Transition Insight

"We value the skills, commitment and diversity that veterans bring to the workplace".

- Ben Fowke, CEO, Xcel Energy

• Gwinnett Medical Center
• Bankers Life and Casualty
• Raytheon
• LabCorp
• The Schwan Food Company
• BAE Systems, Inc
• Kaiser Permanente
• Altria
• Accenture
• Department of Veteran Affairs
• Boeing
• The National Security Agency (NSA)
• Takeda
• Walmart - Sam's Club
• WellPoint
• Safeway, Inc

• Physician's Assistant (Mid-Level Practitioner) - CA
• Nurse Practitioner - CA
• Clinical Director - CA
• Correctional Officer - CA

• Stars and Stripes
• Hire Heroes USA
• Solid Hires
• Jobless Warrior
• Veterans Inc.

Click here for a complete list and description of organizations of TAOnline.com growing Partners!

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to Hire Over 800 Veterans as Peer Specialists and Peer Support Apprentices by December 31, 2013. Make a difference in the lives of your fellow Veterans! VA is hiring over 800 Veterans to work as Peer Specialists and Peer Support Apprentices. To qualify, you must be a United States Veteran who has recovered or is recovering from a mental health condition. Completion of an approved peer specialist training program is also required. Click here for more information and to apply.

Questions About Landing a Federal Job

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

If you are trying to land a federal job, you might be wondering…

• How is a federal resume different from a corporate resume?
• How do I know if I am qualified for specific positions?
• How do I build a federal resume with the correct character counts?
• What are the keywords?
• What causes my application to be rejected?
• How do I fill out the assessment questionnaire?
• Why does the federal hiring process have to be so difficult?

Everyday, I answer one or more of the aforementioned questions. Sure, the answers are simple to me because I am a Master Federal Career Advisor and have my finger on the pulse of federal hiring for the past 25 years. But too many, these questions are very relevant and for those seeking federal employment it is critical that these questions are addressed so they can be successful in landing a federal job. If you follow my articles then I’ll be addressing each of these questions in my upcoming posts.

Federal resumes are much different from private sector resumes. They require content beyond your employment timeline and education. There actually is a method to the federal hiring madness. For the past 25 years, we remain abreast on the federal hiring landscape and changes. The federal government always has open positions posted on www.usajobs.gov, their main website, and they are always hiring.

Many speculate that the federal government is not hiring because there are sequesters, furloughs and hiring freezes. Just think of it this way: the federal government employs 2.8 million individuals. Employees retire, quit, transfer to other agencies, and are fired and so on. If you would really like a federal job — especially if you are prior military and have a 5 or 10 point veteran’s preference, don’t let the bad publicity scare you away. The federal government is hiring, it will always need new employees and there are hundreds of thousands of jobs that are mission critical.

Barbara Adams, President and CEO of CareerPro Global (CPG), the parent company of www.careerproplus.com and www.militaryresumewriters.com, has been a member of the careers community for the past 20 years. Ms. Adams holds four prestigious industry certifications. CareerPro Global is the only ISO 9001-2008 Certified Career Service in the industry, as well as one of the fastest-growing Military, Federal, and Civilian Resume-Writing and Careers-Coaching companies. The team of Certified Professional Federal and Military Resume Writers at CPG assist thousands of clients in applying for and gaining employment each year. We can help you land your military to civilian job.

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Job Seekers' Self-Sabotage

By Sherri Edwards
Consultant – Trainer – Coach
Resource Maximizer

Years ago I came up with a list of self-defeating behaviors that can sabotage efforts to becoming employed. A colleague's advice was to flip all of my statements into desired behaviors or proposed actions that could correct the problems, so I did. Funny thing, but I haven’t seen a huge change in many people's approach, even with the availability of volumes of career advice. I still see the same ol', same ol' behavior, getting in the way of people achieving their employment goals. I thought I’d go back to my original notion of calling it as I see it and see what the response is this time around.

As I see it, many of the reasons people remain unemployed have nothing to do with the availability or lack of jobs. Nearly 100% of the time the evidence points to a simple change in behavior that could make all the difference in someone going to work or not. The following are some typical self-sabotaging behaviors:

1. Sleeping in
2. Procrastinating
3. Following up with introductions weeks after the fact
4. Relying on unemployment as motivation to remain unemployed
5. Not following up with contacts after initial meetings
6. Exaggerating their skills and qualifications
7. Using (abusing) other people’s networks without asking
8. Overselling themselves
9. Appearing desperate
10. Making assumptions
11. Failing to plan
12. Poor time management
13. Targeting roles that are not realistic as a "next step"
14. Being unwilling to plan a path to "the job of their dreams"
15. Paralyzing themselves with irrational fears
16. Not looking closely at ROI when it comes to long-term education/certificate programs
17. Being ill-prepared to meet new people or follow up on leads
18. Shooting from the hip ALL the time
19. Taking vacations with no plan for staying in contact with leads they have in the pipeline
20. Starting preparation for an interview after they get the call
21. Unwilling to get uncomfortable or go the extra mile
22. Giving up

Did you recognize any of your own behaviors in that list? Most of them, you say? Well, take heart. I’m here to tell you that you can change your behaviors. In my 20 years of experience in this field, I’ve seen people go from writhing in despair to securing the job of their dreams . . . and then building that job into something beyond their wildest imaginings. It can happen for you - it depends on the actions you are willing to take.

Here are action items that have stood the test of time:

• Self-assessment. Examine the list above and identify the ones that hit home. Be honest with yourself. It’s painful to examine the ugly truths about our own behavior, but acknowledging the part you play in your current situation is the first step in producing the results you desire.
• Commit to change. Decide that you are going to drive your own bus. You can’t control the economy, your employer (or lack of one), other people’s decisions or actions, or much else, but you can control what you think and do. Picture yourself getting behind the wheel of that bus and taking charge.
• Write out your goals. Make them specific and measurable. Remember, the difference between making a resolution and establishing a goal is setting timelines and creating accountability. Wishes don’t turn into results. Actions do.
• Stay focused. Remind yourself that becoming employed is Priority Number One. Post those words or a picture of what they mean to you above your computer, on the bathroom mirror, or — better yet — OVER your television screen if that’s what it will take to keep you focused on your goal.
• Form good habits. You do that by replacing self-destructive behaviors (hint: see list above) with positive ones. For example, do you sleep in? Act as though you were going to a job you love. Get up early, get dressed — right down to the shoes! — and groom yourself to the nines. You’ll feel energized and empowered, and that feeling will be reflected in how you present yourself.
• Be aware of how you appear to others. Do you seem desperate? Are you untidy, late for appointments, disorganized or rushed? Take stock and make repairs. You may feel desperate, but there are ways to appear confident. For instance, learning how to prepare for interviews will lessen your anxiety considerably. Meeting deadlines, asking well-thought-out questions of others, and sharing useful information are all ways to show others you would be someone they would want on their team.
• Plan ahead. Prepare your interview clothes now — before you get even a whiff of an interview schedule — so you’ll look sharp and have one less thing to distract you from presenting your best side at an interview. If you have a meeting or interview, plan to arrive at least one hour before the slotted time in case something goes awry, even if you have to cool your heels in a nearby coffee shop. How long will it take to get there? Make a trial run to the interview site to find out if there are traffic snarls, construction, road/sidewalk closures, etc., that could make you late. The morning of the meeting, check the Internet for possible traffic delays. It all adds up: working out the nuts and bolts of "getting it together" in advance of an interview will help you relax and focus on the job at hand . . . literally.
• Be realistic, and don’t overstate your skills and qualifications. Sure, it’s great to dream, but trying to talk your way into a dream job that’s way over your head is simply a waste of your time and others' time, too. And those “others” might remember you one day when an opportunity arises that you’re truly qualified for. Don’t make a bad impression by puffing yourself up and not being able to deliver. If people think you want to be the king, you better be competitive as a king. If you are not, and a knight's position opens, no one will think you are willing to step down.
• Never give up. Abraham Lincoln was defeated repeatedly in bids for office, went broke and into debt, suffered unspeakable personal losses, struggled with deep depression, and faced uncountable setbacks, but he went on to become one of the most successful and influential people in history. Why? Because he never gave up. Michael Jordan has been quoted as saying, "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." And, I might add, he never gave up. Joe Schmoe was a talented, skilled, highly educated man who . . . you say you never heard of Joe Schmoe? Of course not . . he gave up!

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Military Veteran Earns Own Company - Six-month search crowns winner of Operation American Dream

PRWeb Release - Omaha, Neb. July 05, 2013

After a six-month search, representatives from Signal 88 Security and a panel of military veterans have chosen Gregory Murphy of Salt Lake City, Utah, as the winner of Operation American Dream: From Battlefield to Boss. Murphy, a United States Army veteran, will be awarded either $5,000 to start his own business or $10,000 to open his own Signal 88 Security franchise.

Since January, military veterans with entrepreneurial dreams competed for start-up money to open a business through Signal 88 Security's nationwide contest. Each entrant submitted a 500-word essay describing a desire to open his or her own business. Following monthly online voting periods, the public narrowed the field to five finalists. Each finalist received a $500 cash prize and advanced to a final selection process.

Selection criteria included an evaluation of each finalist's essay and video entry, plus a Q&A from a panel of judges that included military veterans and representatives from Signal 88 Security. Gregory Murphy joined the United States Army in 1985. After completing 22 years of active duty and 14 years of service with the Army Active Guard & Reserves, he is currently in the process of retiring. Murphy is married and has seven children. His oldest daughter recently returned from serving in Afghanistan. "I've thought about this for some time now," says Murphy. "Being named a finalist early in the contest gave me a chance to plan my next step, should I be the winner. I'm currently putting a team together to help me open a Signal 88 franchise, and I'm feeling both happy and surprised."

According to statistics from the Small Business Association Office of Advocacy, veterans are at least 45 percent more likely to take the plunge into entrepreneurship than people with no active-duty military experience. "Signal 88 Security is a top employer of military veterans," said Reed Nyffeler, CEO and co-founder of Signal 88 Security. "We were named on the G.I. Jobs list in 2012 among the top 10 percent of the nation's franchises that are doing the most to recruit military veterans. Providing another deserving veteran with a chance to own his own business was a great opportunity for us to give back."

In 2007 data from the U.S. Census Bureau – the most recent statistics available on the subject – veterans owned 2.4 million businesses, or 9 percent of all businesses nationwide, generating $1.2 trillion in receipts and employing nearly 5.8 million people. "Veterans possess many of the traits needed in entrepreneurism," said Nyffeler. "Their leadership, teamwork and problem-solving skills are second-to-none in my experience and Greg Murphy is no exception. Signal 88 Security is looking forward to his future success." To learn more about Murphy, visit the Signal 88 website.

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