No Result
View All Result
Military Families
SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
 Military Families
SUBSCRIBE FREE
Military Families

Certifications, interview practice key to landing post-service employment

Kari Williams
by Kari Williams
November 9, 2021
Certifications, interview practice key to landing post-service employment
ShareTweetEmail

A highly educated and trained, combat-wounded Marine veteran struggled to land a job with the United States Postal Service after returning stateside. He told Russell Levy that if it weren’t for his wife and daughter, “he’d put on his blues and eat a bullet.” 

Levy, who founded Veterans Transition Support in 2014, said that the Iraq War veteran was the first service member he helped after they exited the military. 

“Three weeks later, he had a six-figure job at an aerospace company,” Levy said. 

When preparing to enter, or reenter, the civilian workforce, some service members might require “specific assistance based on their character of discharge and post-separation plans,” according to The Military to Civilian Transition 2018 report. 

The report states that roughly 25% of veterans, or 5.2 million, are in rural communities with limited opportunities for employment, education, or health care.  

Read more: VA launches new high-demand career program

Several organizations offer guidance and interview tips to help in the employment process, including Hire Our Heroes and VeteransEmployment.net. Both suggest researching the company offering an interview and avoiding military jargon when speaking to the hiring manager. 

Veteran-specific programs, like the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service’s Armed to Farm workshop that provides information on “sustainable small-scale farming practices,” also are available to help service members find post-military careers, according to the transition report, as well as an entrepreneurship bootcamp offered through Syracuse University. 

Levy said VTS, a nonprofit based in California, helps “bridge the gap” between military and civilian worlds, focusing on career development, Veterans Affairs benefits, and education planning. VTS also provides, among other services, no-cost professional certification training for career match, OSHA, and LEAN certification. 

Those certifications, he said, are vital to landing post-service employment, as a common issue veterans face is translating military experience into civilian job skills. 

“The easiest way to do that is through certifications in the industry you work in,” Levy said. “That’s how the job market works in general for everybody.” 

For example, every veteran is trained in safety, according to Levy, but if they “don’t have the OSHA safety card, it doesn’t count.”  

While Levy said he’s seen veterans have success in all industries, he noted “particularly good results” in the safety industry, as well as information insurance and cyber security. The key, he said, is to have “direction and purpose.” 

“If you have direction and purpose, you can achieve anything,” Levy said. 

In addition to helping veterans prepare for interviews as part of the courses VTS provides, Levy says they also have sample resumes and an interview packet to help them prepare. 

“[We] might introduce them to other veterans to have sort of a mock interview,” Levy said. “I’ve always found once they’ve done it once or twice, they’re fine.” 

A 2019 Pew Research study found that roughly 48% of veterans didn’t have a job immediately after being discharged but were looking, while 21% sought employment “but not right away.” 

The Department of Labor also has regional veteran employment coordinators in every state to assist transitioning service members. 

Veteran career podcasts

  • Veterans on the Move: Released every Monday. 
  • Lessons Learned for Vets: Released every Wednesday. 
  • Beyond the Uniform: Released every Monday. 
  • The FourBlock Podcast: Released every Monday. 
  • The Veteran (Semi) Professional Podcast: Released every Thursday.  

 

Read comments
Tags: post-service employmentTransitionVeterans
Share48Tweet30Send
Kari Williams

Kari Williams

Kari Williams is an associate editor for AmeriForce Media. She has more than a decade of experience in the journalism industry across print, digital and social media platforms throughout the Midwest. She found a passion for covering veterans issues through her work as a writer and editor for VFW magazine. Kari has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mass communications from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. When she’s not writing about the military or working on freelance projects, she enjoys working out in her home gym, hanging out with her two rescue dogs and checking out live music and pro wrestling shows. She resides in Kansas City, Missouri, just a short drive from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Related Posts

7-step plan to fund your military transition
Money

7-step plan to fund your military transition

9 hours ago
Career concerns a main factor in post-military relocation
Military Relocation

Career concerns a main factor in post-military relocation

5 days ago
Service officers help with ‘daunting’ task of filing VA claims
Military Veterans

Service officers help with ‘daunting’ task of filing VA claims

2 weeks ago
Recruiters help veterans transition into government careers
Transition

Recruiters help veterans transition into government careers

3 weeks ago
From active duty to Amazon employee, airman finds a new calling in the reserves
Transition

From active duty to Amazon employee, airman finds a new calling in the reserves

4 weeks ago
6 lessons to learn before leaving the military
Military Veterans

6 lessons to learn before leaving the military

1 month ago

Ads

Military News, delivered to your inbox

Get a free copy of MILITARY FAMILIES delivered to your inbox each month

Let's connect!

ABOUT US

  • OUR STORY
  • OUR TEAM
  • OUR WRITERS

MAGAZINE

  • GET PRINT
  • GET DIGITAL

GET RESOURCES

  • VETERAN TRANSITION GUIDE
  • MILITARY EDUCATION GUIDE

ADVERTISE

  • GET OUR MEDIA KIT
  • CFC/NONPROFITS
  • PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

SUBMISSIONS

  • PITCH US
  • SUBMIT YOUR STORY
  • BOOK CLUB

Never miss out on the latest stories.

© 2022 Military Families by AmeriForce. Privacy Policy | Terms | Site by Swiss Commerce

Thank you for your interest in Military Families Magazine!

Thank you for your interest in Military Families Magazine!

Thank you for your interest in Military Families Magazine!

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Military Life
    • Deployment
    • Relocation
    • Military Spouses
    • Military Kids
  • Education
  • Career
    • Transition
    • Entrepreneur
    • Veterans
  • Health
  • Money
  • Travel
  • Get Resources
    • Veteran transition guide
    • Military Education Guide
  • About us
    • Our story
    • Our team
    • Our writers
  • Magazine
    • Get print
    • Get digital
  • Advertise
    • Get our media kit
    • CFC/Nonprofits
    • Publisher’s statement
  • Submissions
    • Pitch us
    • Submit your story
    • Book club

© 2021 Military Families by AmeriForce. Site by SCBW.