only pays full in-state tuition but also provides a housing allowance,” Norton explains. That means a num- ber of veterans are staying out of the job market for now and continuing their education instead of trying to find jobs in a tough economic climate.
Communicating your skills That doesn’t mean retiring veterans have an easy time transitioning into the civilian employment world. Civil- ian employers sometimes struggle to understand how military service can translate into the private sector. “The number of Americans who
How to Jump-Start Your Career Transition With MOAA’s Help
1) MOAA members can log in to the career center at
www.moaa.org/ career and create a profile that will be visible to potential employers. In 2010, some 700 new employers registered on the site, posting more than 20,000 jobs. You also can view open positions here and apply for jobs.
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2) Check out MOAA’s career fair schedule at
www.moaa.org/careerfair. The next career fair is Sept. 27 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
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3) Visit the “Tips from TOPS” section of
www.moaa.org/career for helpful tips on preparing résumés, getting ready for job interviews, and making a successful career transition.
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4) Call MOAA’s Member Service Center at (800) 234-6622 or e-mail
msc@moaa.org to order the “Marketing Yourself for a Second Career” guide, free for MOAA members.
4 C MILITA R Y O FFICER MAY 2011 MOAA CAREER GUIDE
have served in the military is less than 0.5 percent,” says Crampton. “So many employers, while very patriotic, don’t have a full appreciation of what ser- vicemembers bring to the table. They don’t recognize that many occupa- tions in the military are very transfer- rable to the civilian sector.” Norton says another challenge
many retiring servicemembers face is the move from “a highly structured, stratified culture with a clear set of rules, regulations, expectations, and performance evaluations” to the general U.S. marketplace, where an employee often acts as an individual instead of part of a team. Those who have spent their lives in the military have not had the experiences of inter- viewing for jobs, writing résumés, and negotiating salaries. Even so, Norton thinks servicemembers are among the most highly qualified employee can- didates. “The armed forces take only one out of every 10 young recruitable Americans into service,” he says. Retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Ray
Decker, assistant director, Veterans Services at the U.S. Office of Person- nel Management (OPM), says he thinks many young men and women have difficulty translating military skills into a civilian context. He ad- vises those transitioning into civilian careers to think about their military
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
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