits- Navigating a successful transition from the Armed Forces By Brandon Pettersen

           “You’ve been in HOW long? Why are you getting out now?” While my choice to leave the military at 17 years seems strange, it was made with plenty of care and analysis of whether I was truly ready to transition and land on my feet without the promise of a retirement pension. Everyone joins the military for different reasons and decides to leave for different reasons as well. I have never been the person to critique someone’s decision to stay or go, but I’m usually the first to ask the tough questions regarding their readiness to leave.

I wanted to write this “guide” for those who are on the fence about a new career, or those who have served their 20+ years and are ready for the next step. My guide for preparation works for both granted those retiring may have a time crunch to contend with. Regardless, anyone who has served deserves the same training and assistance getting out as they had getting in, and I hope this provides at least 1 person with the tools to feel comfortable in doing so.

1. Deciding whether it’s the right time to transition

           When approaching retirement or the end of an enlistment contract, it’s time to take inventory of where you are professionally and personally regarding a new career. Having “X” amount of military experience is always a perk on a resume, but in today’s market, it won’t guarantee you a job somewhere with so many competitive applicants out there. Hopefully, you have been utilizing your education benefits while serving, and if you haven’t, start immediately. Some things to think about before leaving the military should include:

           a. Do you have a college degree?

           b. Does the degree you have meet the minimum requirements for the job you want?

           c. Do you have any industry certifications that relate to your future career?

           d. Are you looking to stay in a similar career or do something different? What type of education will that require?

If the answer to most of these questions is no, you may want to reconsider making the leap until you have the tools behind you to be competitive.

2. What do I want to do when I grow up?

           It’s a fun saying that we all used as children, but a lot of us still feel this way when talking about a post-military career and lifestyle. Even those who have done 20+ years feel no different than a kid straight out of high school, simply because the military shields us from so many things. Some people love what they do in the military, and want to continue it on the outside, usually resulting in a much higher salary. Some despise their current job and have other passions they would rather pursue. Lastly, some military jobs just don’t exist in the civilian workforce, and so a new career is necessary. Point is, you want to have a good idea of your future career before leaving your current one. If retiring, it’s perfectly fine to decide not to go back to work, you’ve earned it, just make sure the pension will cover your bills and lifestyle.

One great site that can help you decide what you would like to do, or how to translate what you do in the military to a civilian job is https://www.mynextmove.org/vets/

3. I’ve made a career choice, now what?

           Once you have made the decision to transition, and you know what you want to do once you’re out, now comes the real work. You should use your remaining time in the military to start preparing for the leap, which means your resume, LinkedIn, additional education/certifications, and job hunting. We’ll start with the most important tool, your resume.

*Resume- This is the document that will sell you as a worker to your future company. Much like in the military with EPRs/NCOERs/OPRs, decisions about your career were made on paper, with people you often didn’t know, making decisions about you based on records. The civilian job market starts the same way, with a recruiter or HR person going through your resume and liking you enough to have an actual conversation. This means you need to put your best foot forward, in 2 pages or less, and convince someone that you’re who they need. Resumes are judged by the content in them, as well as the formatting and presentation. When crafting your resume, check out templates online, or research whether your industry has a standard format they require, such as Federal jobs. Many useful websites offer services to review or craft a resume for you if you need help. There are fees for these services and multiple tiers to choose from, so find one that works for you.

Two of my preferred sites are:

https://www.topresume.com

https://www.letseatgrandma.com/

*LinkedIn- While social media has become a mainstay in pop culture, we find ourselves building a digital identity on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. When it comes to a professional profile, LinkedIn is the site of choice, and essentially your digital business card. Hiring managers and job recruiters often start with an applicant’s LinkedIn page, as it offers a different way to display your professional accomplishments, along with reviews/references about you from other professionals in your field, photos, and an established online presence to display a little bit about who you are as a person. Many resume templates now include a space for your LinkedIn profile web address due to its emerging importance in the job market.

Your page needs to be professional in how it looks and how its written, once again selling your abilities and professionalism to future employers. A great place to start for assistance in crafting a professional profile is the Veteran Mentor Network. It's free and has so many good tips on how to build a successful post-military profile, with mentors available to review your site and resume as well!

*Additional Education/Certifications- Every military member has accomplished some amount of formal education, whether it’s only college credits from military schools attended, or as high as a Doctorate, the spectrum is large and varies from person to person. If you are not the person with an advanced degree under your belt, you need to learn what is required for the future career of your choosing. The best way to do this is to search for jobs online, and canvas several to see what the common educational pre-requisite is among them. While not every job will require the same thing, you will get a good idea of the industry standard by looking at several postings. The same goes for certifications, which are most commonly required in IT or Medical related fields. If you are lacking the industry-standard certifications, you need to work on getting them before hitting the job market

You should have a good idea of what your education benefits are and what you are entitled to, but if not, here are some great links to start with to reach your educational/certification goals:

-https://www.military.com/education/money-for-school/your-top-5-education-benefits.html

-https://www.military.com/education/money-for-school/vocational-training-and-certifications-program.html

-https://www.va.gov/education/

-Onward 2 Opportunity

4. Putting yourself out there

           If you have your resume in order, a good LinkedIn profile, and the education/certifications you need, now it’s time to advertise. Job searching and testing the waters should start as soon as you have decided to transition, whether that’s 12 months or 2 months out. You will learn a lot during this time and continually edit your resume and LinkedIn as you refine your products and view other examples in your chosen field. While LinkedIn alone is a great job searching platform, there are other great sites to build profiles on and upload your resume so that recruiters can start finding you. Here are some great sites to utilize when searching for jobs:

https://www.clearancejobs.com/login - For anyone with a security clearance

https://www.dice.com/ - Mainly IT-related careers

https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job-seekers/

https://www.glassdoor.com/ - Best for job/salary/location comparisons

https://www.indeed.com – Best job search

https://www.monster.com – One of the first online job search sites, still useful

https://www.USAjobs.gov – For Federal employment

5. Corporate Fellowship/Internship opportunities

           There’s a program in the DoD that is rarely talked about and yet offers some of the best assistance for transitioning members, and it’s called DoD Skillbridge. The DoD SkillBridge program is an opportunity for Service members to gain civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during their last 180 days of service. What this means is, with Commander's approval, you can be put on Permissive TDY and join a civilian company to serve as an intern and experience what your career could be once you transition. You are also essentially doing a long-term interview with that company, and if they are impressed with you, might very well offer you a position upon separation from the military!

One amazing program is sponsored by the US Chamber of Commerce and is called Hiring our Heroes. HoH partners you with a representative in the region of your choosing, and they facilitate your Skillbridge preparation, and then once accepted into the program, they will send your resume out to all participating companies during your specific cohort. Once the companies receive all the resumes, if they need someone in the position you are looking for, they will set up an interview with you and run you through the paces of application. You will do this with several companies who display interest in you, and at the end of the selection period, both you and the company will submit a ranking sheet back to the HoH rep, who will place you with the best fit company. When the cohort officially begins, you will spend 12-16 weeks with your company, learning the job while also being taught valuable job search, resume building, and interview prep skills from various companies. The Hiring our Heroes program is by far, the BEST tool for transitioning military members, no matter your rank or length of service.

For more information on these amazing programs check out these sites:

https://dodskillbridge.usalearning.gov/index.htm

https://www.hiringourheroes.org/

6. Apply/Interview/Repeat

           No matter which path you choose, applying and interviewing will be a step in your process at some point, and learning how to do both efficiently is key. As I mentioned above, utilizing the job search sites, setting up a profile on each, and uploading resumes will start to render attention and you will receive lots of emails and/or phone calls from recruiters and HR reps alike. Many will want to set up intro calls and talk about the job and steps to take if you are interested. My advice here is that while many of these jobs won’t be a perfect fit for you, use these opportunities to practice your pitch, learn the types of questions you will be asked, or questions you may want to ask in return. The more conversations you have with hiring managers, the better you will get at conveying who you are and the value you will bring as an employee. These opportunities will also show you things you can improve upon or add to your resume or LinkedIn profile.

7. Mentorship

           Transitioning from the military is no easy feat and can be very stressful as you start a new way of life. However, you do not need to go through it alone as so many others have done it before you and are willing to help make you successful. I have found myself mentoring others in recent months, as I wanted to be there to answer the questions that I once had during that stage in my transition prep, and pay it forward to those who may not have it all figured out just yet. There are also websites, LinkedIn groups, and so many other helpful resources for those who need help navigating their way into a new career after honorably serving their country. Here are some great resources for those looking for additional assistance:

https://www.veterati.com/

Veteran Mentor Network

https://www.vaforvets.va.gov/

In addition to these great resources, I am happy to answer personalized questions, or have 1:1 conversations with anyone going through this process, or deciding whether transition is right for them. Please feel free to message me on LinkedIn or email me at [email protected].

I hope this article was helpful and I wish you nothing but success.

Thank you for your service!

-Brandon Pettersen, TSgt USAF