Are You a Veteran? Here’s How To Use Your Resources To Find Meaningful Work
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We talk about leveling up, about finding work and about excelling where you are right now.
In Brief: Finding meaningful work as a veteran is not easy, as you transition from military service to the civilian sector. Be sure to check in with yourself, and acknowledge that it’s not a one-size-fits-all transition. There are resources available to help you along the way, including LinkedIn. Lead with your skills and highlight them on job-specific resumes.?
The transition from a military career to a civilian one is certainly not easy, as many veterans can attest.?
According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 200,000 veterans are affected by finding a job after military service every year, with only one in four U.S. veterans having a job lined up after leaving the armed forces. Many veterans also reported to the Pew Research Center that “their military service was useful in giving them the skills and training they needed for a job outside the military.”?
“Among post-9/11 veterans who found a job after leaving the military, a majority (61%) say their military service helped their ability to get their first job following their time in service, including 35% of veterans who say it helped a lot. Only about one in ten of these veterans say their military service hurt their ability to find a job, while 30% say their military service neither helped nor hurt,” the Pew Research Center reported.
However, while these veterans stated that their military service was beneficial in getting a post-military job, about one in four (42%) shared they felt overqualified for their first job upon leaving the military, based on skills, experience and training. Forty-six percent said their qualifications (in relation to their job) were about right.
So how can veterans find relevant employment meaningful employment that matches their qualifications and skills, while also valuing their veteran status??
By utilizing such resources available to you, like our expert source, veteran and advocate Lauren Hicks-Ogburn. There are people and organizations who want to help you during this transitionary period — lean on them … and yourself.
Not a One-Size-Fits-All Transition
“Transitioning from a career in the military to a civilian career is challenging regardless of rank, job or time in service. That being said, everyone who goes through that transition has different experiences,” states Hicks-Ogburn, who currently works in military and veteran talent acquisition at Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
She recommends you start preparing for your eventual transition to the civilian sector (and life) sooner rather than later, though “that doesn’t mean go start applying for jobs a year or two before you actually exit service.”
It means assessing your interests, passion, and skill set to better determine what it is you want to do in the future, as a veteran working in the civilian world. Think of it as your chance to ask your adult self, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” … with “growing up” instead being leaving military service.
Hicks-Ogburn recommends starting with the hard questions, asking yourself:
Sometimes, the answers are right in front of us, but not always discernible, so talk to your support system.
“A lot of these questions will be hard to answer on your own, so talk to peers, leaders, mentors, loved ones and friends to gain perspective. Be honest with yourself and do research,” says Hicks-Ogburn. “The research you do early on helps with your short and long-term goals and action items.”
And she notes that we’re all just figuring out our professional and personal lives as we go along, so give yourself some flexibility.
Employment Resources for Veterans
Finding a job can be arduous at times for anyone, but that burdensome feeling can be alleviated with proper planning, preparation (as Hicks-Ogburn mentioned) and use of resources.?
For veterans specifically, certain obstacles can stand in the way of employment, including a lack of good resources. CBS News writes, “Veterans who spoke to [the publication] cited a lack of resources, underemployment and not having a four-year college degree as some of the obstacles that prevent them from getting a good-paying job.”?
For example, not all employers are embracing a “skills-first” mindset, still requiring prospective candidates to meet specific education requirements, like having a four-year degree. But what if you, as a veteran, don't have a higher education degree? You may find employers overlook you for well-paying positions that you’d otherwise be qualified for. (Though, professional training may help bridge this gap and boost your resume).
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Yet, you don’t have to settle.?
Of course, finding post-military employment has no one-size-fits-all experience, but there are several resources available to help you along the way — some even pointing you in the right direction of professional (and personal) development, resume, job application and education support. The resources include:?
And let’s not forget about LinkedIn, which Hicks-Ogburn views as such a powerful tool, one that helped her find her current role.
“I found my current role through LinkedIn, but had I not been networking, I wouldn’t have landed the role. There’s a big difference in applying to jobs strategically and just throwing a resume out to every open role you see.”
Going back to her earlier job research point, you should check if companies have a military recruiting team or reach out to someone currently working in a role you’re interested in. These are steps you can take by using the platform’s search tool and without a LinkedIn Premium membership, Hicks-Ogburn points out.
“One of the best things you can do is go to a company’s career site to look for and apply to jobs. There are not specific roles or industries that align more with service members in general. Everyone will have different experiences, education, knowledge and skills that can translate to pretty much any role or industry,” she adds.”
Tailoring Your Resume and Skills
Finally, you already possess the greatest resources for your job search journey: a resume and transferable skills.?
You need to learn now to use these to the best of your ability, starting with tailoring your resume to each job you apply to. No matter how unnecessary it seems, rework your resume. “If you think I’m exaggerating, throw out a master resume to 50 jobs and see what you get. Follow up with me in a month and tell me how many interviews you got,” says Hicks-Ogburn.?
As for your skills, learn to convey the skills and knowledge you gained during your military service on your resume and during interviews.?
Rich Comitz, senior vice president at ACP, tells CBS News that veterans have learned valuable soft skills, “from deploying service members overseas, the equipment maintenance, to all these different skills managing teams.”
He goes on to say that, “The biggest advantage that a lot of veterans have are all those soft skills that most of corporate America takes years to attain — loyalty, integrity, honesty and a great work ethic.” Sometimes, it can be hard to convey these valuable skills without using military jargon, which takes some practice. Many of the listed employment resources can coach you, like ACP.?
And sometimes you may find that a job requires more skills than you possess. In those instances, reskilling and upskilling are key. You may even need to obtain certifications.
“A lot of things in the civilian workforce are different, but they require the same soft skills, knowledge and competencies [as military service], so then it’s just about filling those hard skill gaps,” says Hicks-Ogburn.?
The good news, she states? A lot of the skills needed in the civilian world are things you can learn by completing LinkedIn Learning courses or simply watching some Youtube videos.
As a veteran, you’re already a wonderful “culture add” to any company, so try harnessing your transferable skills, networking and ability to adapt, along with using veteran employment resources. You’ll land that perfect role eventually.?
Top Takeaways?
There are many resources available to veterans finding work. You need to know how best to use them.