WHAT’S NEXT Transition to Civilian Life By Eve Nasby & Kristin Hennessy
5 GIFTS For YOU this Holiday Season Transitioning is difficult no matter what season it is. In the spirit of the holidays, it’s easy to focus on giving gifts to others. Embracing the joy of giving to others is part of the spirit, however it’s easy to forget the simple, yet important GIFTS you can give to yourself.
Gift 1: A Great resume We know what you’re thinking. “How can I create a relevant resume when I have no corporate experience?” Your military experience IS a gift and is extremely relevant! You have transferable skills and your experience can clearly show that you’re a team player, disciplined, and learn quickly. These are skills that aren’t “teachable” and are invaluable to employers. Starting a resume from scratch can be overwhelming. Luckily there are plenty of free resources to help, including Hiring Our Heroes, Vets Beyond the Uniform and Resumes4Vets.org.
Gift 2: Interview practice Interview questions can be overwhelming. It’s hard to be relatable and succinct off the cuff. It’s easy to ramble and forget the purpose of the question. Interviewers can quickly lose confidence if they don’t get a clear answer. Following the STAR method will keep you on track. STAR is an acronym for “Situation, Task, Action, Result.” Here’s how it works: Open with a brief situation of the environment you’re about to explain. Next, state the task you needed to accomplish. Then, the specific action you took to accomplish this task. Finally, state the result in a way that shows a quantitative or qualitative measurement of your accomplishment. This may seem contrived, but it’s a great way to keep your answers succinct and relevant so the interviewer follows your story and hears your “result” as the last, memorable part of your answer. For each likely interview question, have a few STARformatted examples ready that relate back. 42 WWW.SanDiegoVeteransMagazine.com / December 2023
Keep practicing out loud, recording yourself, or with a friend. The more you confidently relay your experiences succinctly, the more prepared you’ll feel.
Gift 3: Forming a Network Transition can feel isolating after losing your built-in military network. Small steps create connections; join one group or befriend one person. There are over 45,000 nonprofits in the U.S. that provide services to Veterans. Not sure where to start? Find a local Veteran group on Facebook or LinkedIn. Join it. Message someone. You’ll be surprised how fast that network expands. Almost any college or educational program has a Student Veterans Organization. Most Employers have something similar called an Employee Resource Group for Veterans to help attract and retain Veteran employees. Just being around others with a similar background will help you feel in your element. Talk to others, hear their experiences, ask questions.
Gift 4: Take a course or free online class The gift of learning new skills is enlightening! When you’re thinking about your next opportunity or career move, it can be demotivating to see required skills that you don’t already have. But, there are many ways to expand your skill set on your own. Learning something new will help you show how you’re proactively staying current on new trends or technologies. Maybe you’re not sure what you are interested in, and that’s OK. Try something and see! Vets Beyond the Uniform offers 200 free online courses to veterans at www.Vetsbeyondtheuniform.com
Gift 5: Strengths Assessment According to the Veterans’ Employment Challenges study, 69% of veterans indicated finding a job the greatest challenge they face during transition. This stems from thinking that military skills don’t translate to the strengths needed for the job. That’s not