Today I want to give some support to people returning to the workforce from the military. You are now embarking on a new mission to get a job.
Thank you
First, let me thank you for your service to our country. You have helped keep freedom a reality, not just an abstract concept for me, and the rest of the country. Even if you did not serve in a war or military conflict, you made sacrifices and endured hardship. Thank you.
You are in possession of skills that are much in demand in the workplace. As you consider your job-related experiences and accomplishments, think strategically, not tactically. To my non-military readers, that means think big-picture. Survey the land (or sea), note the location of minefields, observe where you can find cover, and plot the course of your infiltration into the workplace.
Part of your strategic analysis is to determine what your unique skills and abilities are that will be meaningful to a hiring manager. Think about your core talents, not just your technical skills. That part will come later.
Core talents
Speaking generally, some core talents developed by the military are discipline, accountability, teamwork, timeliness, focus on the task, and leadership. Now think of examples to put in your résumé that will demonstrate these core talents to a hiring manager. After you write down these accomplishment statements, have a trusted civilian read your résumé. That way you’ll know you are using meaningful terms a civilian hiring manager will understand, not military-speak.
As you highlight your contributions to the team or unit, think about your technical skills. Ordinance or field artillery is not really needed in today’s workplace. However, your ability to think on your feet, assess the situation and take action
is very valuable. Your ability to manage the myriad of details required and consistently apply processes to get the job done was not only valuable; lives may have depended upon it.
Whether you were a communications technician aboard a ship or a battle-seasoned platoon sergeant, you need put these experiences in terms that a civilian hiring manager will understand and relate to their job opening.
For the Communications Tech:
“Operated equipment, performed a or b level line maintenance with on-board supplies. Advanced working knowledge of the frequency spectrum ELF-EHF, data transmission and waveforms, modulation techniques, field expedient antennas, and security procedures.”
In civilian-speak becomes:
“Used and maintained a wide spectrum of computers, mapping and navigation devices, radios, and computer networks, with limited resources. Interpreted and prepared wiring diagrams, sketches and blueprints. Operated and maintained CCTV and other television communication systems, communications boxes, switchboards, and telephones.”
For the Platoon Sergeant:
“Platoon sergeant for a combat engineer platoon, forward deployed.”
In civilian-speak becomes:
“Responsible for day-to-day operations, logistics, and training of a 30 person group performing engineering operations, under pressure.”
Both examples illustrate what you did in clearly understandable terms that directly translate into the workplace in everyday terms.
Whenever possible, quantify your accomplishments so the hiring manager will know how your experience relates to what they need. Use numbers of people you were responsible for, the amount of equipment or inventory (quantity, dollar values, variety), and number of days without injury or safety violation under your command or control. These are all important indicators of the value of your accomplishments.
Crossing a Minefield
Some hiring managers have out-dated and preconceived ideas about military training. For some, being former military means, “by the book.” They may fear you will be rigid in implementing solutions, not flexible to changing conditions. They may think you can’t think outside the box for solutions. They might be afraid you can only take or give orders and not the free-flow of information and ideas needed in today’s workplace.
They don’t realize how resourceful you’ve had to be to get the job done.
I share this, not discourage you, but to give you the information needed so you can address their objections before they even arise. Knowledge is power.
The military trained you to go into an unfamiliar situation with few resources and expected you to succeed. The workplace is very similar. The workplace has few resources due to downsizing and a shrinking economy. The military taught you to have a show-me-a-solution-not-a-problem mentality. Your can-do attitude is a valuable commodity in today’s workplace.
So go out and show the hiring manager that
you are part of their solution.
I can help you write your accomplishments to highlight the creativity and outside the box solutions you have used. I can help you practice responses to overcome objections in an interview. This is a great time to contact me to strategize on how to infiltrate the workplace. I can help you demonstrate how your skills are unique and marketable. We will create an action plan to get your Dream Job. I can help you sort through your skills, experiences and your dreams to get the right job for you. Don’t wait; contact me now.
A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.
To your success,
Elisabeth
Elisabeth Adler-Lund
Executive And Life Coaching
Telephone: 916 • 803•1494
E-mail:
eal@EALCoaching.com
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