Hiring 101 for Veterans

The hiring process sucks for employers. They are overworked, stressed out, and hemorrhaging money. They have a gaping hole in their operation, and they need someone to come in and solve their problems. A lot of job seekers approach a job announcement like “this is yet another opportunity to tell someone about ME!” and then wonder why they don’t get calls to interview. The callous truth is that the job search is not about you; never has been, never will be. It is always and only about what you can do for someone else.

Are You Telling the Employer You Can Solve Their Problem?

The hiring manager is telling the world that he/she has a problem. They’re describing the scope and magnitude of the problem, and what they need to fix it. So, if your resume and cover letter aren’t talking about solving their problem, they don’t want to talk to you. Period. Oh, a few might get lucky and get picked up on some warm-body hire (you’re not qualified, but we can’t afford not to have some knuckle-dragger sitting at that desk), but don’t count on it, or expect it to pay well.

You don’t call 911 to hear about their awesome phone system, or the operator’s hobbies. You put out the call because you need help with your problem. If whoever responds talks about a bunch of things that don’t matter to you, they’re wasting your time.

This is how hiring managers feel sifting through most resumes. If you want a job, don’t make hiring managers feel like this; get them excited to talk to you. And you get them excited to talk to you by talking to them about what matters to them.

Learn their Language

I’ve seen hundreds of resumes where veterans talk about their work experience in terms of their MOS, rate, or MTOE position. If any of you read that last sentence and thought, ‘what?’ then you got a glimpse into the frustrated confusion experienced by a civilian hiring manager who has no idea what you’re talking about. Consider this fictional yet plausible example:

You: “I got a Bronze Star. No big deal.”

Interviewer: “What is that, an award or something?”

You: “Well, yeah.”

Interviewer: “So are there gold stars?”

You: “Lol pfft, no.”

Interviewer: “Hmm. What did you get your award for?”

You: “OEF ‘12”

Interviewer: “What is that?”

You: “… Afghanistan.”

Interviewer: “… What about Afghanistan?”

You: “I deployed to Afghanistan.”

Interviewer: “So you got an award for going to Afghanistan.”

You: “Yeah!”

Also you: (seeing the interviewer’s blank expression) “I mean, I also did stuff. In Afghanistan.”

Interviewer: “Oh! Like what kind of stuff?”

You: “Oh you know, kickin’ down doors, you know?”

Interviewer: (Now with MORE BLANK EXPRESSION!)

Also Interviewer: “Okay, well, thanks for applying. We’ll make a decision in a few days.”

Narrator: “They’ve already made their decision.”

Military terms, jargon, acronyms, et. al., mean absolutely nothing to civilian hiring managers. They have no obligation to speak your language. You’re coming back to the civilian world, so you need to learn to speak civilian again. If you don’t use words they understand, they are highly unlikely to hire you.

Getting to Know the Job Announcement

There is critical language in the job announcement (also called vacancies, postings, job ads, etc.) that should frame how you approach the employer. They’re telling you what they want. They’re describing the gap in their operation in specific terms. They’re detailing what the solution should look like, what they’re inflexible on, and where there’s wiggle room. They’re telling you their must-haves and their nice-to-haves.

It’s a cheat sheet, and you need to use it. They’re telling you what to say, and how to say it. It is critical that your resume looks like it’s based on the job announcement.