By Sammi Marcellus, NPI, Inc.’s Recruitment Coordinator
Enlisting in the military is a great opportunity for many to learn practical, real-world skills, all while serving their country. With that said, many struggle with making the move from the structure that military life provides, to the seemingly chaotic nature of being a civilian. Finding a career that’s fulfilling while also featuring these same benefits of a position in the military can be a tough ask, but that doesn’t mean veterans should be caught with application paralysis.
Veterans looking to find a good job fit for themselves should recognize their strengths and the challenge ahead. To move forward with confidence, here are just a few notes to consider when pursuing the next chapter.
Acclimate to Civilian Life
One major struggle that Veterans experience upon transitioning away from the military is their daily schedule. In the military everyone has a specific job and their days are planned out extensively for them, which frees them up to focus solely on their duties rather and reduces the need for self-management. In the majority of civilian workplace settings, this strict schedule is gone, which can be jarring for many to adapt to.
Veterans should decide early on whether they’d like to establish a structured schedule for themselves to follow (continuing in that military style) or learn to live with a more free-range routine. Either map out a daily, weekly, monthly schedule, and maybe print these schedules out onto a calendar or personal planner to set up a system that’s easy to follow and visualize, or learn to embrace the chaos. The option that works best will mostly depend upon personality and preference, but making an intentional choice here should be the first step!
Translate Your Experiences
After becoming a bit more comfortable with general “civilian life,” a new challenge that veterans will need to tackle is how to market themselves to future employers. The truth is that the majority of civilians have a certain picture of what military life might be like, but odds are that this impression is pretty inaccurate and they will be mostly unaware of the skills and proficiencies that are actually developed throughout the experience. To help tackle these misconceptions, veterans should take away the guesswork from hiring managers!
When constructing a resume, veterans can describe their duties and then translate the skills that they learned in these roles in a way that directly relates to the job that they are applying for. Veterans develop so many valuable skills that make them assets in their future companies! To get a better picture of what this process might look like, here is an example of why Veterans make amazing entrepreneurial workers.
Part of nailing an interview is entering with preparation and confidence. Veterans who show hiring managers how their experience in the military translates well to the workplace will have more success at securing the job.
Present Yourself with Intention
In the past, a snazzy outfit and clean haircut could do the heavy lifting in making a solid first impression, but now employers have more resources to learn about candidates prior to the interview. If veterans want to present well while looking for their first job outside of the military, they should tidy up their online uniform, just like they’d trim their military attire.
While this may seem obvious to some, employers can easily view any public social media profiles. Anything inappropriate activities or jokes published in these areas serve as a persistent negative endorsement that may not accurately reflect your behavior. Polished Facebook and LinkedIn profiles which feature a clean and professional headshot will go a long way in making hiring managers confident, and may be the difference in winning the position.
Whether in person or online, candidates should always dress to impress!
Utilize Your Resources!
Finally, veterans who are struggling to find their place in the civilian workplace should make use of the many resources at their disposal! Check out the VA’s website to get started and look at options for career counseling or continued education, or lean on other veterans for advice. In fact, at NPI we believe that we match-up well with veterans, and we value the work ethic and skill sets of veterans so highly that we’ve entered into special partnerships to help them find employment and other work opportunities (hopefully with us!).
Businesses love working with veterans, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t tough for veterans to find a great fit. Veterans looking to enter into the civilian workforce are at the beginning of an exciting new journey where they can choose to recreate themselves, and maybe build something new. If you’re interested in learning more about franchising with National Property Inspections, shoot an email to our recruitment team today!
For more information, request a free info packet!
