Recently in Military Transition Category

Zachery writes:

Having just retired as a jet engine mechanic from the US Air Force experienced in all phases of repair troubleshooting, trimming, buildup, and management of aircraft and jet engine repair, my question is how does this experience translate into a career in the civilian sector?

The Career Doctor responds:

The first thing I want you to do is consider all your transferable skills — not just your mechanical skills, but also all those other skills related to being in the military.

The second step is to go and visit some of the sites listed at Quintessential Careers: Job Resources for Veterans and Former Military. One of our favorite sites on the list is Transition Assistance Online, which provides free services to separating military service members to assist you in finding their next job or career with employers seeking to hire individuals with the unique training, education, skills and leadership that only the military provides.

Finally, once you done a full self-analysis and determined all your skills and accomplishments, I would suggest looking for jobs in all the traditional methods: networking, other offline job searching, job-hunting on the Net, etc. We outline all these steps in our tutorial, Quintessential Careers: Job Search 101.

Jeffrey writes:

I will retire in less than two years from the Army. I am currently an operations officer (Captain) in Dothan, AL. I have an AA in criminal justice administration and a BA in general education. I would really like to land that suit and tie job, hopefully 9-5, in the law field as a second career. But, where do I begin? Any thoughts on the future of paralegals?

The Career Doctor responds:

You really have two issues here, Jeffrey. The first is making the transition from a military career to the civilian workforce. See the section on my career site, Quintessential Careers, for transitioning military and veterans: Job Resources for Veterans and Former Military.

The second issue deals with the paralegal field. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment of paralegals is expected to grow much faster than average (22 percent through 2016), as law firms and other employers with legal staffs increasingly hire paralegals to lower the cost, and increase the availability and efficiency, of legal services.” Follow this link to read the Occupational Outlook report.

Linda writes:

My husband is retiring from the service. He has made his way up the ladder, from an enlisted personnel to an officer. He is in the engineering field. The problem is most of the minimum requirements for positions he is applying for require a bachelor’s degree. He is approximately 20 credit hours away from this, and still actively in school. What are some suggestions on verbiage for the cover letter and resume to address this?

The Career Doctor responds:

First, kudos to your husband, both for the service to our country, but also for working on furthering his education in preparation for work in the civilian sector.

Your husband has three things working for him right now. First, many employers are actively seek transitioning military veterans because of the extensive experience and training they receive while in the service. Second, engineering is an occupation back in demand. Third, he is close to completing his degree.

Here’s how you address his situation on these key documents.

On the resume. The goal of a resume is to secure a job interview. I would start with a summary of qualifications section, outlining his three or four key qualities that make him the perfect candidate for the job he is seeking. One of those bullets should be his college education, the others should focus on his experience. Since he is actively working on his education, I would list education next, and when you list the degree he is receiving, put the date you expect him to be done with it. Then list his experience. I would also have a section on his advancement from enlisted personnel to officer.

On the cover letter. Remember the key task of the cover letter is to sell the hiring manager just enough so that he or she will review the resume. You want to start of strongly identifying the key strengths — and ideally tie those directly to what the employer is looking for in a job candidate. In the second paragraph, I would highlight some of the specific accomplishments of the work experience, along with the number of years in the field. In the third paragraph, I would mention the near-completed degree, and the specific date when it’s expected to be completed.

Note: some employers will substitute years of experience for an incomplete education. For example, college grad and five years experience, or some college and eight years of experience.

Learn more both in the resume resources and the military transition sections of Quintessential Careers.