{"id":5421,"date":"2016-04-03T06:34:05","date_gmt":"2016-04-03T10:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=5421"},"modified":"2016-04-03T06:37:36","modified_gmt":"2016-04-03T10:37:36","slug":"redeploying-from-the-military-to-the-private-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=5421","title":{"rendered":"Redeploying from The Military to The Private Sector"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You’ve finished your term in the armed forces; you’re a civilian again. You’d think that employers would be tripping over themselves to hire you. After all, you served your country, you’re a team player, you probably received specialized training, you gained valuable life experience. Above all, you’ve got a record of “sticking with it.”<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The reality, however, is that many employers are reluctant to hire you. Some fear you’ll be prone to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide, or have other mental or physical illnesses that will compromise your ability to do the job.<\/p>\n

Others mistakenly believe that as a veteran you’ll require closer supervision than other candidates, because you’re used to “following orders.” Moreover, employers may not understand how your experience and skills make you qualified for their current openings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Patra Frame<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Few employers have many vets or understand anything about the military,” laments consultant\u00a0Patra Frame, a U.S. Air Force veteran and founder of\u00a0Strategies for Human Resources<\/a>\u00a0in Alexandria, Va. Her organization specializes in helping military people transition to civilian life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Employers “do not know what to expect, what skills are common, what the difference is between enlisted and officers,” she explains. “You may need to do more to help prospective employers understand how your job skills, experience and character transfer to the position and meet the employer’s needs.”<\/p>\n

So here are eight steps to help you make the jump from military service to the civilian 9 to 5.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Self-assess.<\/strong>\u00a0Serving in the military for 20 years “means in most cases you have never written a\u00a0r\u00e9sum\u00e9, attended a job interview or applied for a job,” says\u00a0Diane Hudson, a career coach<\/a> and r\u00e9sum\u00e9 writer who specializes in training and coaching vets. (She’s also\u00a0Job-Hunt<\/a>‘s\u00a0expert for placing veterans.)<\/p>\n

So start by making two lists. The first lays out the character attributes from your military experience that you’ll want to showcase in your job search. This list might include such things as “leadership,” “highly educated,” “healthy\/fit,” “drug-free” and “Department of Defense clearance.”<\/p>\n

(CLICK HERE TO READ COLUMN ON AARP<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Veteran Job Sites<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n
As a veteran, you can take advantage of all job-search websites and apps. But there are quite a few sites devoted exclusively to helping veterans. Have a look at these:<\/p>\n