There is wisdom in “many advisers” (Proverbs 15:22)
My calling in life is to help others, particularly US Military members and Veterans by assisting them with finding employment and supporting their families. I am only one mind and one voice. Please pitch in and add your wisdom and council.
Here is a link to the best advice I have for job seekers right now: http://bit.ly/9FIgss
Please include your comments beneath this particular blog on HirePatriots.com so that the thousands of job seekers who come to our website can read them.
And please encourage those that you respect to add their knowledge too.
Thank you,
Mark Baird
HirePatriots.com
I will post good replies from the social networks below:
* Group: U.S. Veteran
* Subject: New comment (1) on “30% Unemployment for US Veterans: Your advice, please!”
We need a new campaign like the Tea Party… VETs need jobs and in this economy they need 30 points for Civil Service not 10… The sad part is that most vets do not have the civilian hard core skills and coupled with rising H1Bs and Illegals AND civilians standing in line with BS Degrees for 1st Shift at the McDonald’s… Jobs are scarce! VETS need to go civil service and we need to make sure they are hired! We need a Obama bill aimed at VETS allowing civil service to hire them directly!
Posted by Gary James SR
* Group: U.S. Veteran
* Subject: New comment (27) on “30% Unemployment for US Veterans: Your advice, please!”
With regard to the education issue, I seriously recommend that Veterans without the benefit of a formal degree to check out the CLEP program before committing to four years of costly education. You can earn up to two full years of college credit by passing exams in various subjects that are based on your experience and general knowledge of the subject matter. In addition, many colleges and universities will waive certain portions of their core curruiculum for retired veterans. The thing most veterans really need help with is how to package and sell their military experience. Most guys coming out today have extensive computer skills, some foreign language skills and organizational leadership skills that they just don’t know how to present to the HR representative. It is not enough to go into an interview and tell them you are a vet and expect them to know what transferrable job skills you picked up as a veteran. Since careers vary so widely in the military, each one of us came out with different skills, there is no one size fits all description of what it means to be a vet in terms of job skills and people skills. It is up to each individual vet to present himself as the best possible candiate, and if you are not able to do that currently, to work with a career coach who can show you how to do it in fairly short order. Many VA offices have volunteers available to help with basic resume writing and interviewing skills. Take advantage of those resources to present a better picture of why you are the superior candidate for the job. Yes the economy is bad, but quality people are still in demand.
Posted by Robert Stover
Yes! Way to speak passionately about this critical issue. A 30% unemployment rate for our veterans in unconscionable.
When we take our best youth and send them to war, we adopt a moral responsibility to care for them and to help them return to society better off than when they entered into the dangers of military service.
Without employment, we expose our current combat warriors to a much higher number of suicides. As well, without employment they are much more likely to experience PTSD incidents. These episodes can result in divorce, losing children, alcoholism, incarceration, etc. — Therefore, if we do not go the extra mile for those who have already done so for us, we are not providing the care that is our obligation to provide.
It is popular to talk about and to have stickers on our bumpers that say, “Support our Troops!” — We do this because we know they deserve our gratitude.
Military members and their families, especially the enlisted ranks, endure difficult lives and low pay protecting us from evil. When they transition out of the military, a civilian job should be available.
It is a proper and appropriate thank you for their very real sacrifices and service.
Amen
Royce Engler • I’m disappointed when any vet sells himself or herself short and settles for a government job after leaving the military. The one major difference between any vet and any other job applicant is that vets know the difference between accomplishments and intentions. We need your skills in business. Government sucks the life out of business. Be part of the solution and not part of the problem. I know it’s tough out there, but it was tough in boot camp too…and you made it.
Paul Gossard • This topic has enough passion for tens of thousands of us to express our frustrations with what we perceived would be a welcoming society once we returned from having served our country. I am a veteran of 2 tours of duty in Viet Nam as well as hundreds of TDYs in places like Iran. I am not now … or in the near future ready to retire so please don’t label me and my generation as though this were Soylent Green and we are ready for the cracker factory! None of us is disposable and no service should be ignored. The point that was made regarding Lockheed and Martin Marietta and other government contractors is only half correct. In fact, it has been my discovery that if you reveal yourself to your employer to be a veteran you will have made a mistake because of the many labels that are applied to those who have served in the military. The vast majority of American businesses today are being run by persons who never served and they are proud of that fact. They frequently stereotype veterans in a similar manner as was done after we returned home from Southeast Asia. The days of GIs kissing nurses in Times Square and ticker tape parades ended in 1945. Even the Korean War veterans were mostly ignored or forgotten once they returned home. I am proud of the years I served and the quality of my life that the military delivered but I confess that I do not look to Washington as being a solution for my employment woes or for anything else that afflicts this great country. I love America but I don’t need someone telling me why we have so many jobless Americans. I see it every day on construction sites where fewer and fewer workers can speak read or understand English. I feel it every time I call American Express to report a problem and I can’t understand the Indian dialect I am listening to. Washington has given away America at the expense of many proud Americans who have served this country with honor. This isn’t about Democrats versus Republicans in my opinion. This is about unqualified people elected to positions of authority who are making laws that are destroying this country. Until this most recent election we averaged 26% of the eligible population voting in national elections and fewer than that number voting in regional and local elections. Is it any wonder we are in the mess we are in now? If we really want to make a difference we have to do more than talk about how angry we are. We have to do something about it. If you really believe you can make a difference you should run for office and help make changes that will help America. Don’t just vote for a political party or a politician because they say they favor veterans who have sacrificed. Run for office yourself or at least examine the track record of those who are running.
Virgil Bierschwale • Amen,
In all of the articles I research for my Keep America At Work site, I find that very few seem to even care that you were in the military.
For me, if I can ever get some type of business going, I will hire a vet before I even consider somebody that did not serve their country, but I can guarantee you that I’m in a minority in that belief.
There are other linkedin groups here that I monitor and most cannot find work even though they have families to support and they all committed the same crime which is they went into the service instead of college.
Doesn’t seem to matter that they have 30 or so years experience and wisdom because the HR depts seems to only care that you have a degree and the bean counters only want the cheapest.
Where is the sense in that?
What ever happened to the very first question I have always had which is “Can You Do The Job?”
Charles “Chazz” Pratt III • Garrick: Even though Officers are the target market for most recruiting firms, it still can be tough. I had the benefit to explore those options as a Captain back in 1994, but numerous challenges still exist out there. For you and many other NCOs I know, the challenge is finding the time to get that 4-year degree, when the mission dictates how much time you have to do so.
I recently looked at the Top 50 Employers of Veterans (not the exact name, but GI Jobs published this annual info) and was surprised to see that only a handful of companies listed the percent of military employees!
It’s easy to say “Support Our Troops!”, provide military discounts, and say that “military are encouraged to apply”, but the numbers don’t lie. Every company in the USA not only be required to publish the % of Veteran hires, but the number of months/years these Veterans remain employed, pay and promotion increases compared to others, and statistics on career development. Numbers for both Enlisted, NCO, Warrant, and Officer should be included too!
I owe BIG THANKS to all the NCOs that helped me as a young Officer. You have skills that any company can benefit from. Hopefully you can leverage those skills and abilities in order to find the right fit for you!
Stay encouraged!
Chazz
* Group: U.S. Veteran
* Subject: New comment (1) on “30% Unemployment for US Veterans: Your advice, please!”
We need a new campaign like the Tea Party… VETs need jobs and in this economy they need 30 points for Civil Service not 10… The sad part is that most vets do not have the civilian hard core skills and coupled with rising H1Bs and Illegals AND civilians standing in line with BS Degrees for 1st Shift at the McDonald’s… Jobs are scarce! VETS need to go civil service and we need to make sure they are hired! We need a Obama bill aimed at VETS allowing civil service to hire them directly!
Posted by Gary James SR
Study Reveals Why More Veterans Aren’t Getting Hired
By Kelly Johnson
In today’s economic climate, transitioning from the military to the civilian world will mean entering an unyielding job market and period of unemployment for most veterans. In fact, the unemployment rate for former service members from Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts rose from 10 percent in May 2010 to 11.5 percent in June 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But, a tight job market is only part of the veteran unemployment problem.
A recent study from the Society of Human Resource Management revealed that veterans face two major hurdles when finding civilian employment: translating their military experience into civilian skills; and hiring managers’ lack of knowledge about policies designed to help veterans get employment.
The SHRM study titled, “Employment Military Personnel and Recruiting Veterans-Attitudes and Practices,” randomly polled 429 employers. And, the results found that 60 percent of hiring professionals said that many veterans report having difficulty writing resumes, interviewing, and adapting to workplace culture, in addition to not being able to explain their military skills to employers effectively.
And, even though 50 percent of employers surveyed report making a specific effort to hire veterans, a high amount of hiring managers were unaware of the Department of Labor’s veteran employment initiatives — 68 percent were unaware of the Local Veterans’ Employment Representative; 70 percent were unfamiliar with the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program.
Additionally, 46 percent of hiring managers thought post traumatic stress issues, as well as other combat-sustained brain injuries, would present a problem for veteran employment. However, only 13 percent of employers reported actually having issues with veterans who suffered from PTSD in the civilian workplace.
“The high unemployment rate of military veterans is startling,” said Laurence G. O’Neil, president and CEO of SHRM, in a company-issued statement.
“SHRM is committed to working with federal agencies, such as the Department of Labor and civilian HR professionals to create initiatives to get veterans hired,” he added.
According to the study, when asked what tools and resources “would help a lot” with the military-to-civilian workforce transition, 39 percent of employers responded with programs to train veterans with additional skills for the workplace; 36 percent said programs to help veterans translate military experience into civilian skills sets; and 32 percent said programs and initiatives to help find and reach out to qualified veterans to fill open positions.
SHRM’s study is part of an initiative to help address the high unemploym
Mike Grayson • Mark, you are right about the fact that if you are spending 80% of your time sending out resumes, then you probably aren’t very effective. They get either ignored or trashed in most cases. In my opinion (and this is only my opinion) you should spend 80% of your time talking to people and trying to get in front of as many decision makers as you can. Then leave a really good resume behind after the talk.
I suspect that a lot of vets are struggling with a fear of rejection. Most people do and if you’re out of a job you might not want to be tagged as a “loser” so it’s much easier to send out a resume, then you don’t expose yourself to the rejection. I’ve seen it hundreds of times. Even some of the best sales people struggle with this every day.
The best authority I’ve found on the topic of cold calling and talking to strangers is Stephan Schiffman. He’s written a book that I strongly recommend any job seeker read. It is practical and he provides a systematic method for you to follow that works. Here is the Amazon link http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Calling-Techniques-That-Really/dp/1580628567 . We use it in our training programs.
If any of you are struggling finding a job can you share what you’ve done with the group? Perhaps we can help identify where you can strengthen your campaign
* Group: U.S. Veteran
* Subject: New comment (56) on “30% Unemployment for US Veterans: Your advice, please!”
I am a recently retired vet with 23 years of service and am experiencing the civilian job market for the first time. Having spent 13 years as an Air Force recruiter and holding degrees in Marketing and Human Resources I felt that the task of searching for a job would be an easy one. That was a huge mistake on my part.
First I have learned that being a recruiter in the Air Force is a totally different than what our civilian counter parts do. In the military a recruiter is a master salesperson who is knowledgeable in lead generation and refinement who must focus on service after the sale. Civilian recruiters could care less about individuals as the focus on the numbers. I have spoken to civilian recruiters have passed on my resume and have never heard from them again. I have even spent the day with a local recruiting firm and asked them how they handle their follow ups with clients. I was told that they don’t do follow ups.
The second thing I have learned is that civilians do not understand the mentality of veterans. I am routinely asked questions like what happened when you did not follow the request of your superiors or tell me about a time when you failed at your job. Questions such as these do not work for someone who has spent time in the military because we follow orders and typically we do not fail. I generally come off as arrogant and have been told that I am to intense to manage people in the civilian world. This is hard to grasp since I have been a leader for over 20 years.
The last thing that hurts is the pay issue. Why would an employer pay a military veteran what he or she is worth when they can hire some young kid fresh out of college to do the job? I see a revolving door where they don’t want the best, they only want the best for the price. I also feel that people are intimidated by veterans because we may just come in and show them what real work ethics are and take their positions.
Posted by Michael Fly
I have to tread lightly here, since I hold job fairs and invite recruiters from companies to attend. But what you say is sooooo true.
* Group: California Veterans Network
* Subject: New comment (7) on “Careers”
Very Interesting conversation! Well at least we can all agree on the fact that the numbers for Veteran Unemployment are high! Now to solve this problem we have to find the underlying contributors! We are dealing with two different platforms! The civilian world and the military world! These two worlds are categorically different as far as modes of operation and even to a great extent, ways of communication! One of the greatest dilemmas most people are facing with this recession is not a skill set problem! Believe it or not it is an effective communication problem! There is a catastrophe on how to effectively communicate and package our skills sets in a way that can align us to the jobs and opportunities that we seek! This is a problem that is not only faced by Veterans but also by the civilian world too! Effective communication involves showing value,benefit and predicted outcomes to the employer looking to hire! It involves painting a mental picture of what he will receive after he hires you! The job market now is more competitive than ever before! Any competitive edge is a plus!
Upon doing a survey on unemployment,the results showed that most people are not very interested in gaining more skills but quite on the contrary people are more interested in marketing the skills they already have! With that said, most companies would be very happy to employ veterans simply because of
1. The discipline Veterans have.
2. The sacrifice to defend their country-worthy cause(purpose)
3. The acquired skills set to get the job done!
Just as a side note, the military is so adept in innovation and most products are usually developed by the military way before they hit the civilian market! Therefore it is our duty to find ways that we can help in effectively assisting Veterans to communicate the above three points in every opportunity they seek!
Hope this helps!
Posted by Lee Kariuki
Mr. Baird,
I find your comments interesting because of some comments that were made recently during my last visit to the VA. In my kneck of the woods, the VA has mandatory meetings that you must attend once you enter the employment phase of the VocRehab program. We were told that employers are reluctant to hire us because most of us are arrogant and hold the belief that the world owe’s us. We were also told that being a disabled vet doesn’t mean that employers have to hire us and that we should feel lucky and show appreciation for what little attention we may recieve.
Very good site! Let me know if I can be of any assistance.
http://WWW.INTELLIGENCECAREERSERVICES.COM
I am a Iraq vet, was disabled and now healed. I have been struggling for work since day one. All I have ever gotten hired for are jobs that payed enough to buy gas to get there the next day. I have worked a job that payed well but required me to be gone 2-3 weeks, sleep 1-2 hours a night work 20-22 hours a day, and cheat records to show I only works 10-11 hours. Natuarally I quit due to exhaustion.
There is never been anyone that seems willing to help veterans become something. College is out for me since my wife is diabled and cannot work as well as the job of caring for our children. I have looked into all options and none have come out sound financially.
The local Vet help people always send me job infomation on great paying jobs with one catch, you have to have 1-20 years experience and/or a degree in that field. Does no one listen?
The country needs to stand up and do something to stop the epidemic of unemployed, homeless and lost veterans. We all did a job for America, we should not be left out on a limb.
Thanks for reading.
Mark, I agree 100% with your thoughts on vets going right back into gov’t work, which is why I’m trying to start a business after ten years in the AF (even though this economy is junk right now). I’ve put out a number of resumes, mostly to companies who contract with the DoD (because that’s what my skill-set relates to), and nothing comes back; and in all honesty, I might as well go get a gov’t job if I’m working on a base again (although I won’t refuse a job at this point). My home might be in danger in the coming months, but I’m determined to give starting my electronics manufacturing business a good try anyway. The worst that can happen is that I fail, take a burger-flipping job, try again, and repeat until I get it right.
While it’s true that some gov’t jobs require skills learned while in the military, most of us veterans should shoot higher than just continued employment by the gov’t. We all had the drive to get through BMT, tech schools, and in some cases other training such as survival school. Don’t waste this drive on settling for “gummit work”, use it to get into management positions, then shoot higher! Help rebuild the industrial base of our Union, and in doing so, help rebuild our economy.
What makes things difficult are companies like Enterprise Rental Corporation hire only employees under 30….fact, the Detroit Enterprise Recruiter hired five associates all under 30. Needless to say, these gentlemen didn’t have the experience necessary nor did they have the proper training to conduct business.
Many returning veterans come with skills that may not be usefull in civilian life; however, discipline, team work, camaraderie
and compassion have become elements of military life and can be translated into a base for other jobs.
We can offer navy, army and airforce corpmen and medics, medical fligh traing to become Aeroemdical Crewmembers or Critical Care transport personnel for both air an ground ambulances.
Courses may be covered by the VA. Please contact us if more info is needed.