A large number of employers like to hire veterans. We see many of them at job fairs sponsored by the Non Commissioned Officers Association, where large numbers of separating service people are likely to attend. They value the positive attributes veterans bring to their companies but, when questioned, none admits hiring someone because of rank, decorations, or awards. They do admit, however, that military-trained workers have a competitive edge over workers with no military background.
No combat commander would enter into battle without feeling confident he'll succeed. His confidence is generally based on his knowledge that his force can overwhelm the enemy. He knows his unit's combat capability based upon an inventory of its assets. He knows he has a competitive edge.
You are no different. You must be confident that you can succeed because you have the assets that will help you to achieve your goals. Determining your competitive edge can be a significant step forward in thinking straight. We've painted a bleak picture emphasizing what you cannot sell: ranks, decorations, or awards. But you do have something you can sell.
Military-trained workers entering the private sector work force bring an attitude with them. They bring ability. And they bring adaptability. These traits give them an edge over other job seekers. Let's look into how these three simple words can make your job search successful.
Attitude
Veterans bring an attitude to the workplace that is different from that of other workers. A hiring executive recently told me about that attitude. According to her, the veterans who work for her company demonstrate a desire, a drive, a determination, and a dedication that can't be found in any other group. In the election year of 1992, Ross Perot caused quite a stir (for a little while, anyway). During his moments in the sun, his former company, Electronic Data Systems, received extra media scrutiny. One of Perot's secrets in building his billion-dollar empire was simple: he hired a lot of former military people who had the kind of discipline he sought in his employees.
If an optimist looks at a glass of water and says, "The glass is half full," and a pessimist looks at the same glass of water and says, "The glass is half empty," military people look at the glass and say, "I wonder how I can fill that up." That is the attitude of one who has survived basic training.
Military people are problem solvers. They don't wonder how something got to where it is. They worry about how to get it where they want it to go. Every leadership class, every training mission, and every experience touches that problem-solving philosophy in some way. That philosophy you've adopted is highly marketable.
Ability
Along with this positive, determined attitude, military people bring certain ability. Most people with sometime in the service feel that they are a great candidate for a job because they have experience. A lot of people have experience. Everyone who wears a uniform is trained to do something. But what makes you different from a worker trained in the private sector who can do the same thing?
The difference comes from the peripheral skills you developed during your service years. Test a worker who is trained as a high speed yo-yo operator, and you will find that generally that worker can perform all of the tasks related to that skill, but little else. When you test a military-trained worker with the same skills, you'll find he or she has a number of related skills.
An inventory of your personal assets should reveal that in addition to your basic skill training you probably know a lot about leadership of people, management of assets, communications security, physical security, supply economy, development and execution of a budget, administrative procedures, and the operation of office machinery, among others.
As we shall soon see, the message in your job search will be not only that you have experience but that you have developed peripheral skills that combine to become your overall ability.
Adaptability
The third of your unique military traits is called adaptability. Military people are among the most adaptable people in the country, for the only constant in military service is change. If you don't like something in the military, all you have to do is stand still for a short time and it is guaranteed to change. Think about how many times you have gone to work in the morning and had the first sergeant or the commander say, "Don't make any phone calls, pack your duffel bag, and get on that C130 aircraft." And when you arrived at the distant location, you operated very efficiently almost immediately. You didn't stand around worrying or complaining; you got on with the mission. And how many times has personnel informed you that you'd just been transferred halfway around the world for a three-year tour? You didn't whine and moan and threaten to quit. You got on with your assignment.
That sort of adaptability is not generally found in workers in America. Think about all of the people you know back home (if you can remember back that far). Think about the sameness of their lives. They get up each morning, travel the same route to the same place of business with the same people, day after day, month after month, and year after year. Nothing changes.
How will those workers react when the foreman, the supervisor, or the manager says they are being moved to a new position or a new job or a new set of responsibilities? Most respond by explaining that they are not moving. That's not their job. They won't do anything until they talk to the union representative or review their contracts.
Human resource executives for major companies tell us they spend millions of dollars each year trying to find out how to make workers more adaptable. And here you are! You've already got that trait nailed. That's why you joined the military in the first place. You were seeking change in your life. You thrive on the challenges of new positions, new assignments, and new people. That is a marketable trait that can solve managers' problems. When they come to you and want to give you new responsibilities, a new position, or a new task, you will respond in a positive way-another valuable asset in your growing list of benefits you can provide the employers of America.
So you do have a competitive edge. You have an attitude, ability, and an adaptability that are different from those of your civilian counterparts. You are determined and positive. You've developed an array of useful skills and abilities. You thrive on change. Believe us when we say you can compete effectively for the positions you want out there in the private sector.
