M A Y 2 0 1 4 M I L I T A R Y O F F I C E R 6 3

The military is your life. But, someday you’ll move on. Whether you’re planning to join the civilian workforce or go back to school, MOAA’s 2014 Transition Guide will help you every step of the way. � ILLUSTRATIONS BY JASON RAISH

brought to you by

MOAATransitionGuide

ForwardBest Foot

Insider Advice

Are You Really a CEO?Really a CEO?Really

Top Employment Cities for Veterans

Maximize VA Claim Success

Military-Friendly Employers

Safeguard Your Family's Future

Unemployment, by the Numbers

Veterans Welcome

Make the Most of Your GI Bill Benefit

Value in Volunteering

Avoid Common Job-Search Pitfalls

8 Questions to Ask When Choosing a College

64

74

MAdvice

By Vera Steiner Blore

InsiderYou don’t have to fl y solo on your journey to post-

military career success. Tap into the network of established career coaches you’ve been

developing without even knowing it.

Military leaders and the troops they lead take pride in their ability to handle every situation, no matter how challenging. They get the job done and believe failure is not an option. As a result, many service-members assume the same will hold true when it comes time to transi-tion into the civilian workforce; they simply will determine their objectives and get it done.

While this strategy will work for some, others fi nd the military-to-civilian transition to be a more un-

settling process. To make the best of things, recognize you don’t have to fl y solo. Connect with mentors who can coach you through the process. Reach out to other professionals to tap their experience, insights, and knowledge.

Obstacles in sight Before you can bridge some of the tough topics of a successful transi-tion, keep in mind these common stumbling blocks:� The di� culty leaving behind a mili-tary career and culture that has been

such a central part of your personal and professional life.� The thousands of military and ci-vilian colleagues competing for the same pool of available jobs.� The switch from “service before self” to “selling yourself.” You are expected to leave behind the mind-set of “us” for one in which you must market yourself as the best candidate for the job. This does not mean simply highlighting past responsibilities and resources you marshaled; instead, you will need

MOAATransitionGuide

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to articulate e� ectively the specifi c skills and talents you will bring to a prospective employer that will positively a� ect the bottom line or help achieve the agency’s goals and objectives in the future.� Taking full ownership of deci-sions the military previously made for you, such as where you will live and the kind of job you will do. Upon separation from military ser-vice, your (and your family’s) needs will drive the decision-making pro-cess and determine which factors have highest priority.� Standing outside of the military infrastructure and broader military family for the fi rst time in a long while. There always was some un-certainty in your military career, but the military “umbrella” provided su� cient security — personally, fi nancially, and professionally — to keep things manageable.� The e� ects of freedom of choice. It can be freeing to feel empowered to make independent career choices; others may experience “analysis pa-ralysis” as they fi nd the open-ended nature of this major career and life change overwhelming.

Finding mentorsNo one should allow these factors to force a quick retreat. The more productive approach is to let your network coach you in the right direction. For example, you might want to:� Join professional associations. Membership associations, both military- and veteran-related as well as those in civilian fi elds of in-terest, provide excellent networking opportunities and o� er ways to in-crease your visibility as you search for your next job.

MOAATransitionGuide

Are You Really a CEO?One of the biggest résumé challenges transitioning servicemem-bers face is translating military skills into language civilian employers can understand. You might think the breadth and scope of authority and responsibility required to command a Navy ship or lead an Army brigade is similar to the skill sets of a chief executive officer (CEO). Well, not so fast. Before adopting the title of CEO for comparison purposes on a résumé, know that leading large and often complex military orga-nizations certainly demonstrates marketable skill sets, but they are not necessarily equivalent to those of a CEO.

So what’s the difference? Duties of a CEO include but are not limited to:� generating revenue and business development; � reporting to a board of directors and stakeholders;� identifying quarterly profits and losses;� leading marketing and sales; and� formulating and implementing a company’s strategic vision.

The use of the CEO title on a résumé as a substitute for a command-ing officer could do more harm than good. Corporate recruiters and hiring managers without a good understanding of military organizations might interpret this as embellishing your experience level; conversely, use of the CEO title could suggest you are over-qualified for a position.

With careful research on military-to-civilian job translation, you should be able to articulate clearly your duties and responsibilities to an employer. Remember, when highlighting your experience on a résumé, it’s not so much what you did but rather how well you did it that’s important to an employer. Include significant accomplishments and results achieved in the position under your watch. A great way to help potential employers understand your level in the military is to list the number of people you su-pervised and the size of the budget for which you were responsible. These indicators require little translation and readily convey the scope of your authority and the type of supervisory functions you performed.

— Col. Terri Coles, USA (Ret), deputy director, MOAA Transition Center

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

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VALUES.

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� Contact college career o� ces. It might have been a while since you graduated from college, graduate school, or a service academy; none-theless, many of these career o� ces are able to assist alumni as they plan for career transition.� Seek out informational interviews. These informal conversations pro-vide a way to explore possible career paths and acquire information out-

side of the formal interview process. Use this strategy to reconnect with former colleagues who are currently in a fi eld of interest to you or to open a door to a prospective employer.� Conduct online research. There is a wealth of information online about people, companies, industries, and organizations. Do your home-work in advance, so you can avoid wasting time during an in-person

conversation with questions that are easily answered through a quick online search. For example, you can use the LinkedIn company search feature to learn about private-sector fi rms of interest; Guidestar is a good source of information about nonprofi t organizations.� Take a service-sponsored tran-sition course. These courses are a good fi rst step; unfortunately,

MOAATransitionGuide

Military Executive Transition (MET) Workshop/Follow-on Career Transition Consulting. This one-day at-cost workshop for MOAA Premium members (Life members receive a discount) covers a range of top-ics including: separating from military life and culture; developing a deliberate job-search strategy; evaluating job offers; negotiating pay and benefits; and achieving early wins in a new job. It also includes the opportunity to network with an experienced retained recruiter and a panel of military officers now working in the public, pri-vate, and nonprofit sectors.

Follow-on benefits include: five hours of personal-ized career-transition consulting; financial planning with a MOAA consultant; and video interview critiques.

Résumé Critiques. While your résumé might not be what lands you your next job, a poorly constructed ré-sumé might take you out of the competition at the start. MOAA’s Transition Center team provides résumé guid-ance to Premium and Life members.

Interview Practice. Conduct a practice interview — or several — with a webcam at your desk, using MOAA’s InterviewStream technology. Premium and Life mem-bers can choose from a variety of industries and ques-tions, conduct the interview and have it critiqued, and incorporate tips to strengthen performance.

In-Person and Virtual Career Fairs. MOAA career fairs provide opportunities for servicemembers and

veterans and their spouses to try on their “civilian skin” and meet prospective employers, network with oth-ers, and build a base of professional contacts. Drop by MOAA’s next career fair May 13 or attend the MOAA/Corporate Gray virtual career fairs May 21 and Aug. 27.

Networking Resources and Events. Join MOAA’s LinkedIn Career Networking Group to get weekly tips and advice from MOAA’s transition experts and learn from other experts with insights to share.

If you’re on a base or installation, check the MOAA Calendar, page 93, for free MOAA-sponsored classes like Evaluating Employee Benefits and Marketing Your-self for a Second Career.

MOAA pre-career fair networking events give you the chance to hear from and mingle with recruiters, employers, and career counselors who work with ser-vicemembers in transition. The next event is May 8 in Arlington, Va.

Keys to Success: Career Development Workshop for Aspiring Young Professionals. Recent college graduates whose parents or grandparents are MOAA Life members can learn all the job-search best practices to improve everything from résumés to interview skills.

MOAA Career Transition Serviceswww.moaa.org/career

AtlantaThe Atlanta metro region is a promising locale for veterans transi-tioning into civilian employment.

The fifth-largest metro area in the country and the capital of Georgia, Atlanta is also home to the world’s largest and busiest airport. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta In-ternational airport,

which serves nearly 1 billion pas-sengers annually, makes the city a prime location for those traveling often for business.

Atlanta is headquarters to 14 Fortune 500 companies, ranking third in the nation after New York and Houston. Major industries in-clude bioscience and health care, clean technology, supply chain and advanced manufacturing, technology, and corporate head-quarters. The city is considered

the nation’s health care IT capital and has seen 167-percent growth in health care IT job postings from 2010 through 2012. The region also has seen 115-percent growth in supply chain/logistics/distribution job postings during the same period, and Atlanta is becoming a major center of digital media careers, posting two times the national aver-age for digital media jobs in the past two years.

The Atlanta region is also home to 57 colleges and universities as well as seven technical colleges, providing loads of opportunity for pursuing higher education or getting the skills needed to make a suc-cessful career transition.

— Deborah Huso

City Stats� Cost of Living Index: 97� Median Home Price: $110,000� Population: 443,775 � Top Employers: Delta Air Lines, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Emory University, DeKalb County Government and Public Schools, AT&T� Higher Education: Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University

Top Employment Cities for Veterans

DIGITAL EXTRA Watch videos about servicemembers in transi-tion, unemployment, and new careers. Go to page 68 of this issue at www.moaa.org/moarchive.

The VA's fully developed claim (FDC) program can help you file a claim for compensation for dis-ability caused by military service.

When you file an FDC, you are certifying to the VA you have submitted all relevant records in support of your claim, so you will not have to wait for the VA to look for these records. But because you are waiving the VA’s responsibility to look for these records, make sure you know what evidence is required to support your claim.

VA Form 21-526EZ explains how to support your claim. At-tach or enclose copies of your pri-vate medical records and military treatment records (keep the origi-nals) and other evidence to sup-port your claim, such as letters from family and friends about the effects of the disability and other records like a Social Security Ad-ministration disability award.

Because the evidence needed to support a claim varies, MOAA recommends seeking the assis-tance of a veterans service officer (VSO), who can offer free help with filing claims. To find a VSO, log on to www.ebenefits.va.gov and click on “search for repre-sentative” or call the VA at (800) 827-1000. If you are in the Mary-land, Virginia, or Washington, D.C., area, call MOAA’s new VSO line at (866) 739-3046 for help.

— Lauren Kologe, deputy director, MOAA Veteran

and Survivor Services

Maximize VA Claim Success

MOAA Career Transition Serviceswww.moaa.org/career

7 0 M I L I T A R Y O F F I C E R M A Y 2 0 1 4 M A Y 2 0 1 4 M I L I T A R Y O F F I C E R 7 1

AccentureAmazonArmy and Air Force Exchange ServiceA-Team Solutions LLCAXA AdvisorsBank of AmericaBoecore Inc.Booz Allen HamiltonCH2M HILLChick-fil-A Inc.ClearanceJobsColorado Christian UniversityColorado Employer Support of the Guard and ReserveCox CommunicationsCreative Associates InternationalCSCDell Services Federal GovernmentDepartment of Veterans AffairsDollar GeneralEngility Corp.Exelis Inc.Farmers Insurance GroupFederal Deposit Insurance Corp. Federal Job ResultsFINRAFirst Command Financial Services Inc.The George Washington UniversityHallmarkHelicopter Association InternationalThe Henry M. Jackson Foundation

HST Corporate Interiors LLCHumanaInstitute for Defense AnalysesInstitute for Veterans Education and TrainingInternational Franchise AssociationJacobs TechnologyJenkins RestorationsKelly ServicesLeaderQuestLeidosLife TechnologiesLMILockheed Martin Corp.Lowe's Home ImprovementManTech International Corp.MarriottMercer ConsumerMarstel-Day LLCMilitary Spouse Employment PartnershipMilton Hershey SchoolNational Institute of Standards and TechnologyNational Language Service CorpsNational Science FoundationNational Security AgencyNorthrop Grumman Corp.Northwestern MutualPeace CorpsPentagon Federal Credit UnionPikes Peak Workforce CenterPrimerica Financial ServicesPrince George's County One-Stop Career Center

Prince William County Police DepartmentProfessional Solutions LLCQuantech Services Inc.RCG Inc.Schafer Corp.Scitor Corp.Sentara Medical GroupSkyline ProductsStrayer UniversityTeach For AmericaTexas Tech UniversityUniversity of PhoenixUniversity of San FranciscoUSAAU.S. Department of EnergyU.S. Nuclear Regulatory CommissionU.S. Office of Personnel ManagementU.S. Patent and Trademark OfficeU.S. Postal ServiceU.S. Securities and Exchange CommissionU.S. FoodsVeterans Benefits AdministrationVirginia Employment CommissionWestatWestern and Southern Financial GroupWestern Michigan UniversityWin Home Inspection

Military-Friendly Employers*

though the course binder likely will remain on your desk, it might not provide ongoing motivation.

Coach powerOne of the best strategies is connect-ing with a career advisor, consultant, or coach. While no one can do all the hard work on your behalf, a good ca-reer advisor can help you:� identify your civilian career goals and work with you to eliminate real or perceived barriers in your way;� plan your job-search strategy and serve as an objective sounding board as you weigh your options and con-sider career alternatives;� develop a thoughtful approach to negotiate your salary and benefi ts;

� adapt to an entirely new set of workplace expectations and unwrit-ten cultural norms;� fi ne-tune your professional social media presence, a critical component of today’s job-search process;� shape your personal brand — what makes you the one to hire? — and� stand out from your military and civilian competition.

You won’t have to look far to fi nd a high-quality career transition profes-sional. MOAA’s Military Executive Transition (MET) workshop includes fi ve hours of follow-on, one-on-one career guidance from an experienced career-management consultant who will work with you to address your specifi c career-transition needs.

Kevin Redman, a recent MET attendee, says, “The career-manage-ment advice I received ... was invalu-able. The expert guidance I received helped me to weigh competing o� ers and negotiate a higher starting sala-ry.” Find out more about the program at www.moaa.org/met.

Don’t go it alone on your military-to-civilian transition journey. The right career advisor will have your six and stand ready to guide you, every step of the way.

MOAATransitionGuide

*This list is based on employers that regularly participate in MOAA career fairs; employers in bold have advertised in this issue.

— Vera Steiner Blore is an executive career consultant who works with senior military leaders in transition. She is the author of Success in Your New Mission: A Guide for Senior Military Leaders in Transition.

Western Michigan University is proud to have earned a “military-friendly” designation. We take pride in helping vets pick up their education where they left off.

WMU’s University Studies program offers veterans who have already taken some college classes a clear pathway to graduation. Our advisors help you lay out a custom degree program using credits you already have and applying them toward a bachelor’s degree from WMU.

Finish what you started. Learn more at wmich.edu/extended/universitystudies or by calling (269) 387-4200.

Serving those who have served

CAREERNEXTYOUR

Jump-start your job search at MOAA’s military-friendly career fair.

Check out MOAA’s upcoming career events at

www.moaa.org/careerfair

MO

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MOAATransitionGuide

% of All Employees

New hires do not include transfers between agencies.Source: OPM "Employment of Veterans in the Federal Executive Branch Fiscal Year 2012"

Veterans With Preference

Women

Men

Disabled Veterans

30%+ Disabled Veterans

28.3%

25.5

9.0

6.1

28.9%

25.7

11.1

6.6

FY 2011 FY 2012

Total Veteran New Hires in the Federal Executive Branch

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Veteran Unemployment in the Civilian Force

(percent of labor force by age)

All Veterans 2011 2012 2013

18 to 24 years 30.2% 20.4% 21.4%

25 to 34 years 12 9.9 9.1

35 to 44 years 7.2 5.8 6.0

45 to 54 years 7.6 6.7 5.6

55 to 64 years 7.7 6.4 6.4

65 years and over 6.7 6.1 5.9

48.7

34.6

Manag

emen

t,

prof

essio

nal

Produ

ction

,

trans

portat

ion

Sales,

offic

e

All oth

er

Service

32.5

18.7 17.814.4 15.3 15.7 16.616.6 17.8

39.6

28.732.2

14.7

21.6

5.7 5.72.2 0.9

Occupations of Veterans Versus Non-Veterans (by percent)

(by sex)

Safeguard Your Family's FutureDuring a transition from the military to a new career path, there’s a lot to consider, and protecting yourself and your family should be of foremost concern. You have worked hard to get to where you are now — but accidents and bad things do happen. Not being prepared could lead your family to financial ruin. As you enter the next stage of your life, here are a few things to consider that will minimize the possi-bility misfortune will derail your financial security. � Ideally, your emergency fund should cover three to six months of your expenses. With employability and job stability uncertainties, increase this to 12 months of expenses.� If you are a military retiree, your medical health care continues through TRICARE. If not, consider “bridge” medical insurance for you and your family until you are covered by a new employer. Options include the Con-tinuous Health Care Benefit Program or the Health Insurance Marketplace. � If you predecease your family, are they prepared to meet expenses without your income? If not, explore the Survivor Benefit Plan, Veter-ans’ Group Life Insurance, or civilian life insurance options to provide a replacement income for your family. � Almost half of those who reach age 65 will need some level of long term care (LTC) service in their lifetimes; 10 percent will need three or more years of nursing care. LTC insurance premiums are expensive, but coverage could protect the retirement nest egg upon which your spouse might be dependent for daily living or alleviate for loved ones the stress of financially or physically providing for your care.

Some military options become unavailable at or shortly after separation from service, and civilian insurance is more expensive and harder to obtain as you age. Don’t just roll with the punches. Have a plan in place before you transition. It can help you maintain your quality of life and ensure you don’t miss out on benefits that can help your family.

To learn more, visit www.moaa.org/transitionadvice or call MOAA at (800) 234-6622 and ask to speak with a MOAA financial planner.

— Cmdr. Bill Finch, USN (Ret), CFP®, deputy director, MOAA Financial Education

This table is revised since General Schedule and Related Pay Plans no longer are generated.

Source: OPM "Employment of Veterans in the Federal Executive Branch Fiscal Year 2012"

Employment by New Grade/Salary Group

GS, GM, GL

SES 0.39% 0.22% 0.09% 0.00%

Blue-Collar Pay Plans 8.53 15.10 13.18 3.82

Other White-Collar Pay Plans 19.78 14.99 10.64 0.80

3.14%Grade 1-4 2.17 2.73 27.47

17.86Grade 5-8 19.02 22.26 51.08

30.15Grade 9-12 32.45 36.49 15.70

19.53Grade 13-15 16.06 14.61 1.12

Federal Civilian Workforce

Veterans DisabledVeterans

Military Spouse Appointment*

*Noncompetitive Appointment of Certain Military Spouse Hiring Authority was effective Sept. 11, 2009, authorized by Executive Order 13473.

� Veteran

� Non-Veteran

� In 2013, the veteran unemploy-ment rate varied by state, ranging

in Michigan and New Jersey

in Delaware, Iowa, North Dakota, Vermont, and Virginia.

� Veteran unemployment dropped

in 2012

in 2013.

� As of December 2013, post-9/11 veteran unemployment was

civilian unemployment was

and veteran unemployment was

� Among the 722,000 unem-ployed veterans in 2013,

were age 45 and older,

were ages 25 to 44,

were ages 18 to 24.

Unemployment, by the Numbers

from over 10%

from 7%

7.3%,

6.7%,

5.5%.

60%

and 5%35%

to under 4%

to 6.6%

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WWhat are the top ways to fi nd a military-friendly employer? Borrow the tactics of these veteran experts to fi nd a job where you’re a shoo-in and the role is a great fi t.

WelcomeVeterans

By Heidi Lynn Russell

MOAATransitionGuide

When you boil down all of the hall-marks of a “military-friendly employ-er,” former Marine Corps Capt. Mary Kennedy Thompson says it comes down to one factor: values.

“If you were in the military, you have a high set of values, and you’re somebody who wants to serve the country,” she says. “So look for companies with those values. They should actively talk about them and live them every day and should be the right cultural match to who you are.” Thompson served in the Ma-

rine Corps for eight years until 1992, before opening multiple franchises.

Companies that share your code of work and ethics also are those that will place importance on your military leadership skills. They will foster your career, Thompson says. Not only that, once you have forged a path with a values-driven com-pany, be prepared for others with even better opportunities to pursue you, she adds.

Thompson and other experts have a couple other ways to identify

companies that share o� cer values and support veterans.

Drill into companies’ online personas. Employers that give vet-erans a priority will tout it on their websites and will have a strong pres-ence on sites that promote military job candidates. Check out employers participating in the White House’s Joining Forces program (http://1.usa.gov/1fu6Ho3). These companies answered a challenge by fi rst lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to hire or train 100,000 unemployed

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veterans and their spouses by 2013. After meeting the goal early, the companies have committed to hiring an additional 435,000 veterans and military spouses by 2018.

Some companies have launched their own grassroots e� orts. JP-Morgan Chase and 10 other compa-nies started the 100,000 Jobs Mission (www.veteranjobmission.com) in 2011. Their initial goal was to hire at least 100,000 veterans by 2020. Since then, the coalition has swelled to 121 companies, which collectively had hired 92,869 veterans by the third quarter of 2013. And Wal-Mart pledged on Memorial Day 2013 to hire any honorably discharged vet-eran within the fi rst 12 months o� active duty, as well as to hire 100,000 veterans over fi ve years. The com-pany asked 48 CEOs to join the e� ort and pledged $20 million through 2015 to support veteran employment and transition opportunities.

Thompson also is past president of VetFran (www.vetfran.com), a program founded by the Inter-national Franchise Association (IFA) through which companies o� er fi nancial incentives, train-ing, and mentoring to veterans. The IFA partnered with the White House’s Joining Forces initiative and launched “Operation Enduring Opportunity.” The pledge is to hire, and recruit as franchise owners, 80,000 veterans and their spouses through 2014. “Since 2011, we’ve hired 65,000. We will meet our goal. We have brought 4,300 veter-ans into small business ownership,” Thompson says.

Also check out the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes program (www.uschamber.com/hiringourheroes), launched in

MOAATransitionGuide

As a top Military Friendly University Texas Tech is

ready to serve you.

Here to serve

and their familes.

mvp.ttu.edu

Make the Most of Your GI Bill Benefit

The Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit pays for tuition, fees, housing, and book stipends for graduate or undergraduate degrees as well as other training programs.

The VA pays tuition and fees directly to the institute of higher learning (IHL). The max-imum tuition rate is currently $19,198.31 for beneficiaries who qualify for 100 percent of the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit.

Private IHLs have the option of participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Under the Yellow Ribbon Program, the IHL and the VA agree to pay equal percentages of tuition

costs that exceed the base amount paid under the GI bill. The IHL may limit the number of students allowed to use the Yellow Ribbon Program or the additional amount paid. Additional Yellow Ribbon pay-ments made by the school and the VA might not fully cover a year of tuition and fees.

The Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) is based on the Basic Al-lowance for Housing rate for an E-5 with dependents in the ZIP code where the IHL is located.

Use the online GI Bill Comparison Tool at http://bit.ly/NT41DY to find the MHA amount and whether an IHL participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program.

One important thing to understand is how the remaining benefit is calculated. If a veteran attends a full-time degree program, he or she is charged one day of entitlement for each day of class. If a veteran attends less than full-time, the entitlement charge and MHA payment both are prorated. Gap pay no longer is allowed.

A veteran attending class half-time in a degree program will be charged a half day of entitlement for each day of training and will receive 50 percent of the MHA for each month he or she attends class. This vet-eran will receive no MHA for the time between semesters (the gap).

— Quincey Adams, MOAA veteran services specialist

Dallas-Fort WorthThe Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas has one of the most diverse economies in the country, with employment oppor-tunities in logistics, trade, technology, and professional and financial services.

The metro region, home to 18 Fortune 500 companies, is particularly keen on hiring veterans,

in part because Texas is home to many military bases and has a solid base of employers who con-tract for DoD, according to Duane Dankesreiter, vice president of business information with the Dal-las-Fort Worth Chamber of Com-merce. “Veterans have the assets and skills needed on the private side here,” he says, “like technical and engineering backgrounds.”

Because of its centralized lo-cation and service as an air, rail,

and Interstate highway hub, transportation and logistics also are big parts of the region’s economy, and the metro region sees substantial intermodal activity designed to connect products across the three modes of transport. Dallas is also tops in technology jobs. In fact, it was named the top city in the country for jobs for tech professionals in 2013 by Kforce.

While salaries in the region track lower than the national average, the metro area’s lower cost of living, including reasonable housing prices, allows a high standard of living relative to salaries, according to the Dallas-Forth Worth Chamber of Commerce.

— Deborah Huso

City Stats� Cost of Living Index: 96.4� Median Home Price: $130,000 � Population: 1.97 million� Top Employers: Wal-Mart Stores Inc., AMR Corp., Texas Health Resources, Bank of Amer-ica, Baylor Health Care System� Higher Education: University of North Texas, The University of Texas at Dallas, Southern Methodist University

Top Employment Cities for Veterans

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March 2011. This program has hosted more than 610 hiring fairs in all 50 states. As of March 2013, 20,200 vet-erans and spouses had obtained jobs.

Scour a company’s corpo-rate site for opportunities. The armed forces have many oppor-tunities for growth and develop-ment. Look for this in a potential employer, says Russ Hovendick,

president of recruiting fi rm Client Sta� ng Solutions in Sioux Falls, S.D., and author of Deploy-ment to Employment: A guide for military veterans transitioning to civilian employment.

“Take a look at the companies that are growing rapidly and that have the long-term commitment [and] excellent developmental pro-

grams for individuals,” he says. “Veterans can plug into a system and almost be guaranteed success. If those attributes are in place and you are at the level that you command leadership and bring vision, you’ll do really well.”

He also suggests looking for “under the radar” companies, the industries that might not be as

MOAATransitionGuide

� Search your name online to ensure your online presence is positive and professional. If something negative that cannot be “removed” shows up, be pre-pared to explain it.

� Scrub your language of military acronyms. Doing this will make it easier for potential employers to understand the specific talents and skill sets you will bring to a position and what makes you stand out from your military and civilian competition.

� Ensure you have a complete LinkedIn profile with a strong opening summary paragraph that effectively conveys to a recruiter or potential employer who you are and why he or she should want to hire you.

� Use LinkedIn and other social media to research people, com-panies, or organizations of inter-est to you and to find ways to connect with individuals who can facilitate introductions into those organizations.

DON'T

� Simply cut and paste your résu-mé into your LinkedIn profile and leave it to prospective employers to figure out your civilian career focus. They won’t read it, and they won’t figure it out for you.

� Post a LinkedIn photo wearing a military uniform. This can signal to an employer you are mentally not ready to leave the military for a civilian career. It also can signal you are trying to carry your rank forward, rather than adapting to a new workplace culture.

� Assume once you’ve uploaded a good headshot and a complete LinkedIn profile you can sit back and wait for the job offers to come rolling in. LinkedIn must be used actively, even after you’ve landed a job. You don’t want to wait until a layoff is imminent to rejuvenate a LinkedIn network. Nurture and sustain it because it will serve as an important means of opening doors, building relationships, and doing re-search that should remain a central part of your civilian career arsenal.

Finding a job in the civilian workforce means bringing yourA-game every step of the way: in your first encounter with an organization or a company representative; in every informal conver-sation or formal interview; on paper or online via your résumé, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile; and ultimately, when you begin working at your new job.

Given you might only have one shot to make a lasting impression with a prospective employer, you want to adopt a strategy that lets you put your best foot forward and, at the same time, avoid common pitfalls. Don’t get eliminated from the competition because of a poor, unplanned start.

Using social media effectively is critical in connecting you to potential employers and in helping you grow your professional network. Here are some basic dos and don’ts to keep in mind:

Every career transition has periods of frustration: calls not returned, emails unanswered, infor-mational interviews that never pro-duce a useful lead. Everyone from recent college grads to seasoned chief executive officers is discour-aged by the waiting game. In fact, 3.8 million of the 10.5 million unem-ployed Americans have been looking for work longer than six months.

Despite the reason for unem-ployment, it’s not long before your résumé acquires a large black hole. The longer someone is unemployed, the less attention they get from recruiters and the less they hunt for work — a destructive cycle, es-pecially in an economy where com-panies received an average of 383 applications for every advertised position in 2013, according to CEB.

Taking actionKeep a positive attitude as you re-double your job-search efforts and consider volunteering to add ballast

to your résumé. It also can bring richness and variety to a career.

In addition to strengthening your résumé, volunteer positions can break the monotony of a stalled job search, add structure to your daily routine, build confidence, and open the door to job possibilities you might not have considered. Orga-nizations of all stripes need reliable volunteers with good people skills, financial acumen, and attention to detail — the same qualities nurtured and refined during military service and in previous career roles. (For specific volunteer ideas, start with the Corporation for National and Community Service at www.cns.gov and The Service Corps of Retired Ex-ecutives at www.score.org.)

Seeing resultsBesides being able to make a differ-ence in the community, volunteering provides a chance to gain valuable experience from inside an organiza-tion. Plus, it expands your contact

list and broadens access to poten-tial mentors, which are essential in generating informational interviews, gleaning important details regard-ing organizations that interest you, learning about job opportunities not widely advertised, and strengthen-ing your leadership résumé. Volun-teering also can help you acquire deep background and understanding in industries where you might have limited or no work experience.

Volunteering is also a great way to reenergize your job search and fill a résumé gap with experience lead-ing people, managing money, build-ing coalitions, and juggling multiple priorities. As you accumulate mean-ingful volunteer experience — ideally in a leadership role — remember to highlight your newly acquired skills, knowledge, and passions in your résumé, and be prepared to discuss them at appropriate points in cover letters and during job interviews.

— Capt. Jim Carman, USN (Ret), director, MOAA Transition Center

Value in Volunteering

Avoid Common Job-Search Pitfalls

— Vera Steiner Blore is an executive career consultant who works with senior military leaders in transition. She is the author of Success in Your New Mission: A Guide for Senior Military Leaders in Transition.

Visit MOAA’s Web Base at www.moaa.org/avoidingpitfalls for additional career advice from recruiters and employers who have interviewed and hired former military leaders.

DO

IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCKPHOTO: THINKSTOCK M A Y 2 0 1 4 M I L I T A R Y O F F I C E R 8 18 0 M I L I T A R Y O F F I C E R M A Y 2 0 1 4

Stephen Norred, USN (Ret), manag-ing partner at Dallas recruiting fi rm Kaye Bassman International Corp., advises veterans to ask their net-works directly whether certain com-panies are military-friendly.

On LinkedIn, send connection requests or InMail to your former or current colleagues and classmates who are working for companies that interest you, Norred says. Then search

for those who have your military oc-cupational specialty on their profi les.

“Find the fi rst person who is your catalyst,” he says. “You also can follow a company that has 30 employees and 17 are veterans. That tells you some-thing, too. ... A company with 300 em-ployees and two with prior service is probably not the place for you.”

Also tap former school classmates who did not enter the military. If

people “knew you when,” they’ll look favorably at hiring you now, Norred says. “The average college graduate has gone on to become a hiring man-ager with a budget, while you were serving as an o� cer. They are a logi-cal place to go.”

appealing. “They’re not ‘fl ashy,’ but man, are there opportunities there!” Hovendick says. For exam-ple, you might overlook a trucking company because you don’t want to be a driver. However, “you may have tremendous value in logistical knowledge from your international experience from the logistical side and [be able to] work with import-ers and exporters,” he says.

Working for these types of com-panies also means they appreciate you more. “Your value to that com-pany is much higher because of your leadership vision,” Hovendick adds.

That was the case for Thompson, who was recruited seven years ago by The Dwyer Group to become president of Mr. Rooter after she owned franchises for Cookies by Design. She didn’t initially see how she could jump from cookies to plumbing, but her leadership expe-rience was highly valued, and she soon discovered the Dwyer Group’s values matched her own, too. Not only that, she found a surprising similarity between her former mis-sion as a Marine and a plumber’s daily mission.

“Plumbers are a lot like Ma-rines,” says Thompson. “Their work is dirty, and it’s a hard job no one else wants to do. Marines protect the safety of the nation, and do you know how important plumbing is? I have a poster that sits across my desk with a photo of Iwo Jima and the caption, ‘Nothing happens with-out a team.’ Likewise, the plumber protects the health of the nation. For me, coming to this company was like coming home.”

Network not only with other veterans but also with university alumni. Senior Chief Petty O� cer

— Heidi Lynn Russell is a freelance writer based in Kentucky. Her last feature article for Military O� cer was “5 Steps to a Successful Transition,” May 2013.

MOAATransitionGuide

If you’re looking into an educa-tion program to help launch your next career, check out these eight questions the Federal Trade Com-mission (FTC) compiled to help you pick the right college.

1. What’s the total cost? Will you pay by course, semester, or program? How much do books, equipment, uniforms, lab fees, or graduation fees cost? Consider how you will pay for items VA benefits don’t cover. In addition to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you might be eligible for federal financial student aid.

2. What percentage of recent graduates is delinquent in paying back loans? A high default rate could be a tip-off students are bur-dened by too much debt or having trouble finding jobs in their field.

3. Will a degree from this col-lege or university get me where I

want to go? Will you earn a certifi-cate, a two-year degree, or a four-year degree? Ask for information in writing about job placement and average salaries for graduates in the program you want to study.

4. Is there pressure to enroll?Is a recruiter rushing you to decide before you have researched the program and confirmed the details of financial aid? Before you decide on a program, read the materi-als, including the contract. If the school refuses to give you docu-ments to review before you com-mit, don’t enroll. Period.

5. Can I receive credit for my military training? The American Council on Education (ACE) Military Guide helps schools grant all pos-sible credit for military training. Find out whether the school follows the guide and whether it will grant cred-it for military training. Some offer credit for military coursework but not for occupational specialties.

6. Can I transfer credits to other schools? If you plan on transferring schools, find out

whether your new school will ac-cept the credits you earned at the first school. If you attend a community college, ask about its articulation agreement.

7. Is the college or university accredited? Make sure the ac-crediting body is reputable. Most institutions consider regional ac-creditation as the highest stamp of approval and might not accept the transfer of credits from a school with national accreditation.

8. Is the college or university truly committed to helping vet-erans? Many schools claim to be veteran-friendly, but unfortunate-ly, it’s not always the case. Some 3,600 institutions have agreed to follow the VA’s Principles of Ex-cellence program, which includes designating a veteran’s point of contact for academic and financial counseling and stopping misrep-resentations or aggressive recruit-ing at their school.

To read more, visit the FTC web-site at www.consumer.ftc.gov and search “Choosing a College.”

Questions to Ask When Choosing a College

MO

PittsburghThis Rust Belt city has a lot to offer veterans in terms of jobs.

One sector tar-geting veterans is the oil and gas industry. Pitts-burgh is smack in the middle of the Marcellus Shale — the second-largest known quantity of natural gas outside Saudi Arabia. “This industry is going to

explode,” says Byron Kohut, direc-tor, ShaleNET western region.

The Pennsylvania Statewide Marcellus Shale Workforce Needs Assessment projects the industry will create about 30,000 new jobs through 2014. To help fill these jobs, the Department of Labor created ShaleNET, a $4.96 million grant designed to help prospective em-ployees obtain the training and re-sources necessary to work in the oil and gas industry. ShaleNET actively is recruiting veterans, and 10 percent of its classes at participating com-munity and technical colleges are made up of former servicemembers.

Catherine Deloughry, senior vice president of communications and pub-lic affairs, Allegheny Conference on Community Development, says Pitts-burgh also needs IT professionals. “Military officers with IT skills could write their own ticket here,” she says.

The city, home to several universities, gives veterans plenty of oppor-tunity to make use of the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

— Deborah Huso

City Stats� Cost of Living Index: 95.6� Median Home Price: $107,000� Population: 306,211� Top Employers: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health System, Giant Eagle Inc., Univer-sity of Pittsburgh, West Penn Al-legheny Health System, The PNC Financial Services Group� Higher Education: University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne Uni-versity, Carnegie Mellon Univer-sity, Westmoreland Community College, Community College of Allegheny County

Top Employment Cities for Veterans