Making the Career Leap from the Military

by Kurt Virkaitis ’94 and James Weigand

Career Corner

These two contributions were written from the perspective of a recent retiree and a career Human Resources professional. Each was drafted independently, but echo many of the same key factors to employment transition success from the perspective of the veteran job hunter and potential future employer. Seeking a Job

As a recently retired Captain who made the transition to the ranks of the civilian workforce, I hope to provide some lessons learned and some key points of emphasis I learned along the way. I’ve seen the full range of success, with some landing their dream job before leaving the service, and others enduring 6-8 months of full-time job hunting. Many factors influence this timeline, but my advice is to be prepared for the long haul and some difficult life decisions if you really want to land your dream job on the first go around.

Network, Network, Network

Cold applications to a job you really want are rarely successful. You need a point of contact who can advocate for you regarding that position, provide an internal referral, and help get your resume past the computer screening software. Ideally your network connection has the ability to discuss your resume and outstanding career accomplishments with company leadership, a hiring manager, or recruiter. This person may be a former Coast Guard member who has paved the way, an established veteran from another service, or a parent from your kid’s soccer league. Never overlook the potential of a networking opportunity. It is deliberate and difficult work. Likewise, be ready to pay it forward or return the favor by making connections for others.

There are organizations to help you do this, and you should use them. The USCGA Alumni Association is a great one. Others include the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), FourBlock, and local veterans networking groups. These organizations often provide review and coaching services of your resume, interview, and LinkedIn profile. They offer other skill building services as well.

Ideally, your strongest network contacts are local to the area you will be seeking employment. This can be challenging if you don’t live in that area during your final tour. I was fortunate to have a network connection that brought me into a newly formed veteran mentoring group near my home in New Hampshire. In addition to the benefits of having a dedicated mentor, I immediately entered a growing network of local professionals and business leaders whose primary goal was to help transitioning military members. Further, I started a monthly networking event which benefited everyone in the group. By actively contributing, I was able to rapidly expand my local network and make new connections for others.

Do you need to be on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a reality of the modern workforce, you need to embrace it. If you don’t have an account or a complete and polished profile with a photo of you in civilian attire, get started right away. Your profile is a living social media document, and your activity can range from thoughtful daily or weekly posts, to commenting on the posts of others, to simply ensuring that you update your employment status and professional certifications. Your presence (and effectiveness) is up to you, but always remember to keep it professional, it’s your first impression for many network connections and potential employers.

It’s also a valuable information source for employment searches, exploring career paths that you currently know nothing about, and interview preparation.

Interviewing

You have probably done high level decision briefs, all hands presentations, or industry stakeholder events, but they are nothing like an interview and do not directly translate. You need to practice interviewing with a friend, family member, mentor, selfie video with critical self-review, or a service like Candorful. org. Candorful caters to veterans and provides a cadre of volunteers that provide practice interviews with candid feedback. These interviews also provide networking opportunities, so it pays to plan ahead and request volunteers that are in the career path, industry, or even company you are targeting for your new career.

My journey was longer than I had hoped and, at times, stressful and frustrating. Ultimately, the hard work paid off and it will for you too. If you would like to see where I landed, I recommend exercising your LinkedIn skills.

Captain (Ret) Kurt Virkaitis is a 1994 graduate from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and recently retired after 26 years of service

Seeking Applicants

Transitions from military service to a role in private industry most certainly require some adjustment when it comes to job searches.

As a human resources professional whose career spans over 20 years in recruiting, human resources, and business within companies of varying size and industries, I hope to share some thoughts on finding your next opportunity. I recruited for companies such as Aerotek, KBR, Deloitte Federal Practice, and Freddie Mac. My recent roles as head of HR have been with several startups helping them to build and refine the HR function while scaling the organization. In addition to this, I am a proud Coast Guard spouse.

My experiences include hiring and being the job applicant. Having been on both sides of the fence, I have found these steps useful to narrow your focus on determining your ensuing role:

New Role

Determine what area(s) and types of roles you would like to pursue. Talk to your family, friends who are in the private sector to solicit input on your roles from within the military. They will help you draw out those transferable skills and relate them to current industry roles.

New Employer

Focus on companies (or agencies) that are closely aligned with your areas of interest, skills, and experience. Many companies actively seek prior military service.

Network

Network, Network, Network! With the exception of one, every position I held was found through a person in my network. My network included family

members, friends, and current/past coworkers. Your professional and personal networks can play a vital role in getting your foot in the door to companies you desire. Do not pass up an opportunity of having a casual conversation to get someone’s input or advice as it can lead to potential opportunities.

LinkedIn

If you haven’t created a LinkedIn profile, do it well in advance of your transition date. For those of you not utilizing it yet, LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that allows you to showcase your career, skills and educational accomplishments. Update your LinkedIn profile noting that you are transitioning Military within the “Headline” section followed by a short description of your experience and area of expertise. “Transitioning USCG XXXX…” or “{BRANCH} Military Veteran…” or “Prior USCG Officer…” Skills

Once you have identified roles you want to pursue, focus on capturing those skills desired in job postings and correlate them to your experience from your service. Under the Competitive Analysis section of job postings on LinkedIn are the “How You Match” and also “Top Skills” data. When writing your resume, the key is to use these applicable key skills/phrases within your resume. Also, if you are focused on roles in the federal sector, particularly within the intelligence community or government contractors, and you have clearances - those tend to be highly sought after, so be sure to list them.

Translate

Turn the military jargon into descriptions readable by the recruiters and folks in the private sector. Adapt

Be prepared for a different world. Private sector companies can range from unstructured and chaotic (startups) to hierarchical and cumbersome (corporations). When recruiting for management and executive roles, there are several qualities and experiences I (along with leadership) sought on paper and during interviews: • Leadership • Pragmatism • Strategic view (Short- and Longterm) • Budget/Financial Expertise • Domain Expertise • Perseverance

Validate

Engage your contacts that already made the transition from military service to civilian employment. Ask them to peer review your resume and cover letters for the roles you are targeting. Encourage them to be candid and ‘brutal’ in their review of your products.

Prepare

Be prepared for your interviews. Research the company history, its products and/or services, etc. Learn about the people you are interviewing with. Connecting with them on some personal level, whether it is a school, hometown, sport or other interest will help to establish rapport with them. Take this research effort seriously; you do not want to walk into an interview without a clear understanding of the job you are pursuing, the organization you might be working for, and the people you hope to work alongside. Last and most importantly, always follow up with your interviewers thanking them for their time.

Commit

Take every interview, even if you are not sure it is a role you want. The practice will help for when the interview really counts.

The current employment situation here in the U.S. may make your job search a bit more challenging for a time. However, I truly believe that these perspectives that I (and Kurt) have highlighted are a solid foundation for a successful transition.

James Weigand is the spouse of Lieutenant Commander Krysia Pohl ‘97. They currently reside in Alameda, CA. If you have any questions, feel free to connect directly via LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/JamesWeigand27.