It doesn’t matter if you’ve been serving for two years or 20, your military experience can take you to new heights when it comes to searching for jobs in corporate America. Whether you served as logistics officer, technical engineer, intelligence analyst, IT help desk administrator or really any other position in the military, your experience has helped you garner valuable skills. If you’re in the midst of the military transition and need some inspiration on how to approach the job search, make sure you’re leveraging your past to make way for a lucrative career.
Translating Your Military Experience
One of the most common obstacles transitioning veterans face as they enter the job market is ensuring that the details of their service can be understood by hiring managers. Military vernacular is not always self-explanatory, and if a hiring manager cannot parse the important information from your resume, it’s most likely going to the bottom of the pile. To avoid this, it’s important to “decode” your military experience before submitting your resume to any job.
For example, if you served as a platoon sergeant, you can relay that information by stating that you were in charge of and responsible for training a team of soldiers (or employees) on organizational practices. The skills you would want to include could be leadership, team-building and organizational strategy. Similarly, if you were an intelligence analyst, you would want to include that you conducted research on potential external threats that ultimately led to the overall success and security of your organization.
If you’re having trouble figuring out where to begin or whether you’re going in the right direction, there are a few resources you can access for help. One of these resources could be working with a mentor through ACP, the Veteran and Military Spouse Mentoring Program.
Take Advantage of Resources for Veterans
Work With An ACP Mentor If you are a veteran with at least 180 days active duty service post-9/11, consider signing up for an ACP mentorship. You will be paired in a year-long, one on one, customized mentorship with a mentor from one of our 100+ partner companies. Not only will you have the opportunity to get exposure to the kind of industries you’re looking at and to corporate America in general, but many pairs also find themselves tackling topics such as resume review, specifically skill translation. If you’re interested in applying, visit acp-usa.org or email info@acp-usa.org.