Finding a Job after the Military (Single Addition)
Hi guys
My car starter went out and I have some time at the mechanic right now to help some people who may be separating soon or in the next few years. I separated March 1st and I accepted my first job out of the military on June 17th. This is a few helpful tips.
(Mind you this is more for single people as this was my situation and it could differ if you have dependents)
- Water the grass BEFORE you separate
What I mean by this is make yourself extremely marketable on the outside. I hate to say it but many companies don’t give two shits if you’re a veteran. They want those transferable skills whether you’re in the military or not. My big thing while I was in was school. I got my AA, BA, and MBA. SF doesn’t always translate to high paying jobs unless you got special certs or education. Some jobs do better there but that’s all relative to the person.
- Reduce your overhead:
If you have car payments, cc debt, student loans or etc…try your best to get those out of your life, or knock out as much debt as you can. Lowering those expenses gives you more wiggle room and more savings while you may be job searching
- Save as much cash as possible
This is so important. This job market is tough right now. I submitted over 400 applications and only got 2 job offers during that period. The more cash you have, it gives you many more options. Let me elaborate here. The first job offer I got was with the state of Nevada for 45k a year. After taxes and PERS (state retirement) it was 31k a year. I just felt like I could do so much better.
I denied, because I had the cash, and accepted my second job offer 2 months later for 93k starting, with a better schedule than the state. Had I not had the cash, or a lot of bills, I may have accepted that offer out of desperation. Cash gives you options.
- Tailor your resume
You can have a base model resume, but make it easily tailorable. For example, the top of my resume has a lot of characteristics about me that are easily changeable to the job listing. I was able to look at a bunch of different job applications and adjust where I saw fit. You should do more research here but make your resume match the job.
Note: you might not get a call still. It’s an ass market.
- Network
I hated the idea of LinkedIn but truly, it’s the reason I have the job today. I connected with employees from this company I got hired at months ago, and build solid relationships with than since it was a top choice to me. One of those connections got me connected with the hiring manager, and I was able to beat out, arguably, a lot more qualified individual than myself. It’s important
- Don’t burn bridges and be good to your people.
You will be surprised who you will see down the line. Be a good guy/gal and you’ll be okay