Lessons Learned One Airman’s Journey from Military to Civil Service
skills doing inflight event coordination and customer service, and my time in the Defense Attaché Office doing all the administrative requirements for the event. I also enjoyed that the team gave me responsibilities and trusted me to accomplish them without micromanaging. It empowered me and I felt more accomplished.” Five Tips for Transitioning Service Members Although Landes had a fairly smooth transition to civil service due to his Skillbridge internship, he offers several tips for transitioning service members:
By Elizabeth Caraway
1. Hone your resume.
United States Patent and Trademark Office www.uspto.gov/jobs/join-us
“Resumes in the civilian world are very different from the military,” says Landes. “I should have spent more time in resume writing training.”
Jordan Landes’ career path has been as varied as his world travels, from teaching English in China to serving in the Air Force as a Spanish linguist, flight attendant, and finally in the Defense Attaché Office. His assignments have taken him from Texas and Nebraska to Afghanistan, Uganda, and Tunisia. Over the last year, though, he made one of the biggest moves of all—from Airman to civil servant. Landes now serves as an International Patent Administrative Specialist at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in Alexandria, Va.
2. Complete Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) paperwork early. Take advantage of the Benefits Delivery at Discharge program, which allows you to file a claim for disability benefits 180 to 90 days before you leave the military. Landes worked with the VA representative on base to file a claim. He encourages all service members to file, “no matter what.” “Even if you are found to have zero percent disabilities, it is important to have health issues documented in case something in the future can be traced back to the time in service,” he explains. Landes also joined a Facebook group that was designed to help those with the VA filing process.
DOD Skillbridge Success
3. Be self-motivated.
Landes took advantage of the Department of Defense (DOD) Skillbridge program, which allows transitioning service members to gain civilian work experience through training, apprenticeships, or internships during the last 180 days of service. Industry partners offer real-world training and work experience while having the opportunity to evaluate the service members for future potential employment. In Landes’ case, he was offered a position in the same office, International Patent Cooperation, where he interned.
Landes encourages transitioning service members to actively take care of themselves and start planning early. He started planning a year before his separation date and says it was still a challenge. 4. Take advantage of the break between careers. “Try to give yourself time between careers to decompress and prepare for the next chapter in life,” he says, adding that leaving the Department of Defense “is definitely a culture shock.”
The USPTO role, he says, has been a great fit due to its emphasis on international cooperation and work-life balance. He recalls his team hosting an international event earlier this year that allowed him to leverage his military background:
“If you have terminal leave, find a military flight and just go somewhere,” he urges, adding that he took a military flight to Europe for a vacation between careers.
“I got to use my Spanish linguist skills when speaking to some of our Spanish speaking guests, my flight attendant
Landes says the most difficult part of separating from the military has been missing the community.
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5. Find community.