1. James Roby
Air Force Veteran
Michigan State
University, Class of
1991
CAREER TRANSITIONS FOR
MILITARY VETERANS
VIDEO FOUND AT HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=6OLQEH_JBHY

2.  WHAT DO YO BRING TO THE TABLE
 UNDERSTANDING CORPORATE WORLD
 SOCIAL MEDIA
 LESSONS LEARNED
OVERVIEW

3.  LEADERSHIP
 TEAMWORK
 ETHICS & VALUES
 RESPECT
 DISCIPLINE
 RESOURCEFULNESS
 ORGANIZATION
 PLANNING
 PROFESSIONALISM
WHAT DO YOU BRING TO THE TABLE

4.  MILITARY.COM/VETERAN-JOB/SKILLS-TRANSLATOR
 MST.VAFORVET.VA.GOV/MST/VA/MOS-TRANSLATOR
 MIL2FEDJOBS.COM
MILITARY SKILL TRANSLATOR WEBSITES

5.  JUST AS THERE ARE SPECIFIC MILITARY LANGUAGE THERE IS
SPECIFIC INDUSTRY LANGUAGE
 SEEK OUT AND GAIN INDUSTRY VOCABULARY
 DO RESEARCH FOR THE INDUSTRY
UNDERSTANDING CORPORATE LANGUAGE

6.  ASK QUESTIONS – BUT LET THE RECRUITER DO MOST OF THE
TALKING
 WHEN IN DOUBT, SIMPLIFY LANGUAGE FOR YOUR AUDIENCE
 DON’T USE ACRONYMS
UNDERSTANDING CORPORATE LANGUAGE

7.  LACK OF UNDERSTANDING – EXPLAIN YOUR STATUS –
GUARDSMEN, RESERVIST, INACTIVE, ETC.
 RESEARCH VET FRIENDLY COMPANY
 YOU CANNOT BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST DUE TO YOUR
MILITARY SERVICE OR OBLIGATION
HOW CAN I ALLEVIATE EMPLOYERS’ FEAR OF
BEING CALLED BACK INTO DUTY?

8.  HAVE YOU SEEN COMBAT OR HAVE YOU SEEN DEAD BODIES OR
KILLED?
 CANNOT DISCRIMINATION DUE TO DISABLE / MEDICAL STATUS
 DO NOT HIDE NON-HONORABLE DISCHARGE
 THE BURDEN IS ON YOU TO PROVE YOU ARE WORTH HIRING
 SHOW THE CHANGES YOU HAVE MADE IN YOUR LIFE
 VOLUNTEERING, RETURN TO SCHOOL, TREATMENT, ETC.
 YOUR JOB IS GIVE COUNTER POINTS TO ADDRESS YOUR FAULTS
HOW CAN I ADDRESS DIFFICULT QUESTIONS?

9.  DON’T HAVE TO USE ALL BUT USE SOME
 CONTROL THE CONTENT
 PROFILE PICS SHOULD BE PROFESSIONAL
 NO ‘I WAS ONLY KIDDING STUFF’ – GANG SIGNS, DRUNK, RACISM
 THE INTERNET IS FOREVER
 DON’T POST ANYTHING YOU DON’T WANT POSSIBLE EMPLOYER TO SEE
HOW CAN I USE SOCIAL MEDIA PRODUCTIVELY
AS NETWORKING TOOL?

10.  THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT IS
YOU
 THE INTERNET IS THE START, NOT THE END
 EVERYBODY KNOWS SOMEBODY
 USE YOUR NETWORK
 MSU – PROFESSORS, CLASSMATES, ALUMNI
 NEVER TOO EARLY TO START
NETWORKING

11.  VETERAN JOB PLACEMENT
 EFFECTIVE AT GETTING YOU A JOB
 BE SURE THIS CAREER PATH YOU WANT
 KNOW YOUR ENVIRONMENT
 VET FRIENDLY vs ‘VET FRIENDLY’
LESSONS LEARNED

12.  KNOW YOUR ENVIRONMENT (CONTINUED)
 KNOW YOUR COMPANY’S MISSION
 ASK QUESTIONS AT THE INTERVIEW – KNOW WHAT THE COMPANY’S NEED IS
 USE DOWNTIME
 VOLUNTEER
 RETURN TO SCHOOL
 PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
LESSONS LEARNED

13.  HIREVETERANS.COM
 VETJOBS.COM
 VA.GOV/JOBS
 USAJOB.GOV
 MILITARY.COM/VETERAN-JOBS
 MICHIGAN.GOV/DMVA
 MICHIGAN STATE ALUMNI SERVICES
RESOURCES FOR VETERANS

14.  LINKEDIN
 PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING SITE
 RALLYPOINT
 LINKEDIN FOR MILITARY
 TWITTER
 140 CHARACTER SITE FOR CONNECTION, PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL
 FACEBOOK
 SOCIAL MEDIA FOR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL USE
 INSTAGRAM
 POST PICTURES WITH FRIENDS AND COMPANIES
 TUMBLR
 MICROBLOG SITE WITH PICTURES, ARTICLES, ETC.
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR
NETWORKING

15.  LEADERSHIP
 TEAMWORK
 ETHICS & VALUES
 RESPECT
 DISCIPLINE
 RESOURCEFULNESS
 ORGANIZATION
 PLANNING
 PROFESSIONALISM
WHAT DO YOU BRING TO THE TABLE