07 Aug Tips and Tricks for Transitioning Veterans
By Krissy Rogers
Last month, I wrote about how veterans were welcome at Criterion Systems. This month, I would like to share some advice from our recruiting team gained from their years of experience in working with transitioning veterans.
Getting Started
One of our recruiters, Josh, told me, “When working with a veteran that is transitioning out of military service, I always focus my first conversation with them on two very high-level areas:
- Where do you want to be located geographically? – They either know exactly where they want to be, have a particular “type” of area in mind (i.e. I have young children and want to be in a city that is great for raising a family), or they are wide open.
- What do you want to do? What have you done in your military career that you really enjoyed and would like to expound upon in the civilian sector?”
Josh continued, “As a recruiter, it’s extremely important to listen to a transitioning veteran explain their experience while in the military to be able to effectively help them understand how it translates into the civilian sector. Frequently, they need help understanding how their skills transfer. I can help with that!”
Working with a Recruiter
Working with a good recruiter (corporate recruiter or agency recruiter) can be very beneficial for a transitioning veteran. More than just connecting you to potential opportunities, a good recruiter can help you with your resume, interview prep, networking opportunities, etc.
Using Social Media
You should learn how to effectively use professional social media platforms to notify industries that you are beginning your transition and will be ready to work in the civilian sector at a particular period of time. LinkedIn is a great tool to learn about companies and connect you with recruiters. Here’s Criterion’s page.
Understanding Restrictions
It’s very important to understand any kind of restrictions you may have when it comes to potential jobs in the government contracting community. Depending on your position, duties, and responsibilities as a government employee, you may be restricted on when, where, and how you can support a specific government client or office. Every transitioning officer should ask for an ethics opinion letter from their JAG upon reviewing a specific job with a government contracting company.