Today's post comes from Emma, who has been super sweet to work with. Below you can learn more about her and I really hope you enjoy her post. :)
Emma is a mid 20-something year old with a passion for
life, love, fitness, and helping others. She loves to be active and get
involved in as many sport and community activities as possible. Emma
is currently studying to become a Career & Life Coach, and loves to network
with people from around the world! Check out Emma’s blog at http://smileasithappens.blogspot.com/!
Debunking the Myths of Breaking
into Private Sector Jobs
While being
an active military member can be stressful, there can be great comfort in the
life and occupation you know. This may be part of the reason that many
military personnel find it frightening to begin looking for a job in the
private sector when they are thinking of retiring. Unfortunately, many myths
about job seeking perpetuate this fear. Let’s take a look at some of these
myths and begin debunking them with the truth about finding a job in the
private sector:
Myth #1: No
companies actively seek military veterans as employees.
Truth: Actually, a military career
trains people like yourself in ways that can be valuable throughout a lifetime
– offering skills and experiences that are unique and desirable. Many employers
recognize this and actively search for military veterans to fill open
positions. Several government incentive programs also encourage companies to
hire veterans. On VeteranJobListings.com, companies seeking to hire
military veterans post job listings for free, and veterans can easily apply to
jobs without even creating an online account.
Myth #2: Employers
don’t care about applicants.
Truth: Although there may be large
numbers of applicants for a very few number of positions, employers understand
the importance of finding and hiring top talent. In order to attract the best
potential employees, many companies have simplified the application process by
using electronic platforms such as JIBE, a company specializing in mobile recruiting. These
tech-savvy companies that use JIBE make it easier for applicants to both upload
their application materials and apply
for jobs right from their smartphone or tablet!
Myth #3: You will
be more likely to get a job if you apply for many of them.
Truth: Answering every help-wanted ad
you see will not help you acquire the job that best suits you. In fact, you may
be wasting your time by applying to so many jobs that you cannot properly
research companies and positions in order to target those positions you find
the most interesting. Instead, focus your time and efforts on looking for
positions that you are both qualified for, and that you would actually like
doing! Sometimes jobs aren’t always listed, so make sure to network and get
involved with different companies in any way you can – the more connections you
have, the more likely you are to hear about an opening early on.
Myth #4: If you
have a service-related disability, no one will want to hire you.
Truth: Many programs exist to assist
disabled veterans, and several of these directly assist with employment and job
searching. The U.S. Department of Veterans even has on-the-job training
programs available along with other rehabilitation
opportunities
such as on-the-job training, case management, counseling services, and more.
Transitioning to a private sector job can be a stressful situation if you aren’t armed with the correct information. Before you begin to think about your next steps after you leave the military, make sure you know the real myths out there, and the truths for each of them. Thank you for your service and sacrifice in protecting our country, and now it’s time for you to get out there and do something else you want to do for you.
