Nine Reasons Why a Company May Not Hire a Vet

This is an edited article from Business Insider that discusses how veterans shoot themselves in the foot when applying for jobs in the civilian sector. You could replace “veteran” with “recent college graduate” and much of this would still apply.

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Those of us in the hiring and recruiting business know that sometimes it’s a great business decision to hire a military professional. Often, though, many don’t. Why? Because they’re just not the right fit. The irony is that many veterans and service members have the skills and experience to make the cut, but blow it. As a military candidate recruiter, I see consistent themes in why military professionals don’t get the job. Here are nine reasons why you may not get hired:

1.    You Can’t (or Won’t) Accept That You’re Starting Over

Let’s suppose that after graduating from college, I went to work for a well-known defense contractors. During the course of my 20+ year career at that company, I have been successful and was promoted to the position of Program Manager, frequently working with the military. However, there isn’t any opportunity for further advancement so I decide it’s time to leave the company. I’ve worked with the military, so I decide I want to join its ranks. Because of my previous experience with managing multi-million dollar budgets and hundreds of personnel, I feel I’m the equivalent of a Commanding Officer or Senior Enlisted Leader. When I talk to a recruiter about my level of entry, what would they tell me?

The cold dose of reality is that despite all of my experience, I’d have no idea what the organizational culture is like in the military. I’d be set up for failure if someone allowed me to don the collar devices and step into a command position. On day one, something as basic as sending an email to a flag officer could go very sour very quickly. This is because even though I may have transferable skill sets, I lack the knowledge of industry norms and protocol experience to succeed.

Military professionals transitioning into the private sector face the same dynamic. As a result, you should seek ways to learn the organizational structures of potential employers many months before you’ll be entering the job market. Use recruiters, employment counselors and hiring managers to gain information so you can be pragmatic in your expectations and planning.

2.    You Believe You’re Unique (Just Like Every Other Transitioning Person That Day)

200 to 300 service members exit the military every day. This number will increase as the nation’s wars come to an end and forces continue to draw down. In 2012, an average of 470,000 resumes was posted on Monster each week. Essentially, for every job opening in the U.S., there are roughly 187 qualified and unqualified job applicants.

This is the challenge you face in relying on job boards as your sole method of getting a job. Hitting the “apply” button is like walking down to the local convenience store and buying a lottery ticket, then deciding not to do anything else until they call your number. Are job boards still relevant? Yes. However, it’s best to post your resume to a niche job board that aligns with your background or industry — and make sure your resume is targeted specifically for the jobs you apply to.

3.    Your Resume Is Longer Than the CEO’s (or Shorter than a Recent College Graduate’s)

A long resume doesn’t impress me at all. Even worse, a resume that has neither definition nor clarity is guaranteed to be placed in the trash. I’m probably going to look at it for six seconds, tops.

Your resume should reflect the positions you’re going towards. It shouldn’t simply list all of the duties you performed. Websites such as wordle and tagcrowd can help you identify keywords in job announcements and your resume. This is because your resume will most likely be filtered by Applicant Tracking Software before it even gets to a talent acquisition specialist.

While I appreciate that you volunteered to clean up a highway or had some collateral duties in addition to your main assignments, I’m looking for candidates who have years of matching relevant experience, the right job titles and are in the same industry. Most importantly, I’m not looking for a “jack of all trades”; if I were, the job posting would have said so.

How do you craft a resume that’s forward-looking? Find about 15 to 20 job announcements that match up with your ideal target job title. Incorporate their language into your resume. Review each bullet point you’ve chosen to use by asking yourself if it demonstrates a problem you solved or action you took and the results that were accomplished. The actual length of your resume? It depends on your audience. Seek out current or former employees at the companies you’ve identified in your target list and ask them what their company’s preference is.

4.    You Didn’t Proofread Your Resume

I would be a millionaire if I got 10 bucks for every time I come across a candidate who’s an “experienced manger.” There is no substitute for attention to detail. Don’t trust spell check, and don’t rely solely on your own review. Have your resume reviewed and critiqued by as many eyes as possible. After getting your resume reviewed for spelling and substance, take it to the local university’s English department and have it critiqued for proper grammar. Seem a bit excessive? Well, if I see misspellings and poor grammar on your resume, what will I expect from you if I need you to communicate with my clients?

5.    You Don’t Have a LinkedIn Profile (Or, Even Worse, It’s Not Complete)

In a 2012 survey, 89% of hiring decision-makers and recruiters reported using social media sites such as LinkedIn to find their candidates. If this is the case, shouldn’t you have a profile already? Your knowledge of managing your online presence lets me know how proficient you are in using technology to communicate. It also allows me to see your skills. If you have an incomplete profile, it may communicate that you might also expect me to complete your work for you.

Take the time and get your LinkedIn profile set up right. There are lots of resources available online to get help at no cost, so there is no excuse for not having one. Additionally, a complete LinkedIn profile allows you to take advantage of LinkedIn Labs’ Resume Builder to automatically generate 11 different resume styles based on your LinkedIn profile. Talk about a time saver!

6.    You Think Social Media Is For Kids or Sharing War Stories

The reality is that two out of three job seekers will get their next job using social media. What does that mean to you? It translates to lesser-qualified people using technology to their advantage to get hired. They know how to use each of the social networking sites to the maximum extent in their transition action plans. If you think Twitter is of little use to a job seeker or professional, your competition will be happy to land the job you want because they’re using it and you aren’t.

7.    You Didn’t Prepare For the Interview

During the course of your military career, you’ve conducted countless boards and interviews. It makes sense that you should have no problem interviewing. After all, you did pretty well in your transition class mock interviews, didn’t you? Wrong approach. I’ve seen instances where a junior servicemember outperformed a more seasoned leader because of one simple strategy: practice, practice, practice. Practice with someone who regularly hires or who has hired people at your level.

Why do you need to practice? Because you need to be able to be conversational, convey energy and yet let me know you’re aware of what my business is, who my competitors are and even who I am. Did you go to the company’s website to see if we have a Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter page? Did we make the news recently? Distinguish yourself from the regular job seeker. I want to know you’re as passionate about my company and what we do as I am, and not just out to get a paycheck and benefits. Have a set of questions that I haven’t heard before, and when we’re about to finish the interview, ask for the job. Don’t worry; I’m not going to be offended, because I want to see that fire in your belly.

8.    You Wrote a Thank You Note (But Only to Say Thank You)

Sending a thank you note is something that sets you apart from the competitors also vying for this position. And while it’s appreciated and infinitely better than sending nothing at all, don’t just send the note to say thank you; use it to tell me how much passion you have for my company and the job. Remind me of those things that excited you during our interview and, if there were any areas you looked vulnerable in, ease my concerns.

9.    You Don’t Know What You Want to Do

When asked what you want to do, the worst possible answer you can give is, “I don’t know” or “anything.” You have say specifically what types of positions you’re interested in and how you can add value to them. If you don’t, you’re essentially saying, “Invest lots of time and money in me, and maybe it will help me figure out if I want to do something else.”

If you have no clue where to start, start by looking at colleagues with backgrounds similar to yours who have recently transitioned. Which industries are they in? What companies are they working for? Where are they living? What job titles do they have now?

Start volunteering to gain professional experience and seek out internships long before you sign your DD214. Employers want to feel secure in knowing that you’ll last and that they can depend on you. Doing an internship or volunteering will help both the employer and you determine if a position is a good fit. Additionally, due to the flood of resumes that comes in for each job posting, applicants who have volunteered or performed internships will stand out well ahead of the others.

Military professionals, especially senior ones, have a lot to offer our country when they hang up the uniform. However, no one is ever guaranteed a job, and the more senior you are, the more challenging the transition can be in terms of education, credentials, certification and relevant industry experience required. Having a powerful network is essential and can open doors for you. Your friends and family can generally get you to the door, but it is up to you to be fully prepared when the door is opened.