Tommy Lyon

Continued from Page 22 opportunities to fill those gaps. Or talk with those people about what their education taught them, and most likely you can take individual courses vice seeking a degree to be competitive for the job.

Sometimes a certification is all you need. The VA and other support groups can point you in the direction to find ways to get that certification for free or reduced cost.

10. Keys to success in civilian world

Work hard to become a valuable asset for your company and the customers. Your job security is not what it was with the military. If you are not valuable your company will let you go. Communicate with your peers and boss to ensure you are always working towards the goals of your company. Do not be afraid to ask questions. You were hired for a reason, and it is your job to continue prove they did not make a mistake.

11. What makes someone successful. Your comments.

Your ability to become self-sufficient. It is ok to start off with your peers feeding you fish, but make sure you are asking the right questions to you learn how to fish.

12. Which groups or organizations should one join, volunteer?

Veteran groups on LinkedIn, Google groups that support veteran in a way that helps you. A couple I joined were American Corporate Partnership (ACP) and Veteran Mentorship Network (VMN)

13. Job fairs, attend or not?

Absolutely for two reasons. First, you get the chance to practice talking about what you did and what you want. Second, you never know if you might be the type of person the recruiter is looking for.

14. 18 months before separation or six months, your thoughts

I would say both. 18 months start doing research on what you want to do. Reach out to people that are in jobs that interest you. Discuss with them what they do, what they like and dislike about the job, and how they got where they are. You need to identify your deficiencies and find a path or two you want to pursue.

So at 6 months you are prepared to pursue those paths so you don’t waste your time. It is amazing a fast time flies.

I looked on LinkedIn for the people that had the job I wanted. Saw what skills and education they had that I didn’t. Identifying the gaps I needed to fill to be competitive. Some gaps I had were internships or industry experience. I worked with my mentors to gain a better understanding of how I can fill those gaps. I was able to reword my resume and interview questions to show how my naval experience does meet the experience an employer needs.

16. Pictures.

Update your LinkedIn photo to represent who you want to become. Again, looking at the people in LinkedIn and using their photo as an example for what type of photo you should use.

How you communicate your experiences.

Do your best to find a mentor or two, ACP will help, who have no experience or connection with the military. Work with them on how to best explain your experience and skills in a language that anyone can understand. Ask them to re-explain your experiences and skills, if it is inaccurate, then you need to reword your experiences.

Ask questions. Use VMN or another veteran group to find people who have done what you are about to go through and learn from their experience.

18. Social media, how do you feel about it?

Use LinkedIn. It is an extension of your resume and can provide great examples of what others have done. However, if you are going to use LinkedIn then make sure you have a complete and full profile. A weak profile probably has more of a negative impact than no profile at all.

19.

Absolutely agree. The VA offers life long benefits to all veterans to help maximize your chances of being successful outside of the military. Take the time to apply to all of the programs that can benefit you. It is a full-time job to transition successfully, and the VA has the resources to make sure your effort is in the correct direction. It can be frustrating or slow at times working with the VA, but it does pay off. Do your research, the VA can drastically improve your financial situation if you put in the effort up front.