Most people don't completely "retire" after serving in the military. In fact, many will start the civilian job hunt right away.
Whether you're searching for another career out of need or simply desire, transitioning into civilian employment after years spent in the military can be difficult. Not only are you completely out of practice when it comes to job searching, but you also have incredible experience in an industry that most civilians cannot comprehend.
The good news is that there are numerous resources available to help you make the transition from military to civilian employment.
Your résumé is often the first impression you give potential employers, and a good one can be hard to write. Thankfully, there are free resources available to help you build a résumé that represents you well and helps translate your military experience into desirable civilian skills. In fact, Hire Heroes has Transition Specialists designated specifically for this. When you register on their site, you gain access to résumé assistance, workshops, templates, events, and all the other beneficial services they have to offer.
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Job fairs are organized with the intention to connect employers with potential candidates. Typically, job fairs are hosted at universities to help college students get a job lined up when they graduate. So why would you, as a veteran, want to attend a job fair? Organizations like Recruit Military organize job fairs just for you! Not only do job fairs often offer knowledge of industries and companies looking to hire, but they allow you to network in a community of employers that you may not otherwise have the ability to connect with.
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There are a number of organizations like Hire Heroes USA, Vet Jobs, Hiring Our Heroes, and Vets.gov designed specifically to help in your employment endeavors. Hiring Our Heroes offers a Case Management Program that assists in your job search by informing you of local job fairs, connecting you with local professionals to conduct practice interviews and a number of other helpful job searching skills.
Don't feel obligated to use one resource and ignore the others. Instead, use those veteran employment organizations to help start your search, and then extend your search to job sites like Career Builder, Monster, and Zip Recruiter. You may also consider finding a staffing agency or "headhunter" in your area.
Job searching is a lot of work and requires a little practice, but with your military experience and utilizing these resources, you should soon be well on your way to finding your perfect civilian career.