When I decided to retire from the Air Force, for the second time, it was for various reasons. The main reasons were stability for my family and personal marketability. The first reason to many of us who serve is obvious. While my wife signed on to the military lifestyle many years ago, my kids were born into it. After three states, five houses and three schools, I wanted my kids to have stability. Making friends is hard enough in elementary school; it's even harder when you're moving. So, it was last year when I requested my retirement and this past May, I was done serving in the Air Force. Fortunately for me I had over 100 days of leave (vacation time). This means that I still get paid my active duty pay until September 1, 2014. Now, since about February of this year, I've been working on my second reason for retiring: personal marketability. I have no concrete proof of this and I haven't researched this but it's in my opinion that after a certain age, a person becomes less marketable in the civilian world unless you have a unique set of skills. Well, this had led to my transition being frustrating to say the least. You have to understand, I've spent half my life in an Air Force uniform. The job market has changed since I worked in the great malls of Colonie, NY. One thing I've learned for certain is that searching for a job is so impersonal these days. Everything is on-line: You search on-line, you submit your resume and all associated documents on-line, you build your electronic profile on professional social media sites and then you wait. The one thing, for me anyway, that is the most frustrating is not hearing back from a company. But, hey, I understand it. One company I applied to stated they receive over 10,000 applications a month! It's impossible for a HR department to go through that many and then contact everyone. What I would say really annoys me is when a company recruiter does call you and then does not follow-up even when you reach out to them with some follow-up questions. Through my transition, I've learned the same thing that many experts tout and these are in no particular order:
1. Resumes don't get you the job, but they will get you through phase 1 of the job hunt. You have to tailor your resume for each particular job and highlight your skills that will benefit that company. This is what gets you that phone call. I just need to work harder at that and maybe crack the code.
2. Sometimes you have to expand your area of job searching. You know growing up, I always loved going to see my dad's family in PA and would always ask if we could move there. My dad would say, "You have to live where the work is at." This is the truth. Diane and I have had discussions with our girls already that while we would love to stay here in Ohio, I may search for jobs elsewhere. In fact, I applied for one in Niskayuna last week at GE. If any of my friends in NY have contacts with GE, let me know ;-)
3. Networking may be the greatest part in a job search. I'm beginning to grasp that concept now. From May-June, I applied to many jobs and asked a networked with a few folks I've come in contact with, but as time ticks closer to my last day of active duty, I've expanded my network. Sometimes, well, OK, a lot of times, it is all about who you know.
4. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP! Yes, this is a biggie especially for people with egos. Since I knew I was retiring over a year ago, I started asking people then. Some folks I asked to review my resume, others I asked what classes I could take. For some hiring managers that didn't offer me a job, I asked for feedback on my resume and any other advice they could offer. One thing I learned early on in the Air Force is feedback is crucial and this is no different. One thing that I realized about most people; they want to help out.
5. Some days are exhausting and it's hard not to feel down, but you can't give up. I still think to myself every night---Tomorrow is the day I get a lead or a phone call.
Well that's about it so far about my transition. I need to work some more on my general resume and take a few more on-line security courses; primarily in industrial, physical and information security. Once I land a job, I will then start my training in cyber-security. In my opinion, that's the next big market and I need to keep myself marketable.
1. Resumes don't get you the job, but they will get you through phase 1 of the job hunt. You have to tailor your resume for each particular job and highlight your skills that will benefit that company. This is what gets you that phone call. I just need to work harder at that and maybe crack the code.
2. Sometimes you have to expand your area of job searching. You know growing up, I always loved going to see my dad's family in PA and would always ask if we could move there. My dad would say, "You have to live where the work is at." This is the truth. Diane and I have had discussions with our girls already that while we would love to stay here in Ohio, I may search for jobs elsewhere. In fact, I applied for one in Niskayuna last week at GE. If any of my friends in NY have contacts with GE, let me know ;-)
3. Networking may be the greatest part in a job search. I'm beginning to grasp that concept now. From May-June, I applied to many jobs and asked a networked with a few folks I've come in contact with, but as time ticks closer to my last day of active duty, I've expanded my network. Sometimes, well, OK, a lot of times, it is all about who you know.
4. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP! Yes, this is a biggie especially for people with egos. Since I knew I was retiring over a year ago, I started asking people then. Some folks I asked to review my resume, others I asked what classes I could take. For some hiring managers that didn't offer me a job, I asked for feedback on my resume and any other advice they could offer. One thing I learned early on in the Air Force is feedback is crucial and this is no different. One thing that I realized about most people; they want to help out.
5. Some days are exhausting and it's hard not to feel down, but you can't give up. I still think to myself every night---Tomorrow is the day I get a lead or a phone call.
Well that's about it so far about my transition. I need to work some more on my general resume and take a few more on-line security courses; primarily in industrial, physical and information security. Once I land a job, I will then start my training in cyber-security. In my opinion, that's the next big market and I need to keep myself marketable.
1 comment:
Good Stuff Steve. All points are VALID! I will add that most retired military members egos won't let them apply for jobs they believe are beneath them. At my current job I got in on the ground floor (may have even been in the basement), and had 3 major promotions in 2 years. Best of Luck Bro!
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