Military to Civilian Transition Tips

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By Eric Civi

When it comes to transitioning from the military to civilian life, there are obstacles to deal with and the adjustment that veterans must make is important. Possibly the most difficult part of the transition is the job search, but there are ways to make make it as smooth as possible.

For starters, you need to be certain that you are aware of what skills you have obtained in the military, as well as how to use them to your advantage in your military to civilian conversion. You should figure out what civilian career best meets your abilities that were acquired in the military, and then look for a career in that field.

If you have several jobs lined up, you should focus on the one that fits you best. For example, if you have management and computer programming experience, you need to decide which one you prefer, and then find a job in that niche. However, if you have different skill sets that can be applied to the same field, you should use this to your advantage.

Once you have decided what field you like and what skills and experience you can use for that position, you should start look for jobs and prepare your military transition resume. There are many resources that can help you with this; from Federal assistance to private trainings, there is no shortage of help!

To prepare a unique resume there are several elements to consider. First, you should provide all of your training, experience and accomplishments related to the opening. Then, you need to be certain to use detailed statements to explain everything. Finally, you need to stay away from the military language and learn how to write your resume with words that will be clear to civilian employers.

This is arguably the toughest part of resume preparation. After being in service for a few years, it is hard to make the transition back to civilian language, most particularly when referring to your military experience.

However, if you include complicated military terms and rankings in your resume, no civilian recruiter will understand what you can do for them. Therefore, you need to make sure that you can translate your experience and successes into regular language, so that the recruiter can understand exactly what you have done, as well as what you can do. If you have trouble, there are classes and assistance available to help veterans transition.

Whether you tackle resume writing alone or seek help, you should keep these points in mind. Having a resume that stands out from the crowd is going to be your best asset, so do not neglect it.

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