1

Identify your soft skills stengths (good with people, detailed orientated, etc) then research jobs that require your soft skill strengths. Then target the jobs you like. If you are prior intel NEVER say the words "well I cant provide too many details because its classified." what that means is you haven't spent the time to translate your skills into intelligible connections to the employer.

2

Use your education benefits and train in a marketable skill.

3

Start preparing yourself at least a year out. Start familiarizing yourself with the different job sites that are military familiar. Prepare resume and and have a couple of people look at it. Familiarize yourself with all the different job programs for transitioning veterans in you state. There is also oversees position that specifically look for transitioning veterans. Do not be afraid to go where the money is. Stay focused and stay hungry. Network, network, network, network! Most important, know your worth.

4

Explore career fields that have an accepted Body of Knowledge, a professional credential indicating a command of that BOK, and are in demand. Then obtain the credential and discuss your military experience in the language of the BOK. The credential then corroborates your experience which sounds familiar to the hiring official because it's in the language of the career/discipline/profession. Examples of fields are Human Resources, Project Management, Accounting, etc.

5

Plan ahead by putting out feelers sending out good civilian resumes

6

Spend 6months to a year transitioning... Get your resume out there! Keep military jargon out of your resume..but a conservative suit. If you have no computer or technical skills coming out of the military.. find any way you can to take courses..Beef up on your computer skills and know the differences between military and civilian corporate styles of leadership. Save your money!!

7

Keep very good records of medical and personal while inside and any correspondences between yourself and the VA.

8

Make a copy of all your records.

9

One thing do your homework. Decide if your going to school or find a job. Know were you want to move. If you are going to do the same type job after your out. Find out were the same job is and is it easy or hard to get a job in the field. Second Get your records copied and if you can get VA disability after you leave get the info together.

10

Prepare... internships or finding companies that do Onboarding specifically for Veterans are the ideal!

11

The VA is the enemy, take charge of your health care and don't take no for an answer with the VA. Find out all you can about programs and bennifits available.

12

Take care of your medical process first because it can be lengthy. Get with people whom have jobs and find out what was the process they went through. Also have your mentors and people in the industry you want to go into look at you resume. If you need a degree, use your post 9/11 gi bill and get one. Live within your means as you look for a job since you may be looking at less. If stressed out, turn to people in your personal network(friends, family) As well as your professional network(co-workers, supervisors, mentors)

13

Talk to family. Now the military has career counselors but back in the day it was a collateral job. contact local unemployment offices and job centers. Also contact veteran organizations. VFW. American Legion Etc.

14

Differentiate yourself from everyone else looking for work. If you are very passionate about something, or extremely great at some certain skill, consider startstarting a business utilizing that particular passion/skill and network to find others to fill the gaps that you are not good at. Focus on what makes you tick and let the others do what they are best at.

15

Don't limit your civilian career options to a specific location or industry. Be as open to all possibilities. Don't limit your options to your primary military duties. Consider your collateral duties as possible careers.

16

Start planning 1-2 years in advance.

17

Make sure they enroll in the VA Healthcare system, EDD, Create a resume, consider being a member of Team Rubicon, The Mission Continues and or IAVA-All offer great support and you will feel a sense of belonging while serving yiur community.

18

Research potential careers based on your passion and personality type. Examine your MOS/Rating and see what's out there that is related, IF that's what you'd like to do.Research careers based on your passion and personality type. Use the web sites that will help you examine your MOS/Rating so you can se what is related if that is the direction you'd like to go. Finally, do what you love to do!!!

19

1. Prepare yourself long before you decide to transition to the civilian workforce. Attending TAP class should be something you do a minimum of 2 times because it is impossible to get all the information in 1 sitting; 2. Plan 1 or 2 years out. Start writing resumes, practicing interviews, reading books on the subject of job hunting (Guerrilla Warfare for Job Hunters, What Color is Your Parachute, etc.); 3. Don't be afraid to ask for help. There are dozens and dozens of places to ask for assistance from Veterans & Industry Leaders who are willing to help (Linkedin, ACP, etc.)

20

Make time for yourself to make sure all your medical and transition paperwork gets completed early.

21

Get and or make copies of your records and I mean EVERYTHING! !!!! Things have a tendency to get lost or it doesn't have the information needed on some of the forms that is requested by civilian employers or by the civilians that operate programs for veterans; (VA benefits/medical facilities)

22

Have a short-term and long-term plan for how you envision your civilian career path. No one is going to outline your promotions and career path for you, so it's up to you- which is both exciting and nerve wracking.

23

No one at any job I've had has cared anything about my education, since it was not a 4yr degree. No one cared about my military experience or training. No one cared that I was a disabled vet.

24

Get as much of your education completed while on active duty. New employers want new employees with education and certifications. Some of the most popular certifications in my industry are: PMP, ITIL, CISSP, CEH, and Security +.

25

Many of your friends, from high school or other activities, may not be there for you. They will have moved on in their lives. So understand that you may need to find new friends and create new relationships.

26

Remember that not everyone you work with are disciplined and pro-military. (also depends on which company you work for)

27

Be yourself; Give, teach, and love.

28

A college education is necessary if you expect your civilian salary to match your military salary.

29

Start to plan your transition at least a year out. Use LinkedIn and other social media to network. Get advise from other veterans that have completed the transition within the last two years, they will have the latest information. Attend GPS class in the area that you plan to move to if possible, the class will have the local connections.

30

To research what potential employers need in order to determine what you (the vet) may need to become an employee of choice. You must be able to articulate what you can do for them in terms of their business...specifically whenever possible.

31

Ensure that you get a military to civilian transition resume done. A lot of civilian companies do not understand military terms. Also know the difference between each type of resume you may need. If you have a clearance, keep it active as long as you need for potential jobs that require clearances. A clearance is a great benefit on the outside world.

32

Start planning at least two to three years in advance.

33

Start far earlier than 18 months!! The transition takes a long while and should be started, at least planning, 2-3 years out. What am I going to do for the rest of my life? What is my next career? Will it need a degree? Serious questions that must be answered and planned for early.

34

Do your homework in studying which civilian jobs are available and those with advancement potential. Get a college degree while still on active duty.

35

Networking and the translation of skills into the civilian employment. Learning how to talk from active duty to seeking full time employment. This is crucial in the interviewing process so that the interviewee can understands the passion and training I have received to translate into the job description that I have applied to for the interview.

36

No institution cares if you served. Yeah you get 5 veterans points in hiring but its essentially meaningless. Companies will hire a college grad who has never done anything over a veteran every day of the week

37

Get ready for either unemployment or to switch jobs each year out of frustration and anger at lazy backstabbing shithead civilians.

38

Plan ahead!! I asked all the right questions, and still found out that I had wrong answers. I officially retired on 31 March 2016, and was lead to believe that my first retiree check would be April 1st, not the case. I was also not told that my final check would be held up. I had planned to start work on 14 March, but the job offer was rescinded on 11 March, and I had to start over. Needless to say, April was a very tight month with no income coming in. Another thing, DO NOT STOP LOOKING FOR A JOB UNTIL YOU ARE IN THE DOOR OF YOUR FIRST! As soon as I got the verbal offer, I was told by my recruiter to shutdown my job search. I did, and lost out on other opportunities I could have had when I lost the first job.

39

Patience with those who have not served a combat assignment.

40

Take the transition classes as early as possible and close to separation or retirement. Start working on college courses while on active duty. If possible attain at least a Bachelor's degree before leaving the service. Start perusing USA Jobs to have an idea what's available in the Federal Government. Seriously consider a Federal Job due to special hiring authorities granted to Veterans.

41

Go for jobs that might not be what you did in the military to have a better chance of not being unemployed due to waiting for doors open. A job in something you don't like is better than nothing at all and shows you are not just staying home waiting. Get a college degree, that's when doors opened for me. Most employers where anti-war protestors during Vietnam and will not care if your a veteran, even hold it against you. I use to have 2 resumes and the civilian one always got me more interviews than the military one. 20 years of service means less than the degree to the employers out here, even know I learned more knowledge, leadership, and discipline in the military. I applied to 40 websites for over 1000 jobs to get 20 interviews in a 5 year period. I worked Charity job, TSA, VA, and now CBP.

42

Get all the information possible about the VA benefits. compare your benefits to what you will be getting if your retiring from the military. Don't jump at a sum of money, instead look at what you will be giving up if you take the money or if you take your disability rating. Try to get a job in the civilian world before you are mustered out.

43

1. MAKE time to get in touch with yourself and identify what you want and where you want it. Don't just chase money UNLESS you're willing to relocate and even then, FOCUS on what aligns with your internal compass. 2. Get a counselor, get a mentor. Develop a PLAN but know that that plan can and is likely to need to be adjusted based on the intel you gather. 3. Plan on the first post-service job being a "transition" job, a learning experience.

44

The civilian community really does not care if you are a veteran or not, don't be in a hurry to get the job done right the first time, civilians except you to make a 1 hr job last at least 8 if not longer. Take pride in your work, goes out the window, again there is no pride in the workplace.

45

Get a job offer before getting out.

46

Don't take it so personal that people don't know what you've accomplished in the military, because they too have their own accomplishments to be proud of. We are all selfish and proud to an extent, that we don't care so much about the accomplishments and experience of others.

47

Prepare early with job finding efforts.

48

Jobs are not abundant no matter how many years you served or how qualified you are.

49

Stay in the military as long as possible.

50

Do not count on your military training to be recognized by civilian employers. While you are on active duty, get all the college credits and civilian credentials that you can. Plan on getting a college degree or a technical/trade certificate after you leave the service.

51

I learned to take full advantage of any opportunity thrown my way. I initially thought I deserved a well-paying job right out of the gate but that isn't the case for many. I had to get my degree, take lower paying jobs and work for that dream job.

52

Call the unemployment office prior to getting out/once you get out to check your benefit availability. Ask questions and make calls! Do NOT just assume what you read is true. Speak to someone to make sure!

53

Do not let anyone make you fear the civilian world. Tough job markets, more expensive healthcare, inexperienced management, etc. No matter what, you have the ability to succeed and flourish as long as you stay persistent and work hard.

54

Learn all you can, get certs for it, whether it is in your job scope or not. Get it on your resume and that will make you more marketable.

55

Be honest with yourself on how the skills you learned in the military cross over to the civilian employment world.

56

Have 3-6 months of living expenses saved up before you make the transition. If a move is involved, more on the 6 months side.

57

1) Start your VA disability claim 6 months before you get out. 2) Prepare your resume 1 year before you get out. 3) Start looking for a job or applying for school 9 months before you get out.

58

1) Assess how well connected you are to where you will be living. If you have no family who is working, no friends in the area, you will find it extremely difficult to find meaningful work unless there are abundant job opportunities. 2) Begin networking before you exit the military to find your career path in your civilian area.

59

Save up a substantial amount of money while you serve so you will have some to allow yourself a small amount of vacation time and support yourself until you can find a job in a tight employment situation. Even better would be to begin looking for work well before your discharge!

60

People (who never served) treat female veterans differently than male veterans. There is a double standard which I have yet to understand why in looking for employment, to obtain the veteran benefits, and to socialize with others

61

Explore all options. When you attend TAP listen carefully, take the advice the various presenters tell you and make copies of your medical record prior to leaving active duty. when i attended TAP i paid close attention and like a good sailor i followed instructions to the letter and as a result when i filed my initial claim for service connection i was awarded 40%. make sure you go through your medical record for completeness. there are a # of sites now that'll assist in converting your rating/MOS to a civilian job. take advantage of those and apply for either government jobs be it local government, state government and federal government. when you work for the government you can buy your military time back which adds to your retirement. you can do this IF you DIDN'T retire.

62

Figure out what field (career path) you want to take as early as possible, and read up about the field. Begin networking in person or through social media channels. People have always been willing to help me out, but I had to seek their help. If you want to start your own business, reach out to your local SBA and/or SCORE office. They have been very helpful and given great guidance/advise. Be assertive, don't wait for opportunities to come to you - go find them.

63

Make your first job, if possible, one that is still involved with the military and your co-workers are fellow veterans. Also, join clubs, groups and/associations for and with veterans. Use your GI Bill benefits immediately. And enroll in VA Health immediately. I did the first one. It took many years to do the other three, and those years of being disconnected took their toll in many aspects of my life.

64

The hardest hurdle to overcome for me was making less money and starting at the bottom at a new job. The other challenging thing is having to pay additional taxes that I was exempt from while being active duty.

65

Learn how to network, most companies only hire from the internet as a last resort. If you go to college, attend career fairs early and find out what companies are looking for your freshman year and get internships. Most hiring managers do not understand technical skills in general, so military skills are really foreign to them.

66

Military job skills do not transition as easily into the civilian market as people believe. For example, if you are an electrician in the military with 20yrs of experience don’t expect the civilian job market to recognize that. Some places are better at it than others. Do your research, don’t assume.

67

Identify a new career, make a plan to transition into that career (i.e. college degree, apprenticeship, etc...), and don't lose sight of your goal!

68

Make sure you have a family/friend support system, and don't be afraid to rely on them. The transition out of military service is a difficult one, no matter how you slice it, harder still for those with families of their own. It is a daunting challenge, particularly in an unstable economy, to again find your civilian legs, as it were. Because that's the big difference. Regardless of all the minor comparisons and contrasts between military and civilian life, the big one is that we can generally rely on our commanders to take care of us and our problems at the end of the day while we're in. Once we're out, though there are various programs and services available to us, that huge level of support is gone, and it is once again all on us as the individual. And that is a heavy weight to carry, especially if we have a spouse and children to care for. I do not regret one iota my decision to get out; the price I ended up having to pay in frustration and anger for that "huge level of support" was too high a price in my opinion. But the fact of the matter is, a successful transition does not happen accidentally. It takes being proactive in your plans and the steps that you take, and it takes good friends and family to help guide your way, and catch you when you start to stumble or simply fall flat on your face. And personally, the same is true of everything in life; it is merely highlighted with great intensity during the military-to-civilian transition.

69

Civilians who have never served will not understand you and your abilities. They also have a misconception that we all have some kind of mental problem stemming from our service. Many will also feel as though you are a threat to them (professionally) and will treat you accordingly. Just remember to breath, control your anger and frustration, and teach them about who you really are. It will be difficult at times but remember, we Veterans are experts at overcoming diversity.

70

T-GPS or whatever it's called is useless. The two biggest things to do when transitioning are scan all your records onto a flash drive, and use a military targeted recruiting firm to land you a great job

71

Most of your military skills/experience can be applied to your civilian transition. I learned that experience and knowledge of are often confusing when you apply for a position in a related field. Even if you have only done the job once you have knowledge of it. Which means you can LEARN how to do that job. Don't short change yourself when you see that in a job requirement. If you have put it to use or practice say yes and go from there. Every employer has their way of doing the same job; it's up to the company. I held a position as a Functional Analyst and wound up being a Telephone Switch Technician. Once I got the job I put my hands on as much equipment as I could and got it documented. Then I applied for other jobs because I had knowledge of. Most employers would rather hire someone from within the company rather than get someone new to train. It's cost effective and the person filling the position is already there.

72

Prepare 2 years in advance for you transition if possible. It's a difficult transition from military to civilian and you need to have a good idea of what you want to do. Be prepared for the job search and interview process and know that patience is a virtue. It can take months after interviewing and applying for jobs before a decision is reached if you ever hear back from the companies at all.

73

Network, network, network!
Utilize the free premium membership Linked In gives you and network!

74

Ensure everything is documented correctly in your military record and medical record.

75

MAKE time to plan your transition. You don't know what you don't know. SAVE 6-9 months' living expenses. Accept that your out-of-pocket expenses (rent, car insurance, food, EVERYTHING) will increase. Accept that you may not be able to achieve a lateral financial transfer. Downsize NOW. Rent reasonably. When looking for a job don't determine it SOLELY on $$. Factor in the commuting time. Commuting = aggravation. Gas is cheap now but it's bound to increase again. Be economical.

76

Weigh your options and make the best decision for YOU, not just your family. Make sure you are really ok with getting out and that you're not doing it just because it would make life easier on everyone involved. Regret is not fun.

77

Military service is not preparatory in nature. Skill conversions are difficult and training opportunities are nearly nonexistent.

78

Don't do it if you do not have too. If you do, be prepared to enter a different world. If you have a family, job security is something you will miss when you become a civilian. It is non existent in this world.

79

It is important to place the past behind you and learn to move forward. Do not forget what you have learned, but learn that portion of life is like the chapter of a book that can no longer be written. It helps to have someone discuss past problems as well as current ones. In my experience, it is best to talk to those who have already transitioned out of service recently. Connect with other veterans in your area. There are many military groups in existence.

80

Be open to new careers. Get a degree in something. Don't wait on the government for job opportunities. I had a career in intelligence that disappeared in a blink and I wasn't prepared for the career change. Always keep looking for new opportunities because you never know when your current career may no longer be a part of your life. Also, don't be forced into believing that the only two jobs you can get once you separate are government employment or contracting

81

Get as much college education as one can while in the military. Many military careers need a degree in the civilian world.

82

have an plan and know what your gonna do.

83

Understand job skills and qualifications that civilian employers are looking for. Having military experience and a high school education, will not get you ahead in the civilian world. Education is the very valuable tool and many veterans get out hoping to use their benefits for school and few make it. Make it a priority in your life! Find a mentor in the workforce, preferably a veteran that has been successful in getting out of the military, and learn from them. Find out how to combine your traits from the military with your education, and leverage your potential and value.

84

Go back to school for a first or graduate degree. There is something about being immersed in school that helps the transition to civilian thinking and networking. Also, being in school takes the pressure off the job hunt process and related stress. Finally, being in the military opens up some great school support and resources....take advantage of it and act on those dreams that came to you as you matured in the military.

85

Work hard, do your job, save your money and invest.