MilitaryStars Blog

MilitaryStars Team on the Way to Jacksonville

A lot of times people ask me if I'm going to be at the event they're attending - I appreciate the thought, everyone, thanks! - but I'm usually here at HQ talking to job seekers on the other side of the country for the next event on the schedule.  Same applies to the members of our sales team in touch with employers who want to hire you on the other side of country.  It's my great pleasure to let you know that all of us are caravaning to Jacksonville tomorrow for Wednesday's event and want to see as many of you as possible.  We even have a pair of pro football tickets to give away... you have to be there to get them!  My phone's been ringing nonstop for this event as it is, and we are thrilled to be heading up, as always, with an outstanding variety of civilian employers hiring across the region, nationwide, and even overseas.  Check the link above to see - as always, posted no later than one week out from your event.  Thank you for letting us be a part of your civilian career search, and we look forward to meeting you.   

Philly Colleges Offer Veteran Job Training

A group of colleges, universities, and community colleges in the Philadelphia area unveiled a half-million dollar initiative today offering job retraining to Guard members and reservists.  The program is the result of the federal Department of Defense Appropriations Act signed into law last month.  Here's hoping to see plenty more private groups across the country - colleges, employers and beyond - similarly capitalizing on this opportunity to help those returing from overseas.

Young Veterans Symposium Wrap-Up

The National Symposium for the Needs of Young Veterans concluded Saturday, with a discussion of benefits across the board and AmVets putting a plan in place to improve them.  The linked article ends with a brief examination of employment assistance.  Kudos to AmVets and all involved for putting together a forum of this magnitude to raise awareness of the difficulties facing many young veterans in a positive way - with a commitment to doing everything they can to help the situation.  Think of us as your everyday, yearlong, nationwide partner in doing the same - this forum, and our entire business, is for you.  Thanks and have a great week!   

Veteran Transition Survey Thoughts

I mentioned the National Symposium for the Needs of Young Veterans as soon as I heard about it... it's going on right now in Chicago and making news in the expected channels.  The survey that came out the other day was released to coincide with the event.  Some further thoughts on the results:

* Sixty-four percent of veterans responding to the survey said they were not given even basic instruction in how to find a job in the civilian workforce until they had less than six months of service left in the military.

I've had the honor of speaking many times with men and women on active duty, who will continue to be for a year or more, asking if it's "still OK" if they attend an event.  This is a perfect example of why I always say yes.  You can learn plenty about speaking with employers face-to-face and current hiring trends, both from employers and your fellow job seekers at many different stages of their military careers.     

* Eighty percent of surveyed veterans believe that more can be done to ensure that troops exiting the military experience a smooth transition into the civilian workforce.

This belief is the entire reason we're in business.  Every day our team is creating relationships with more outstanding civilian employers who want to hire men and women with military experience.  No matter where you are in your transition process, it's never too early to register for a free account with us, check out the links to some of our client employers, or attend a career fair and establish personal contacts.  The needs are clearly there; this Symposium has been organized specifically to address them.  Approach them with positivity and with the desire to defy them, and we will only be able to help each other more!

Tomorrow's Event and the Everyday Agenda

Best of luck and thanks to everyone heading to Arlington tomorrow!  This survey just came out demonstrating how a sampling of veterans feel they could use more help making their transition.  I can't say it enough - that's all we're here to do!  Don't be at the mercy of trends, statistics, or anything else pushing a negative agenda - at the end of the day, you are your own person and can make an individual decision to get out there and change your life... we want to help, and we wish you nothing but success.

Quick & Clean Cover Letters

Some interesting thoughts here on cover letters from recruiter Anthony Meaney at Recruiting.com.  As some of my guys here say, don't get it twisted - Meaney isn't saying that you'll never need one again; rather, he's encouraging you to keep it simple from a hiring authority's POV.  Even better is handing off that resume in person! 

Bob Dole: Honor Our Veterans

Hope you had a good weekend - for awhile there I was thinking I might have to change my nickname, but I'm feeling much better about it for now.  I wanted to draw your attention to this great piece by Bob Dole that just appeared in USA Weekend.  Coinciding with the upcoming release of Clint Eastwood's film "Flags of Our Fathers", Dole once again exemplifies the special camaraderie of the service by taking the spotlight off of himself.  He instead asks that proper thanks be given to everyone who has ever served, and wonderfully illustrates the advances in technology that help the modern servicemember, while on duty and for the rest of their lives.  He notes that people often ask him "what they can do to help" - please feel free at all times to pass along our information to someone who might be able to use it; we are in the business of helping.  Have a great week!

Fitting Your Resume to Your Target Company

I was chatting with a job seeker on Live Help this morning (left sidebar on MilitaryStars.com - I'm there!) about resumes and what sort of additional help we offer on that tip.  I naturally pointed him here to check out advice from myself, my co-workers, and any number of experts I discover and link to... I would do the same for anyone who asks "what else" we provide to job seekers! 

Job seekers often ask us whether they should bring different versions of their resumes to events, and if so, how to prepare the best possible alternatives.  Via Steven Rothberg and one of CollegeRecruiter.com's many blogs comes some quality advice on this subject, courtesy of Tamara at past MilitaryStars client Honeywell.  Quotes I particularly liked:

"Your resume is not an alibi" (Steven)

"... If it is a company that you are really passionate about, make sure you attend career fairs, school fairs, or any other professional recruiting events which might help you to further understand the company." (Tamara)   

Roger that!   

Checking Out Companies Online

A week out from each of our events, we not only post lists of attending employers on each event page, but links to each of these employers' individual websites.  I always encourage people to visit these sites to familiarize themselves with the employers they plan to speak with - remember, nothing sends a worse impression than walking up to a hiring authority and asking, "So what do you guys do?"  SimplyHired's blog offers these solid tips on how to maximize your time on corporate websites and come prepared.

The Top Ten Reasons to Hire Veterans: Diversity and Your Inclusion in Action

Definitely time for a return to the Top Ten series!  Huge thanks to Vina and E for contributing this past week - we have a great team and nothing gets done without all of us working together.  Whether in personal life or in the running of the world at large, that's got to be the case. I hope that all of you have your past, present, and future efforts as part of a team properly acknowledged in some fashion... consider this my ongoing way of doing so.

Diversity and Inclusion in Action

An essential component of teamwork, and one learned with special purpose in the military.  Like so many other differences, differences in belief, accent, and skin shade fade away extremely quickly under high-pressure situations requiring everyone to work together.  I've heard nice remarks about how impressive the diversity of our office is... these are, simply put, the men and women I work with and rely on, and I know everyone here feels the exact same way.  I'm always floored listening to all the different places around the world everyone here has been, the fragments of coversation in Japanese and Spanish in the air, and the recommendations of the coolest places to go on vacation (someday).  You've learned things that huge corporations have special training sessions for on a regular basis, under conditions that guarantee the lesson will never be lost.  Some people never learn because they aren't asked to commit to their fellow men and women in the ways you have been - at a level where you understand what's truly important. 

(The ongoing Top Ten series is archived to the left in Categories under "Why Hire Veterans: Top Ten Reasons", whenever you need motivation on everything that sets you apart from the average job seeker!)