Simply Hired Blog

3 Resume Challenges Veterans Face When Looking for a New Job

By Gerrit Hall

Tens of thousands of military veterans who have returned home to civilian life face a tough transition into the workforce. Not only are the amount of job opportunities limited in today’s job market, but competition is fierce. This means that vets need to learn quickly how to position themselves for success on the job search.

As your initial introduction to potential employers, your resume is one of the most important pieces of your job search puzzle -- but many veterans struggle to draft something that truly communicates their value to employers.

Here are some common challenges you’re up against as a veteran:

1. Not identifying your achievements or strengths

You might find yourself describing what you did in the military on your resume -- but simply listing responsibilities and duties doesn’t really tell an employer how you’ll be of value in the civilian world. Quantify your experience and accomplishments whenever possible. And remember...be detailed!

For example, instead of saying you “managed several subordinates,” tell the employer how you did that job well. Tell the employer how many people you managed and what types of circumstances impacted it.

There are plenty of ways to quantify your achievements. Think about it: What types of equipment were you in charge of at your last position? How valuable was the equipment? How did you save the military money or time in your position? What helped you rise through the ranks to where you ended up?

2. Failing to market yourself

Although searching for a new job may feel like you’re swimming upstream, you must remember that you’re uniquely hirable as a vet. Identify skills and experience that are of value to potential employers and highlight these aspects in your resume.

For example, in the military you were used to high stress situations, and probably dealt with these on a regular basis. Make sure to emphasize your ability to work under pressure on your resume and be prepared to describe these situations during interviews.

Other things you may have taken away from your military experience include leadership skills, discipline, flexibility, adaptability, time management skills, etc. These are all qualities employers look for in a job candidate, too.

3. Language barriers

The acronyms and phrases you were so used to using on a regular basis in the military will not translate well on your resume. In fact, it may cause your resume to get thrown out on the basis that those keywords do not match up to the job description.

Make it easy for employers to understand what you did at your last position by simplifying the language in your job title. Instead of “Navy Boatswain’s Mate,” use a title like “Watercraft Maintenance Crew Member.”

Despite the challenges you may face on the job search, remember that employers want to hire vets. In fact, Microsoft actively recruits vets and hires about 100 per year, and other major companies such as General Electric, Amazon, and Walmart are also recruiting vets. Coca-Cola also recently announced that it would offer at least 800 job and career opportunities to military veterans this year.

What other challenges do vets face drafting a resume? Do you have any advice to share to vets transitioning back into the civilian workforce?

Gerrit Hall is the CEO and co-founder of RezScore, a free web application that reads, analyzes, and grades resumes – instantly. Gerrit has successfully combined his passion for computer science and the careers space by helping job seekers write the best resume possible. You can connect with Gerrit and RezScore on Facebook and Twitter.

4 Reasons to Start Looking For a Freelance Job

By Sean Weinberg

More employers are continuing to do more with less, which is not necessarily great news for job seekers. If you’ve been looking for a job for a while, you probably realize that the traditional job market is still tight. The good news, though, is that growth of online workers (consisting of independent workers, freelancers, and contractors who work remotely) actually doubled in the first quarter of 2012. 

Are you a veteran searching for a new job? Have you been unemployed long-term and can’t seem to find any opportunities using your skills? Listen up: freelancing might be your solution. Here are several reasons why:

1. Ability to work outside of your local area

Job seekers hoping to land a job in their local area can experience immense amounts of stress, particularly if the area they live in has a small amount of openings in their industry. Many job candidates simply cannot afford to move across the country for a job, particularly if they’ve been unemployed for several months. By freelancing or working virtually, you’re able to work for a company located anywhere in the country -- or even the world. This opens up tons of opportunities when you take away the stipulation of location...and is a great way to grow your professional network beyond your particular area. 

2. Employers are hiring independent workers

Hiring someone to work virtually is easier and more cost-efficient than bringing on a job candidate full-time. Not only does hiring a freelancer allow them to lower their overhead costs and pay per project, but it also allows them to hire the best talent without restriction on location. In fact, by 2020, Elance predicts that more than half of the workforce in the U.S. will be independent. 

3. Reclaim work-life balance

Most projects you work on as a freelancer can be completed on your own time. For instance, if you’re a night owl, you can work on your tasks late at night instead of the traditional 9-to-5 schedule you’d experience at other jobs. Virtual work can also help you make time for other commitments, such as school, family, or hobbies. 

4. It’s not just for marketers anymore

If you have skills in video production, video/audio editing, writing, blogging, research, design, or something similar, it’s quite likely that you could work as a freelancer -- and that employers are actively looking for someone like you to fill their virtual positions. 

What do you think? Would you work as a freelancer? Why or why not?

Sean Weinberg is the COO and co-founder of RezScore,a free web application that reads, analyzes, and grades resumes – instantly. Also the founder of Freedom Resumes, Sean has dedicated his career to helping job seekers write the best possible resumes.

Practice Economic Disobedience in Your Job Search

By Peter Weddle

What would you do if you were approached by a secret online group of workplace activists who said vulture capitalists had rigged the job market against you?  And, how would you react if they also told you that the only way to protect yourself was to practice “economic disobedience?”

Those are the questions explored in my new book A Multitude of Hope: A Novel About Rediscovering the American Dream.  It’s the story of three out-of-work Baby Boomers trying to make sense of today’s demeaning and demoralizing world of work.

What’s “economic disobedience?”  It’s the practice of refusing to accept the boxes employers try to put us in.  These boxes limit our sense of possibility – our hope for the present and the future – and, as a result, they undermine our ability to achieve success.

The first box is this belittling notion that people in transition are “job seekers” and that those who work for a company are its “employees.”  They aren’t.  They are “people of talent,” because talent is like our opposable thumb.  It is an attribute of our species.  Talent is the capacity for excellence, and it is what defines us as human beings.

The second box is this equally as belittling notion that people’s performance is locked into a “normal distribution.”  Some will excel, some will fail and the majority will do O.K..  That’s how employers rig their performance appraisal systems because doing so minimizes what they have to pay their workers.

There’s just one small problem.  The normal distribution was developed to describe the behavior of data, not the contribution of people.  Every worker possesses the ability to deliver superior performance on-the-job.  It’s up to them to bring their talent to work, but it’s also up to their employers to get out of the way.

Finally, the third box that employers try to stick us in is this belittling notion that we are their property.  What do CEOs routinely opine to all who will listen?  “Our employees are our most important asset.”  They think we’re just another means of production with a couple of DNA strands.

And, that’s exactly what we’ll be if we don’t take charge of our own careers.  If we don’t become as expert at career self-management as we are at our profession, craft or trade.  Because here’s today’s unavoidable reality: there is no such thing as job security any more.  Given the tectonic shifts underway in the global marketplace, employers can’t tell what kinds of workers they’ll need six months from now, let alone two or three years down the road.

So, how do we protect ourselves?

Create “career security” – the ability always to be employed and always by an employer of our choice.  That’s why I titled my novel A Multitude of Hope.  Because hope is what happens when we replace employers’ boxes with our own commitment to finding, developing and delivering our talent on-the-job.  We rediscover the power and promise of the American Dream.

Peter Weddle is a former columnist for The Wall Street Journal and the author or editor of over two dozen books. To read an excerpt from A Multitude of Hope, and to order the book, visit www.AMultitudeofHope.com.  

6 Reasons You Need to be Active on Facebook if You’re Unemployed

By Gerrit Hall

Social networks are a prime way to find a new job. Not sold? According to an infographic by Jobvite, one in six Americans actually found their last job through an online social network.

What may be more surprising to many professionals is that Facebook topped the list with the most job seeking activity (44%), followed by LinkedIn (26%) and Twitter (23%). In fact, a whopping 18.4 million Americans said that Facebook got them their current job.

Facebook isn’t just for farming your (virtual) land or posting pictures of your cat -- it’s also valuable for the following reasons:

1. It’s a prime way to keep in touch with your network. Most active users spend about 50 minutes per day on Facebook. And with Facebook mobile and apps, some people even check their notifications as they happen.

2. Employers are looking at your online presence. With the new Timeline layout of user profiles, employers can learn more about your past with a few simple clicks on different years in the side panel. Want to impress them? Include past career milestones on your Timeline to show them your value as a job candidate. Oh, and get rid of anything that may be deemed unprofessional or lock down your privacy settings to only share what you want them to see.

3. Your Facebook network is more willing to help. The people you’ve friended on Facebook probably know you better (and on a more personal level) than those you’re connected with on Twitter or LinkedIn. It’s quite likely the reason Facebook trumps LinkedIn and Twitter in job search success is because the connections you have there are much stronger than most of those in your professional networks.

4. Newsfeed delivers your update to each and every one of your friends. That is, if they haven’t hidden you from their feed! A simple update about your job search or question about a company has the possibility to spark a conversation with any one of the folks you’re connected to -- and could lead to a stronger relationship with those individuals. Heck, you might even find out that you have friends that work at one of your ideal companies or can refer you to their boss.

5. Getting job search feedback has never been easier. With the unemployment rate at a steady eight percent, it’s probable that some of your fellow friends are also on the job hunt. On the flip side, you also have friends who are part of the hiring process for their company. Use these resources! Although I wouldn’t recommend being negative in your status updates (such as complaining about a certain company who rejected your application), asking for advice or resources to better your job search can certainly lead to better results.

6. Pages and groups are primary ways to keep up with your industry. By “liking” your ideal companies on Facebook, you can receive instant updates on news and job opportunities. Following industry news outlets or blogs is also helpful in keeping up with trends and current events. Better than that, “liking” your ideal company BEFORE applying and interacting with some of their posts first, may be the best way to get an ‘in’. Companies love to hire people who are already fans of their products. I know we do!

Do you use Facebook in your job search? How has it impacted your job search success?

Gerrit Hall is the CEO and co-founder of RezScore, a free web application that reads, analyzes, and grades resumes – instantly. Gerrit has successfully combined his passion for computer science and the careers space by helping job seekers write the best resume possible. You can connect with Gerrit and RezScore on Facebook and Twitter.

Celebrate Earth Day Year Round - Get a Green Job

Did you celebrate Earth Day this past Sunday? As a job seeker, you have the unique opportunity to celebrate Earth Day all year round by working in a green job. In order to land a green job, you do not need to wear hemp sandals and enjoy hugging trees (although we’re sure the trees won’t mind). Sustainability has become a legitimate business value for the modern organization across all industries. In fact, 45,000+ jobs exist on SimplyHired.com today that are classified as green. 

How do we define these jobs as green? They are occupations that are focused on the environment and sustainability, from clean energy to green supply chains. There are many jobs at businesses that create products or services focused on the environment or conserving natural resources. Or, they can be internal positions to help a company’s processes become more sustainable or environmentally-friendly. 

A number of specific job titles have grown in this space, including:

• Environmental Compliance jobs
  • Example titles: Environmental Compliance Manager and Environmental Compliance Specialist
• Energy Efficiency jobs
  • Example titles: Energy Efficiency Engineer and Energy Efficiency Program Manager
• Environmental Program Managers
• Sustainability Coordinators

Make your next job a green job. Go to simplyhired.com/green to get started.