The
Know List
e. Know the culture that you are getting into. Too often I’ve seen that military vets don’t fit in because they are either unwilling or unaware of the culture they are entering into. The military teaches you a lot of great things but don’t shove those things down your new coworker’s throats when you first meet them. f. Know what employers are looking for. You served your country and your country is grateful, but very few employers will just up and give you a job because you are a vet. Now they may consider you if you show them what skills and attributes you bring to the table and can translate those skills and attributes into terms they can understand. I currently facilitate the Department of Labor portion of the TGPS class at Camp Pendleton (sometimes called TAPS in the other services). I’m also a 27-year Navy veteran. Yet, I don’t understand half of the stuff that come out of Marines’ mouths! Imagine how employers must feel when you drop one military acronym after another in your resume or interview? Determine what employers are looking for and adjust your language appropriately. g. Know your competition. You will be competing with other vets and “civilians.” Figure out how you can compete. One way is to go back to step A and figure out what you bring to the table that others don’t. What makes you unique? What value do you add? h. Know where to go to for help and know its okay to ask for help. Frankly the resources that exist for exiting military personnel are astounding. Talk to your “civilian counterparts.” They only have half of the resources that you have. Use them. Your #1 resource is/are people. I’m going to use the n-word here: networking. Build and grow your personal and professional networks. Don’t know how to do that? Ask. i. Know how to build and protect your online brand. Like it or not, we live in an online world. Most employers will Google you to see who you are. Insure your various online profiles assist you and don’t hurt you. Right now, the premier networking site is LinkedIn. Know how to use it.
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j. Know how to build your own resume. Free help abounds on how to construct a solid resume. Use it. I have interviewed people who have used professional resume writers to write their resumes. Hell, they do a great job, but it’s pretty embarrassing to sit down with an interviewer without knowing what’s on your own resume. Honestly, resumes are not that hard to write. Learn how to write one. k. Know and practice interviewing. Despite what your buddy may say, interviews are not something you just “wing.” You want to prepare and practice. Having good stories about your accomplishments can really help. Hard to answer a “tell me about a time” or “give me and example of when you” questions without having thought about it first. l. Know the value of Karma. Pay it forward as you are going through your own job hunt and after you get a job. Help others. You may need to do a withdrawal from the Karma Bank at some time in the future. m. Know that “civilians” don’t like being called civilians. You don’t like to be stereotyped, do you? Don’t stereotype them. Many military personnel regard their civilian counterparts with disdain. Don’t fall into that trap. They may be your boss one day. That’s my current Know List. I would be happy to know, pun intended, what your thoughts are. Author note: The author served in the United States Navy on active duty and as a reservist for 27 years. Post Navy, he enjoyed careers as a consultant, executive recruiter, senior client services specialist, and then spent 17 years in higher education culminating with serving students at the University of the Pacific. His retirement in 2015 lasted a grand total of four months until he decided to return to work as a facilitator for the Department of Labor facilitating employment workshops for separating military personnel and their spouses. You can find Bob on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/bobbechill
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