TAOnline Transition Insight Newsletter

10 Tips to Developing a Military Transition Resume

by Barbara Adams
www.militaryresumewriters.com and www.careerproplus.com

For the million-plus military personnel scheduled to retire or separate from the United States Military within the next three to four years, probably the best advice they can follow is to prepare. Statistics show that only 1% of the U.S. population comprises the military, leaving 99% civilian. Therefore, you must prepare to compete when separating from the military against your civilian... Read More

And the Top-10 best jobs for Veterans are...

by Ron Rutherford
Business Development Manager
TAOnline.com

With more than one-million military personnel expected to transition from active duty over the next three years, what skills and expertise are civilian employers looking for? A new survey, released within the past month, highlights what it says are the Top-10 Jobs for Veterans. G.I. Jobs (www.gijobs.com) compiled the results, based on a survey of military-friendly... Read More

Army, Marines Stop New Tuition Assistance Enrollments

by Jim Garamone, Armed Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2013 — Budget problems have forced the Army and Marine Corps to cancel the tuition assistance program, service officials said today. Navy and Air Force officials said they are studying the way forward with the program and expect decisions next week. Thousands of service members take advantage of the tuition assistance program, which allows... Read More

Dang! Not Hired! Again! What Should You Do?

Susan Joyce
Reprinted with permission www.workcoachcafe.com

As hard as you have tried and as good as you are, sometimes it just doesn't work out. You don't get that job offer you wanted and worked so hard to get. And, it's not the first time you haven't gotten the job. A million variables are involved in filling a job, from the economy to the personalities ("chemistry") and the mood or the background or the presence of certain decision makers critical... Read More

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10 Tips to Developing a Military Transition Resume

by Barbara Adams, CPRW, CEIP, MFRW, MMRW, MFCA-T
www.militaryresumewriters.com and www.careerproplus.com

Thousands of military personnel have the same MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). What differentiates you from others are your specialized experience, accomplishments, training, and individual skills.

Below are five tips you can follow to help set you apart from both your military and civilian counterparts:

Demilitarize all military language into civilianize — e.g.,; the word "soldiers" becomes "personnel"
Omit acronyms
List a brief, overall demilitarized job description for each assignment — e.g., missions are assignments
At least 80% of your resume should highlight your accomplishments; this will put you ahead of your competition
Write your resume using the challenge, context, actions, and results of your experience
Don't just say you're the best — you need to prove it; list both quantitative and qualitative results
Provide a statement from your superior from your performance evaluation, such as:
"The best Electronics Technician in years to pull off a 2,500-system installation with zero deficiencies… promote immediately"
Use brevity on your resume; less is more
Add your security clearance at the top of your resume; your clearance is priceless to both government contractors and the federal government
Be clear, concise, and accomplishment-focused and be sure to have a few colleagues or friends proofread your resume for errors

A resume doesn't have to be full of boring job descriptions. Thousands can have the same MOS or job description. To be clear, you need to prove your value to an employer and how your experience, skills, education/training, and accomplishments will make an immediate contribution to their organization.

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And the Top-10 best jobs for Veterans are...

by Ron Rutherford, Business Development Manager
TAOnline.com

With more than one-million military personnel expected to transition from active duty over the next three years, what skills and expertise are civilian employers looking for?

A new survey, released within the past month, highlights what it says are the Top-10 Jobs for Veterans. G.I. Jobs (www.gijobs.com) compiled the results, based on a survey of military-friendly employers, which also includes data from Fortune 1,000 companies. The positions were listed as a "Hot Job or Expanding Area of Business" on Employer surveys.

The survey reveals the Top-10 jobs, as well as average salaries for each career. G.I. Jobs says those average salaries do not take into account regional differences and salaries may be higher or lower in different parts of the country.

So — according to this survey, here are the Top-10 Jobs for Veterans in 2013:

To read more on the methodology used and Top Jobs – 11 – 20 for Veterans in 2013, visit www.GIJobs.com.

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Army, Marines Stop New Tuition Assistance Enrollments

by Jim Garamone, Armed Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2013 — Budget problems have forced the Army and Marine Corps to cancel the tuition assistance program, service officials said today. Navy and Air Force officials said they are studying the way forward with the program and expect decisions next week.

Thousands of service members take advantage of the tuition assistance program, which allows them to take college courses that prepare them for their jobs in the military or as they transition to the civilian workforce.

However, the current fiscal situation forced service officials to make difficult choices, said Navy Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde, a Pentagon spokeswoman. "Each service is responsible for funding and administering tuition assistance funding," she said.

The Defense Department's comptroller issued guidance "indicating that the services should consider significant reductions in funding new tuition assistance applicants, effective immediately and for the duration of the current fiscal situation," Hull-Ryde added.

Army officials announced today that soldiers will not be permitted to submit new requests for tuition assistance. Soldiers currently enrolled in courses approved for tuition assistance are not affected, and will be allowed to complete those courses, said Lt. Col. Tom Alexander, spokesman for the Army's personnel chief.

The Army is taking this step because of the combined effects of a possible year-long continuing resolution and sequestration. "The Army understands the impacts of this action and will re-evaluate should the budgetary situation improve," Alexander said. Soldiers with questions can get answers at their local education centers.

The Marine Corps cancelled its program when across-the-board spending cuts under a "sequestration" mechanism in budget law took effect. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus ordered the Marine Corps to cease new enrollments in the voluntary education tuition assistance program. The Marine Corps falls under the Navy Department.

Mabus said in an all-Navy order that the actions are needed "to preserve support for those forces stationed overseas and currently forward-deployed. Reductions in lower-priority forward operations, and significant reductions in all other operations, training and maintenance are a result of this selection process."

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Dang! Not Hired! Again! What Should You Do?

by Susan Joyce
Reprinted with permission; Susan Joyce - www.workcoachcafe.com

A million variables are involved in filling a job, from the economy to the personalities ("chemistry") and the mood or the background or the presence of certain decision makers critical to the process. Perhaps your resume was received too late for consideration or wasn't seen because it got caught in an email spam filter or didn't have exactly the right keywords in it for the ATS search. Maybe in the interview you seemed too pushy to one of them, or not pushy enough or too quiet or too smart or too casual or too… Strangely enough, often – perhaps even MOST of the time – the reason you don't get the offer has absolutely nothing to do with you personally. The timing just wasn't right for you,this time.

So, What Should You Do?

If a job you really wanted "got away," there are some things you can do to recover, possibly, and to move on.

Try to find out what happened.
If someone in the employer's organization contacts you to let you know that you aren't getting the job, follow up quickly! Politely ask for more information of anyone on the employer's side who seemed to be friendly and supportive.

If there is a reason they specifically did not hire you, knowing that reason could save you a lot of time and energy in the future. Maybe the reason means you would not want to work there (ethics, race, religion, etc.). Or it could mean that you can improve your job search performance for the next time and the next employer.
So, ask:
- Did they cancel the job?
- Did they offer the job to someone else?
- Did they change their minds about hiring anyone right now?
- Was there something about you and your approach to them that could be improved? Could they provide you with any constructive feedback?
Do not expect — or TRY — to change the decision! You simply want to know what happened and, if possible, to learn something about your approach to them that could have been improved. Be grateful for whatever feedback they share, and do NOT argue with them about their decision.

Don't be surprised if fear of lawsuits or fear of awkward discussions prevents everyone from telling you what happened, but it is worth a try to find out. Since they have already decided not to hire you, you don't have anything to lose. And you could have a lot to gain!
Send a "thank you" note.
If you really liked the organization and the people you interviewed with and you would love to work for them, send them a thank you note when you find out that you didn't get the job. It can lay the groundwork for a job offer if they re-open the job or if the person they hired doesn't work out. It can also put you first in line for the next job opening they have.
Get help with your job search.
A solitary job search is a lonely, confidence-killing experience. Find a local job search support group to help you with your job search – check your local state Career OneStop Center, public library, senior center (regardless of your age), city hall, college or university career center or alumni group. Also check out MeetUp.com and LinkedIn.com's Groups for help.

These groups help expand your network - "Anybody know someone who works for [Target Company Name]?" They also can provide extra sets of eyes to check out your resume, LinkedIn Profile, Twitter Bio, etc. And extra sets of ears to be listening for good job leads for you. In addition, you'll be able to help others with their job search, networking, and job search documents. People often connect with life-long friends attending these group meetings, and just knowing that you are not the only person who isn't immediately snapped up by an eager employer is good for morale. Seeing other intelligent, well-qualified people who are also in a long job search can be encouraging.

I'll never forget leaving the weekly meeting of a local job search support group a few years ago with a very smart and accomplished young financial professional. As we were walking down the steps, she said to me, "I've been doing everything wrong for a year! I wish I had come to this group from the beginning!" Don't make that mistake.
Consider part-time and temporary work.
A part-time job can be a good way to keep some money coming in and can also expose you to more opportunities. They keep your skills more up-to-date and can provide you with the opportunity to learn new skills. These jobs also provide "cover" for you with employers who are leery of hiring someone who is unemployed. And, sometimes, part-time or short-term jobs turn in to full-time jobs.

Don't Give Up

I spoke last week with a job seeker who had been unemployed for 4 years, and finally connected with a great job for him. He wasted the first year of his job search by not focusing his search and being too isolated. But, then he connected with a local job search support group, which he attended regularly to stay motivated and connected with his goals. He also kept volunteering, taking part-time jobs, taking short-term jobs, taking classes, keeping his skills up-to-date, and building his network. Four years is a long time to go without a "permanent" job, but he made it.

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