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I think the most important advice to give to any separating
or transitioning service member would be to
prepare yourself.
I think the advice I would give somebody trying to
transition into the federal workforce is just you have to
really do your homework on just the initial process.
I think that's probably one of the biggest things,
knowing hey, it doesn't happen overnight like you working
at McDonald's.
It's a process and being able to understand that process.
I expected that they would jump all over me.
I expected that the resume that I had would be very
marketable and that if I filled out five applications I
would get, you know five call backs,
but that wasn't the case.
Learn all you can if you're interested in pursuing a
career with the federal government or civil service;
learn all you can about the federal employment process,
the application process, resume format.
Now looking at it, it was the resume;
it was how I presented things.
I remember my father saying, you know,
"Nobody wants to eat steak out of a trashcan."
So it's all about presentation.
Let everybody know your skill set and what you can do for
people and understand that it probably takes a period of
time to be hired.
I got a little help from which is now the
Army Wounded Warrior Foundation, AW2,
I believe they were military one source at the time,
kind of like a headhunter service for severely injured
soldiers, information I was getting from the foundation to
tweak your resume this way or that way.
I would take every single suggestion.
Understand what they're entitled to as far as
veteran's preference, any special veteran's hiring
authorities that they may be eligible for,
to educate themselves on what is available to them and how
to navigate.
Talk to people; put your resume out there.
It's not over; it's just beginning.