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In light of the new year, we are revisiting a blog from the fall that may be of relevance as military personnel begin to EAS in the spring.  The fall issue of USAA magazine featured “On the Job Front” (Greg Campbell, USAA magazine, Fall 2011, p. 13)highlighting the difficulties veterans face when returning to the civilian job market as well as  de-jargonizing your resume.

The article states that among vets aged 18-24, the unemployment rate is 26.8%. According to Greg Campbell, part of the problem is the disconnect between those who have served and those who haven’t; employers don’t understand how the skills acquired in the military are transferable to their job openings.

The solution here is learning to how to take those skills and “civilianize” them. A few examples Greg Campbell gives: “MOS= career specialty. Do not use MOS on a resume; instead list your duties and responsibilities.
Battalion, platoon or company = department, unit, organization agency or group WLC (Warrior Leader Course) = leadership or advanced leadership-development course Operations NCO = operations manager responsible for setting policies, managing daily operations and planning

The federal government is attacking the issue in several ways. The Labor Department is helping to smooth the transfer by funding workforce development in certain states, and the program Joining Forces was recently launched as an initiative to employers to hire veterans.

What can vets do? Greg Campbell advises translating your resume into civilian terms and learning how to discuss your experience in ways that are directly transferable to the positions for which you are interviewing is a good start. Look into the most military-friendly employers in your area (see list below). Lastly, take advantage of the resources available to you.

Check out these resources to help you get started:

http://www.ncmbc.us/transition/

www.military.com/veteran-jobs
www.marineforlife.org

2011 list of Most Valuable Employers for Military (www.civilianjobs.com)
• Amazon
• BNSF Railway
• CACI International Inc
• Capstone Corporation
• CenterPoint Energy
• Chesapeake Energy Corporation
• Cintas Puyallup, WA
• Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC)
• CSX Transportation
• DaVita, Inc.
• Dollar General
• Fluor Corporation
• G4S Secure Solutions (USA)
• General Electric
• Halfaker and Associates, LLC
• ManTech International Corporation
• Navy Federal Credit Union
• Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Paychex, Inc.
• Progressive Insurance Company
• Puget Sound Energy
• SAYtr
• Schlumberger
• Schneider National, Inc.
• Sears Holdings Corporation
• Southern Company
• Sprint
• The Exchange (The Army & Air Force Exchange Service)
• Transocean
• United Rentals, Inc.
• University of Phoenix
• URS, Federal Services
• USAA
• Verizon Communications Inc.
• Waste Management, Inc.

Carolina Unmanned Vehicles needs a fiber-optics technician to check out the installation of fiber optics on a military trailer. Must have own equipment. Work will involve checking the hardware on two trailers, to ensure correct installation and continuity. The work can be done at night or on weekends, if necessary. This is a one-time task, but more is possible in the future. Contact Mike Rogers at merogers@carolinaunmanned.com. Call 919-414-2233 for more information.

Recently, the NCMBC has received over 10,000 SlideShare views on their public profile account.  SlideShare offers NCMBC a platform to post important information and PowerPoint presentations available to the public.  Presentations have been posted on NCMBC’s account from the Defense Trade Show held in Fayetteville, NC and 2011 NC Federal Construction and Infrastructure Summit held in Wilmington, NC among other events.

You can view NCMBC’s SlideShare profile at: http://www.slideshare.net/NCMBC_SlideShare