TAOnline Transition Insight Newsletter

The Six P's

Most people are familiar with the five P’s of task accomplishment: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. When it comes to career transition and job-hunting, however, there are six additional P’s to consider.

Career Transition elicits a broad range of emotions. From elation to frustration, from glee to disappointment, from pleasant surprise to disbelief—the typical job seeker will likely experience it all. Keeping the Six P’s in mind will help you maintain your perspective during this wild ride and enhance your chances of a successful landing. Let’s take a quick look at each of the Six P’s:...
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Bachelors Degree vs. Military Experience

Why Do Employers View One as Less Valuable?

When I speak to employers on developing military recruiting programs, a veteran's level of education is an area that generates a lot of discussion. I hear time and again "where can I find the ones who have a degree?" or "we are looking for officers, because we hear they are the ones who have degrees".

Plans for a reverse boot camp nearing completion

By Leo Shane III
Used with permission from Stars and Stripes. © 2012 Stars and Stripes.

WASHINGTON -- Defense and Veterans Affairs officials are finalizing plans for a "reverse boot camp" for troops leaving the military, part of a series of efforts to better prepare soon-to-be veterans for the challenges of civilian life.

The idea, announced by the White House last summer, is designed to be a dramatic improvement to the services' Transition Assistance Program, which critics have said doesn't fully prepare troops for challenges like navigating civilian job interviews, attending college...
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Service Connected Disability

Part 4: Loan Warrior - Filing your own Service Connected Disability Claim

By Josh Penner, Veterans Advocate

This is the fourth piece (Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3) in an ongoing collection of articles detailing the 'ins-and-outs' of VA Service Connected Disability (SCD) claims. I’ve covered various aspects of eligibility and your options for getting assistance with your SCD claim. For those of you who may be your own best advocate (and there are many of you) – In the following paragraphs I will attempt to break down how to approach this process.

To begin, there are two methods for initiating a SCD...
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The Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) is accepting applications now. The VRAP, geared towards Veterans 35-60, is limited to 45,000 participants between July 1, 2012 and September 30, 2012, and to an additional 54,000 from October 1, 2012 through March 31, 2014. Approved participants may receive up to 12-months of assistance at the full-time payment rate under the Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty program (currently $1,473/mo). To apply online - visit eBenefits.

The Six P's

By Tom Wolfe, Career Coach

Patience - Things will rarely happen as quickly as you would like and you will need to be patient as you go about your job search. Your priority list will never be the same as that of a potential employer. You have your agenda and employers have their own. It is highly likely that the only time in your search when the time line is too fast for you is when you get a job offer and they want an answer quickly!

Persistence - At first glance, this would seem at odds with being patient. Learning how to balance the two is one of your transition tools. Although that tool starts out a little dull, it will be finely honed by the time your search is over. Being persistent means not giving up, but it also means riding the fine line between demonstrating your level of interest and becoming a pest.

Preparedness - Going into the job search with a high level of knowledge will eliminate many problems before they have a chance to arise. Knowledge of the organization, knowledge of the position and, most importantly, a high degree of self-knowledge are among the most critical elements of any successful career transition.

Professionalism - Do the right thing. Do what you say you will do. Follow-up. Be on time. Return the calls. Honor the timelines and deadlines. Get the application form in on time. Write the follow-up letters. Change your voice mail message. Be respectful. This one is easy for most military service members.

Presentation - Look the part. Dress appropriately. Live up to the grooming and appearance standards that are expected of you. First impressions are important, but it does not stop there. Lasting impressions equate to memory, and being memorable matters in an interview. Speak clearly and with confidence, while maintaining your humility. Remember also the messages that are conveyed by eye contact and body language.

Politeness - Be courteous. Say thanks. Smile. Look people in the eye. Just because someone is sitting in the guard shack or at the reception desk does not mean they are not important. Many organizations go out of their way to see what the administrative and clerical people think about a prospective employee.

There are no earth-shattering revelations here, just common sense and common courtesies. Sometimes however, stressful situations cause us to loose touch with the basics. Remembering the Six P’s is a good way to stay grounded during your career transition period.

Comments or questions regarding this column or any career transition topic? Feel free to contact me: tom@tomwolfe-careecoach.com

© 2012; Tom Wolfe, author; all rights reserved; excerpts from Out of Uniform: Your Guide to a Successful Military-to-Civilian Career Transition; used with the permission of the author and publisher, www.potomacbooksinc.com.

Tom Wolfe is an author, columnist, career coach, veteran, and an expert in the field of military-to-civilian career transition. During his career he assisted thousands of service members in their searches for employment, placing more than 3000 in their new jobs. Prior to civilian life, he graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy and served as a surface warfare officer. He teaches transition courses, gives seminars on career and job change, writes about the career transition process, and continues to counsel current and former military personnel. His book, Out of Uniform: Your Guide to a Successful Military-to-Civilian Career Transition, was published by Potomac Books in 2011. Tom lives on the North Carolina coast with his wife, Julie, and their Chesapeake Bay retriever, Maggie.

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Bachelors Degree vs. Military Experience

Why Do Employers View One as Less Valuable?

Granted, a majority of officers come through a college commissioning program, like the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) or a service academy. So, yes, they have a degree and a commission. But officers only make up about 30% of the total military; the other 70% are enlisted members, whose level of education completed varies. Some are high school graduates and others have master's degrees, and everything in between. Generally, the longer someone serves in the military, the greater the chance they have completed or are very close to completing a 4 year degree.

Still, some employers are not impressed. "All of our positions require at least a bachelor's". Hiring managers believe that they gain something extra in terms of talent and potential by hiring someone who has completed a 4-year degree.

There was an article in US News & World Report a few years ago that highlighted this trend of employers requiring a 4 year degree as a minimum qualification for jobs. The author discovered that the young woman who helped him check out his rental car had a bachelor's degree. He thought to himself "What is inherent about inspecting a vehicle for damage, completing some paperwork, and confirming mileage that requires 4 years of advanced education? Nothing." Curious, he contacted the company's HR department and learned that, other than an exception for military experience, all people hired into this position had to have a minimum of a bachelor's.

In fairness, there are jobs that actually do require a degree, such as doctors, lawyers, nurses, Certified Public Accountants, engineers, and most teaching positions. In those cases, the degree is a requirement to be licensed or certified to practice. But what about the OTHER jobs?

The reality is, in a tight labor market, employers can be choosier when deciding what the minimum criteria are for a given position. The irony is, despite efforts to be more diversified, many companies still insist on a degree for most positions, which automatically winnows the pool to the approximately 26% of the US population has at least a 4 year degree. A population that, by and large, had the financial means to obtain a degree, and a support system that prepared them to meet college acceptance criteria and to complete the program of education. In other words: a population that is not as diversified as it could be.

I continue to push employers to consider military experience as at least equal to a 4 year degree. I've collected their responses to the question: "Why do your positions require a minimum of a bachelor's degree?" The top reasons given are listed below, and I have provided my counter-argument as to why military experience is indicative of the same qualities sought by employers:

What employers say a bachelor's degree demonstrates	What Lisa (and every other veteran) says military experience demonstrates
Knowledge – completing a degree indicates that you have demonstrated basic understanding of an area of study. A person may have 8-16 weeks of actual experience in that area of study if they had internships.	Experience – completing an enlistment means that you have spent between 2-12 concentrated months learning how to perform a particular occupation (law enforcement, supply chain, human resources, etc.) and that you have performed it well enough for the 2-3 years that followed the training to maintain employment. If the person performed that job particularly well there would be evidence of promotions and awards.
Perseverance – Committing to a goal and succeeding. College is hard. No one is there to make you get up in the morning and go to class and to nag you to do your homework and turn in your assignments on time. Ideally, a student will knuckle down and complete the degree in 4 years.	Perseverance - Committing to a goal and succeeding. Basic training ("boot camp") is hard. Drill sergeants are in your face every second of every day breaking you down in order to build you back up. For those that survive boot camp, actual military service runs them ragged, with training, exercises, deployments and long hours. Joining the military is voluntary, and by enlisting a person signs a contract. Come hell or high water, most people who join complete their contract because it is their personal goal to serve their country honorably in whatever capacity they can. Choosing to serve in the military is choosing a tough lifestyle, and these volunteers could have made other, perhaps easier, choices.
Analytical skills – many hours are spent in class reading materials and discussing the meaning and the implication of what was read and how it applies to other situations. When their analysis is correct students get an "A" and when they are incorrect they get a "C" or worse.	Analytical skills – many hours are spent on deployments in chaotic situations, gathering information, comparing data, discussing the meaning and implications of what has been gathered and how it could impact other situations. When their analysis is correct military members achieve their goals and when they are incorrect people could die.
Communication skills – course work requires that you write papers explaining your understanding of the material and making well thought out arguments for or against a position. College work also requires that you present information to an audience (classmates, teacher) either orally or through a presentation.	Communication skills – Staff work in the military requires that you write papers explaining your understanding of complex real-life situations and making well thought out arguments for a course of action. Staff work also involves writing policy papers and synthesizing complex subject matter into charts, graphs or presentations to be briefed to senior leaders. Even the most junior enlisted member has been asked at least once to orally brief a senior leader. Many of them do it as a matter of routine, given the number of inspections and command visits a unit receives.
An ability to manage time and to multitask – taking 4 to 6 classes a semester, juggling assignments and exams, and keeping up with fraternity events or sport teams means you have to be very cognizant of where you need to be on a given day and what you need to have completed in order to be successful	An ability to manage time and to multitask – in addition to doing the requirements of your job in the military, there is no shortage of administrative tasks, "no notice" taskings, and things that just don't go the way they were planned to contend with on a daily basis. The military runs on a "no excuses" mentality, so service members are expected to deal with the situation as presented, figure out how to adapt to and/or overcome road blocks, and achieve the goal.

So, when you break it down like that, can you see how 3-6 years of military experience provides much if not all of the true value (as expressed by the employers themselves) of a 4 year degree?

A final word on online degrees: While serving in the military, many military members pursue online education, as this allows them to take classes and work toward a degree while on deployment or while juggling multiple exercises and other work commitments. So, check your personal bias against degrees from online universities, as those educational options are often the only ones available for military members to pursue while still serving. I think it says a lot about a veteran's perseverance to choose to take classes on top of all their other commitments while serving.

Lisa is the founder and principal trainer with The Value Of a Veteran, a human resources training and consulting firm that teaches employers HOW to improve recruitment and retention of military veterans. Her website is www.TheValueOfaVeteran.com

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Plans for a reverse boot camp nearing completion

By Leo Shane III
Used with permission from Stars and Stripes. © 2012 Stars and Stripes.

No specifics of the transition program have been released. The idea was one of several initiated by President Barack Obama last year as a way to properly repay troops for their service by ensuring success in their post-military lives.

That included the formation of the Military Credentialing and Licensing Task Force, charged with finding ways to create more employment opportunities for separating servicemembers.

In late May, the group announced its first partnership, establishing opportunities for 126,000 troops to receive "industry-recognized, nationally-portable certifications for high-demand manufacturing jobs."

The program includes accreditation through the American Welding Society and National Institute for Metalworking Skills for soldiers with certain machinist and welding skills. Another agreement with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers will expand certification opportunities for troops in technical engineering fields, giving them a chance to seamlessly carry their military skills to a civilian job.

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Service Connected Disability

Part 4: Loan Warrior - Filing your own Service Connected Disability Claim

By Josh Penner, Veterans Advocate

To begin, there are two methods for initiating a SCD claim: formal and informal. In fact, the informal method of contacting the VA will be enough to get the ball rolling from here on out (including appeals). Put simply, an informal claim is a brief letter (by you) that you send to the VA (VA-Regional Office near you) stating that you wish to file a claim for Service Connected Disability. The VA will then respond with an acceptance of your claim request and provide you a VA Form 21-526 which you need to fill out in order to formalize your SCD claim. Of course, you can always file the VA Form 21-526 initially and proceed from the beginning with a "formal claim". Either way, formal or informal, any documentation you mail to the VA (VARO) for purposes of SCD claims should be done using Certified Mail with a return receipt.

Another option for filing your claim is to use the online VA application, VONAPP.

Now the VA has your formal claim in hand and your work is to develop your claim to the point the VA can make a decision in your favor. The VA has a "mandate" to assist you in developing your claim – this will take the form of letters that you will receive over the next couple months reminding you to submit any and all evidence supporting your claim. The evidence you're looking for is going to be Doctors or other medical professionals opinions that verify your disability was "likely as not" caused and/or aggravated during or due to your military service. Having a copy of your military records on hand can be very helpful here too – as it may help to piece elements of your claim together in order to create the "Service Connection" that the VA adjudicator is going to be looking for. Moreover, it may assist you in connecting with former comrades for the purpose of buddy statements – to support events or situations not covered in your military records.

*I have a YouTube video, here, showing you step by step how to order your military records.

At some point you are going to receive a notice about a compensation and pension exam (C&P). This is going to be your opportunity to discuss your Service Connected Disability with a VA physician. This is a very important exam and even if it's short notice you should make every effort to make the appointment. Missing this appointment may easily result in a denial of your initial claim – and a frustrating appeal to follow.

Following the C&P exam, is undoubtedly the hardest part of the claim process – waiting. Each VARO is going to have differing processing times, based on local backlog. The typical waiting time for initial applications is upwards of 12-18 months as of the date this article is written. A word of warning here – despite your motivations, if you're considering writing your congressman, Senator, or the VA itself to speed up your claim, this will not speed up your claim – and the more hands your claim has to go through for review or because of the statements you make in your letter, the longer it will likely take to get back to you with a decision. If you do want to do something to help your claim, continue researching and collecting supporting evidence and mailing it, certified, to the VARO for inclusion in your claim.

Now, let me address a couple exceptions to the statements I just made – in certain circumstances, critically ill or terminally ill Veterans may, with the supporting documentation provided and endorsed by a physician, write a letter to the VA requesting prioritization of the SCD claim. Once again, this should be sent via certified mail.

So, there you have it- the application process. On the surface it is pretty straightforward: file a claim, submit supporting evidence, attend C&P exam, wait. Why then are so many claims denied? There's enough controversy on that subject to fill a book. Next month, I won't answer that question, but I will cover what to do when you receive a denial letter to your SCD claim.

Josh Penner, Veterans Advocate:
Owner, Core Values Consulting - www.vetsCVC.com
Josh served in the United States Marine Corps as a Radio Operator from 2004-2011. He is a Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and uses his experiences as well as his business education to advocate for and assist Veterans in connecting to resources and benefits. In addition to providing direct services to Veterans, Josh is a regular speaker on Veterans Benefits topics, and regularly consults with businesses and organizations wishing to gain insight in to the broad spectrum of Veterans Benefits and Resources from the Federal, State, County, and Local levels

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