Start a new career, go to http://www.forwardmarchinc.com
Attention veterans and transitioning military personnel who are looking for employment.
Sometimes we run across articles that have really good advice for veterans and transitioning military personnel with regards to employment. This morning as I perused the “hot sheets” for articles on veteran employment and transition I came across this little gem over at the Seattle PI website. This article titled “2015: Underemployment the New Employment for Many Veterans – Part 1a” echoes a lot of what we have been writing here on the Forward March Inc. blog page. However there are some golden nuggets that can help you out so we strongly suggest taking a minute or two and checking it out.
Forward March Inc. has posted some new positions on our website and more are coming in January! Make sure to check them out here…
We thought, with all these new positions coming on line in the next 30 days, we would post a three part series we released earlier in the year to help veterans and transitioning military in the areas of resumes, interviewing, social media and a more.This information is actually really helpful to anyone from any background when they are going through the job searching process so feel free to share it with anyone you know may be benefitted by the info in these articles.
Part III – Resume and Interview Tips and Suggestions
Below are suggestions to use in your resume writing and also for your interviews.
Leadership and management skills – Leadership and management skills acquired during your military service are to be highlighted. Highlight when you had leadership and management experience, training, or when you had leadership and management on a project/mission/task. Leadership and management does not necessarily have to translate to the job you are interviewing for, when they do not highlight them as a capability to manage people/materials/resources.
Practice good communication skills – Your physical and verbal communication should be open, friendly, and confident. Try to physically relax and make eye contact with the person you are interviewing with. Avoid crossing arms, putting hands on hips or in pockets, or slouching when talking or listening to a potential employer. Make sure in your speech you keep your communication professional, short, and positive. Never talk about situations, people, or events in a negative manner. Try to keep the conversation positive. Never complain about previous employers, coworkers, assignments, duties, or situations. Avoid unnecessary details when relating your job experience. Keep your political and sociological ideologies out of the interview process.
Highlight your military skill and projects while being brief and describing things as much as possible in terms any civilian can easily understand. Avoid acronyms that are military knowledge specific.
Quantify work experience and achievements – Specifically what did you do, what problems/challenges did you overcome, problem solving tools, etc. For instance highlight the state of a project before you brought the solution to bear and then highlight how you improved the state.
Highlight goals and achievements – Depending on the interview style and time given for the interview, it is incumbent upon you to highlight briefly and succinctly your achievements, goals achieved, recognition and awards for achievements, etc. Make sure you highlight the necessity of teamwork, as often as is applicable so that an employer sees that you know that mission success is more about the team than the individual. This lets employers know that you are going to be a team player and not a lone wolf. Keep your examples to about two. Again, pay attention to the interviewer and take their lead, if they seem to want more information or more examples/details/etc then supply those.
References – In an interview these may or may not be asked for. Frequently when time is short interviewers will not ask for references. Make sure that your relevant and impressive references are highlighted before the end of your interview. Be brief, but make sure that the interviewer is aware of your references.
Highlight volunteer/intern/freelance work – Any volunteer work or freelance work done in the field you are looking at applying for should be listed on your resume and highlighted in your interview.
Clearances – When applying for positions which you think you may need a security clearance for make sure you note on your resume if you have a CURRENT security clearance and what level it is.
Photo Credit – Bokeh Breath by Rick Camacho
Lastly but most importantly – Relax, be yourself. People generally appreciate a person that is true to who they are.
~ Article by Tobin Pilotte, Directer of Marketing and Technology for Forward March Inc.
Forward March Inc. has posted some new positions on our website and more are coming in January! Make sure to check them out here…
We thought, with all these new positions coming on line in the next 30 days, we would post a three part series we released earlier in the year to help veterans and transitioning military in the areas of resumes, interviewing, social media and a more.This information is actually really helpful to anyone from any background when they are going through the job searching process so feel free to share it with anyone you know may be benefitted by the info in these articles.
Part two of three in our continuing series on veteran and transitioning military employment preparation.
Most people have social media pages. No matter how private you “think” your social media page is remember this… it’s not! Potential employers regularly review social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and others. This is common practice and is NOT a practice just reserved for potential employees who will need background checks.
If your social media page(s) contain images, videos, music, or speech that causes employers to think you are not a good candidate it can prevent you from getting an interview or landing the job. Many employees have found that their social media has been the reason for their termination.
Here are some rules that will keep you from having issues with your social media:
Its pretty easy, though possibly time consuming, to clean up a social media site with the above guidelines. However, its much harder to clean up your comments on posts you or others in your network or in the public have posted. It may be advisable to close your social media account(s) weeks or even a month before you begin sending out your resume and networking.
Some brutally honest advice you may not want to hear – Sometimes it’s better to close down your social media page than to try to clean it up. You will have to assess the difficulty and time invested in cleaning up a page vs. shutting it down and starting a new page at a later date. Should you decide to close down your social media page you have to remember that it takes time. Facebook, for instance, can take weeks to close your page down.
LinkedIn profiles are difficult to delete; that has to be done by LinkedIn at your request. It usually (at the time of this article) takes about two days to get your profile deleted. LinkedIn is a professional social media outlet for professional networking. Follow these guidelines for keeping your LinkedIn page in a favorable light.
Do not post entries or posts that contain vulgarity, sexually explicit remarks, or potentially political or religious inflammatory remarks. In a nut-shell follow the same rules posted above for Facebook. Additionally it is important to remember to keep your LikedIn content professional, and relevant to your professional career.
Your LinkedIn photo, which it is HIGHLY suggested that you have, should be professional. A clear, crisp headshot that has a relatively solid background is preferable. If your career direction is one where a suit and tie would be expected even part of the time then have your photo taken with a suit and tie. For both men and women, the photo should be business dress as opposed to business casual. If your career is one where dressing business casual is not required it is a good rule of thumb to go ahead and have your photo taken with business casual attire. Refrain from “goofy” faces, hand gestures, and most of all using objects, logos, pets, animals, movie images, etc. Only use your portrait, if you do not use a portrait then leave the image blank.
Ultimately it is important to be your self on social media, however, you should always temper that with professionalism as it is not just your “friends” who are looking at your social media posts. Remember this rule of thumb; “Nothing you post on the web is private”.
For further guidance on how to edit or delete social media entries or even delete accounts refer to the instructions on the social media sites themselves. Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn have excellent instructions on how to make these things happen and with a little time and attention you can “tune up” your social media and have it ready for your next step in getting your dream career.
~ Article by Tobin Pilotte, Directer of Marketing and Technology for Forward March Inc.
Forward March Inc. has posted some new positions on our website and more are coming in January! Make sure to check them out here…
We thought, with all these new positions coming on line in the next 30 days, we would post a three part series we released earlier in the year to help veterans and transitioning military in the areas of resumes, interviewing, social media and a more.This information is actually really helpful to anyone from any background when they are going through the job searching process so feel free to share it with anyone you know may be benefitted by the info in these articles.
Landing a career as opposed to a job is what most every transitioning military person or military veteran desires. There are countless websites, books and other instructional resources that can help with figuring out what you want to do for a career, how to get an interview in your chosen profession, career networking, and how to land that dream job. Today’s post is not intended to be comprehensive but rather a guide for getting started once you have an idea of what you want to do for a career.
“This seems like a lot of work” – Just remember, battles are frequently won or lost on the quality of intel. Your job search is no different. The more intel work you do, the more background knowledge you have of your desired position(s) and potential employer(s), the better you will do. Know your industry to the best of your ability through research. Practice being conversant about your field, your desired job, and about your desired employer in order to get the most out of your interview.
Part I: Interview or Job Fair Preparation:
Use a military skills translator and find the jobs that your skills translate to in the civilian world. Remember that these are a rough guide and not an exhaustive list. Many times your skills can translate to jobs or positions that are not seemingly aligned. This is where it is also important for you to do some research to see what it is you want to do job-wise. Research the jobs you want, the employers, and the job descriptions. Translate your experience to match where applicable.
Market yourself as broadly as possible – If you are an aircraft mechanic and only want to interview for aircraft mechanic jobs then market yourself very specifically in just that skillset. However, if you want to look at other possibilities in mechanics from auto mechanics to wind turbine mechanics to oilfield mechanics then be more broad with how you market your skills within mechanics. Highlight mechanics related skills that translate across several disciplines.
When you are preparing for a job fair and you know there will be a variety of employers, make sure to have several resumes in different formats that are industry specific. You can also have resumes on hand that are very specific to your ideal job on hand in case you are leaning to a particular specific position. HINT: keep each resume kind in a file folder that is clearly labeled so that you can quickly and easily access them when moving from employer to employer.
Resume Format – Know the correct format for your particular industry. There are on-line resources that give plenty of examples of resumes; focus more on the examples for your particular industry. For instance, an engineering firm wants a conservative resume, a graphic design firm wants something with creative flair. However, if you are applying for a government contracting position with a company such as Lockheed Martin or Boeing they will most likely have a format they want you to put your resume into. Check out this link for some industry specific examples:
Network, Network, Network – Use LinkedIn, make your profile as neat and professional as possible. Use the above pointers, such as being brief but concise.
Look for and maintain network connections with people in the fields you are looking at going into. Network with people doing the work you want to do. Do not pass up opportunities to meet with these connections in person. Take concrete steps to meet these connections, especially in person. When reaching out to a potential connection on the internet, especially on LinkedIn make sure to make your message personal, do not use the default message.
As a veteran you are given a year of LinkedIn pro. Make that happen. (Offer is good as of the writing of this article)
In your network connections make sure you have a few trusted professional connections that can review your resume, and your LinkedIn page to make sure that they are as professional as possible.
Those trusted mentors are good resources for practicing your interviewing skills with.
Network with professional organizations, groups, and clubs that have people in your industry as members.
Dress to Impress – When interviewing put your best foot forward with regards to your appearance. When interviewing for a job it is important to go with business dress, a suit or at minimum; slacks, button down shirt, and a tie. Vests can be worn as well but try to keep your overall appearance conservative. That bright red silk shirt might be great but keep it for another occasion. If you need to appear in uniform ensure that your uniform is impeccable. ACUs are never acceptable for an interview or when meeting employers at a job fair. The exception to this would be if there is a job/career fair that is brought to your (military) location during duty hours and it is understood that everyone will be in ACUs.
These tips and suggestions should help you move toward landing the job you are looking for and starting on an exciting new career.
Make sure you bookmark this site and come back for parts 2 and 3 where we will continue with social media and interview tips and suggestions.
~ Article by Tobin Pilotte, Directer of Marketing and Technology for Forward March Inc.
Its 0430 in the morning at a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Afghanistan. A 30-year old Platoon Sergeant performs a Pre-Combat Inspection (PCI) with her team. Helmets and ballistic eye protection are in place and canteens are filled. Weapons are cleaned, zeroed, and a function check has been performed. As she briefs her platoon on the current mission, it’s cold and windy, but the team is motivated and ready to get to work. Surprisingly, this well-oiled machine is made up entirely of millennials, the cohort of Americans born between 1980 and the mid-2000s.
For these Soldiers, their generation is known for being lazy, yet they are up while the rest of the word sleeps. The generation labeled as pampered has been sleeping on cots and eating Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) for months. They don’t make excuses. They and are held accountable for their actions and the actions of their team. Not everyone gets a trophy for being there. Only the best are called Corporal or Sergeant.
The global war on terror has largely been fought on the backs of this generation of outstanding and dedicated young people. In fact, nearly 70% of the Medals of Honor awarded in both Iraq and Afghanistan were earned by millennials. The remaining 30% were earned by Gen Xers.
Here are the top ten reasons to hire millennial veterans:
Attracting military talent can be an overwhelming task, especially for those organizations that do not understand military culture. Forward March’s (FMI) team has over 110 years of combined military experience with over 35 years dedicated specifically to hiring veterans. FMI can train your staff to attract, hire, and retain top military talent. We have a comprehensive Military Talent Hiring Guide and outstanding training that can get your department staffing positions very quickly. We can also help you to develop a pipeline and hiring strategy for success and train your human resource department on all the best ways to recruit military talent. If your company is committed to hiring military veterans, let FMI show you how.
~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services
ATTENTION ALL MILITARY VETERANS AND TRANSITIONING MILITARY – Next week the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation will be holding their Hiring Our Heroes Hiring Fair. Forward March Inc. will be attending this hiring fair. Make sure you do not miss this event and be sure to stop by and meet with us as well.
San Antonio, TX 78219
Forward March Inc Military Talent Pipeline Services – Affordable, Customized, Scalable
America’s military is the most educated, best trained, and highly motivated fighting force the world has ever seen. Those men and women transitioning from the military are a great national resource who can make a huge difference to any organization that has dedicated itself to hiring outstanding military veterans.
At Forward March Incorporated, we understand the true value of those who have served and we are dedicated to teaching companies how to attract, hire, and retain high quality veteran employees. While we are not a staffing company, one of the many ways we accomplish this is through military pipeline development.
So what’s the difference between staffing and a talent pipeline?
Staffing is the process of recruiting and hiring personnel with a specific set of skill sets, for a specific position within an organization. Doing this requires a dedicated team of recruiters and hiring managers who understand the exact and immediate hiring needs of the company.
For the most part, organizations do a good job of filling positions as new requirements open up, but forecasting staffing requirements proves far more difficult. It’s not always clear what future staffing requirements will be down the road. Predicting future staffing requirements requires forward thinking on behalf of hiring managers. They must account for turnover, promotions, expansions, reductions, and a myriad of other factors that impact staffing needs.
Talent pipeline, on the other hand, provides companies with a pool of qualified candidates ready to fill critical positions as they become available. A robust talent pipeline ensures the right person is placed in the right position at the right time.
Utilizing a talent pipeline is a great way for organizations to adapt to changing staff needs. A talent pipeline allows recruiters to focus on the here and now, while giving hiring managers the peace of mind knowing that the candidate pool can be turned off and on as personnel needs evolve.
FMI’s unique approach to a military talent pipeline allows us to continuously sell your organization as a great place for veterans to work. Most important of all, FMI is committed to providing our talent services free of charge to the veteran work force. Regardless of your manpower needs, let FMI fill your organization with hard working, loyal, and well trained American veterans.
To learn more visit our website and contact us today! www.forwardmarchinc.com
~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services
Camouflage to Corporate Conference Series –
Growing Your Military Talent Pipeline
November 17th in San Antonio, Texas!
If you want a more productive, motivated and focused staff then get ready! Forward March Inc. will be hosting our Camouflage to Corporate Conference in November!
We have spoken a lot on our news page recently about the benefits to companies who hire veteran talent. Make sure you check out some of our recent articles on this subject.
Also make sure to check out the outstanding document from Syracuse University on a Business Case to Hire a Veteran.
Our Camouflage to Corporate conference, will give you the information and tools you need to succeed in hiring the very best military candidates. Forward March Inc is uniquely qualified to bring you successful solutions based on the proven military leadership model and a systematic approach to organizational growth. With over thirty five years of collective experience our professional team will help you to understand how to find, attract, hire, and retain high quality veteran talent.
This outstanding conference is consistently met with great success for those who attend as our team brings a unique and proven solution set to your organization with training that is unparalleled in the industry.
– Develop a military hiring strategy that wins
– Learn a tactical and practical approach to attract, hire, and retain the best
– Get results with military leadership in your workforce
– Learn from and network with military hiring experts and organizations, with over 40 years of military hiring experience
– Learn the latest techniques, tactics and procedures for building a winning team
– Learn to improve Workspace to Workplace – reception and integration
– Learn more about the Forward March Inc Customized Military Hiring Guide and solutions that can benefit your company or organization by making the process of finding, attracting, hiring and retaining veteran talent much easier
Our mission at Forward March, Inc. is to educate and engage employers, educators, and organizations about the development of a successful military and veteran hiring and retention strategy. We can assist you in networking and partnerships with veteran-friendly agencies so you can develop operational strategies for 2014 and beyond.
Our unwavering commitment is always for our veterans. We are a company of veterans helping veterans. Our commitment likewise extends to:
– Supporting our transitioning military members
– Supporting our civilian partners
– Providing outstanding customer service
If your company is serious about hiring veterans and enjoying the benefits of a strong veteran talent pipeline then you owe it to yourself to sign up for this exciting Camouflage to Corporate conference TODAY.
Date: Monday – November 17th
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Learn more and register today here… Camouflage to Corporate conference. Space is limited!
Many employers want to hire veterans, its a much smaller number that successfully employ veterans in meaningful careers.
Here at Forward March, Incorporated, we have seen the headlines among many media outlets that company XYZ has agreed to hire veterans. The stories provide captivating pictures of CEOs directing their hiring manager to bring veterans into the organization. These companies really and truly care about our nation’s veterans but, for many not much happens after the cameras are turned off.
After the dust of the media hype settles, human resource departments, for a variety of reasons, continue to pass over Resumes that indicate prior military service. Those outstanding and more than qualified applicants are not even called in for an interview. The rate of veteran unemployment still hovers well above that of the civilian population.
One of the many reasons veteran hiring still remains low is the fact that misconception runs rampant across corporate America about our nation’s treasures. Many hiring managers have unfounded concerns about Post Traumatic Stress or other combat related injuries. There are concerns over skills translation and how an infantryman might fit into a management position. Many hiring managers feel that serving in the military makes one too rigid and unable to deal with change. The list goes on and on, but the bottom line is, today’s military is the most educated, technologically advanced, disciplined, and adaptable military in the world. The skills and attributes veterans bring to the table are immeasurable. All they need is the opportunity to shine.
Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans Military Families study, The Business Case for Hiring a Veteran, Beyond the Clichés, looks past the myths and lays out a compelling argument on why organizations should welcome veterans with open arms. According to the study, “Academic research from the fields of business, psychology, sociology, and decision-making strongly links characteristics that are generally representative of military veterans to enhanced performance and organizational advantage in the context of a competitive and dynamic business environment”. In other words, veterans bring an immeasurable value to an organization through the applied use of leadership, trust, adaptability, and an unmatched entrepreneurial spirit.
Another reason veteran hiring is falling behind, is that talk is really is cheap. It’s one thing to stand and proudly say, “We will hire veterans”; it’s another thing altogether to roll up the sleeves and work on a serious commitment to make it happen. The bottom line; it does not happen without a plan. The plan starts at the top with the CEO’s vision for supporting veterans. From there, hiring managers must develop a specific, measurable, and achievable veteran hiring strategy. The third piece is to train and resource recruiters to go after the veteran population with managers tracking progress through various matrices and making adjustments every step of the way. The second and third pieces of this initiative are where many companies fail to meet their commitment. Developing a veteran hiring strategy and training resource recruiters is not a task which is easy for a company to do without outside help.
Veterans and military members say what they mean and mean what they say. Unfortunately, we can’t always expect the same from corporate America. Good intentions do not change anything, but a well-executed plan does. Fortunately Forward March Inc. can show your organization how to tackle negative misconceptions and how to execute a veteran hiring strategy. Through our Military Hiring 101 training, we will support your organization in developing a successul plan to find the right veterans, with the right skill sets, at the right time. With over 35 years of collective experience bringing veterans and companies together we can train your resource recruiters to find and engage the veteran population. We are in the business of building winning teams and we will do the same for you. Talk to us about our veteran talent pipeline services. We offer solutions that are customized to your company or organization and are scalable to ensure you meet your objectives.
~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services
Forward March Inc Military Talent Pipeline Services – Affordable, Customized, Scalable
America’s military is the most educated, best trained, and highly motivated fighting force the world has ever seen. Those men and women transitioning from the military are a great national resource who can make a huge difference to any organization that has dedicated itself to hiring outstanding military veterans.
At Forward March Incorporated, we understand the true value of those who have served and we are dedicated to teaching companies how to attract, hire, and retain high quality veteran employees. While we are not a staffing company, one of the many ways we accomplish this is through military pipeline development.
So what’s the difference between staffing and a talent pipeline?
Staffing is the process of recruiting and hiring personnel with a specific set of skill sets, for a specific position within an organization. Doing this requires a dedicated team of recruiters and hiring managers who understand the exact and immediate hiring needs of the company.
For the most part, organizations do a good job of filling positions as new requirements open up, but forecasting staffing requirements proves far more difficult. It’s not always clear what future staffing requirements will be down the road. Predicting future staffing requirements requires forward thinking on behalf of hiring managers. They must account for turnover, promotions, expansions, reductions, and a myriad of other factors that impact staffing needs.
Talent pipeline, on the other hand, provides companies with a pool of qualified candidates ready to fill critical positions as they become available. A robust talent pipeline ensures the right person is placed in the right position at the right time.
Utilizing a talent pipeline is a great way for organizations to adapt to changing staff needs. A talent pipeline allows recruiters to focus on the here and now, while giving hiring managers the peace of mind knowing that the candidate pool can be turned off and on as personnel needs evolve.
FMI’s unique approach to a military talent pipeline allows us to continuously sell your organization as a great place for veterans to work. Most important of all, FMI is committed to providing our talent services free of charge to the veteran work force. Regardless of your manpower needs, let FMI fill your organization with hard working, loyal, and well trained American veterans.
To learn more visit our website and contact us today! www.forwardmarchinc.com
~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services
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