Fatigues to Pinstripes Interview and Resume Tips to Land Ex Military Jobs

Fatigues to Pinstripes Interview and Resume Tips to Land Ex Military JobsFatigues to Pinstripes Interview and Resume Tips to Land Ex Military JobsHow to land a civilian or contractor job as ex militarySizing up the leap from a military career to the private sector? Take some tips on how to land ex military jobs from Mark Henderson, a retired Army colonel and one of the founders of Palladian International, an executive-search firm based in Waynesboro, Va.Bottom line Dont narrow your search too quickly, and dont try too hard to translate your experience into civilian terms.Know what you want and make sure you know whats out there.A lot of people leaving the service, particularly retirees, focus on the defense industry for employment, Henderson said. Thats valid, but they overlook the fact that theres a commercial world out there where the sky is the limit. They sometimes overlook what they could go after if they looked at the commercial world and thought about what they bring to the p late.Translate into terms businesses will understand But dont overdo it. When it comes to building the resume the biggest thing is translating military experience into commercial words, Henderson said. And that goes beyond the acronyms - you have to convert what you did in each role you had to business terms. However, he said, dont push your luck trying to convert military titles to equivalent corporate ones. (A company commander is not a CEO.)Dont just list responsibilities sell your accomplishments.Just listing off the responsibilities you held wont explain to a potential employer your value to a business, and it wont set you apart from the crowd. To do that, you need to talk about what you achieved, in business terms.In the military, were taught to be humble, Henderson said. But you need to explain things by accomplishments - how you innovated. Everyone in the military has a story like that.An interview goes both ways.Preparing for an interview means doing research on the co mpany youre interviewing with and being prepared to ask questions yourself that show youre prepared. An interview is a lot more detailed than standing up and answering questions, Henderson said.A frequent mistake in interviews is failing to follow through on telling your story about your accomplishments. Many candidates think that if they put it on their resume, thats good enough, Henderson said. Be prepared to talk about your achievements, and tell your story in a way that resonates with the interviewer.