Of all the military transition topics, the post-military job search is one of the most challenging.
Entering the corporate world requires new skills—like resume writing and salary negotiations—that veterans and transitioning service members are unfamiliar with. This unfamiliarity with post-military job search skills can cause a lot of stress during the transition process, especially when your final day in service looms, and you need a paycheck.
I’ve become a big fan of podcasts during the COVID pandemic. So, I decided to put together a list of 10 podcast episodes that cover key topics veterans need in their post-military jobhunting process.
I’ve broken the list of podcasts down into the stages of the job search:
– Before You Start Your Post-Military Search
– Searching for Your Post-Military Job
– Landing Your Post-Military Job
– Starting Your New Post-Military Job
After each episode, I’ve also listed bonus resources that can help you even further. So, take a listen and get ready to improve your post-military job search skills!
Before You Start Your Post-Military Job Search
1. Determining What Matters Most in Your Next Job – Find Your Dream Job Podcast
I’m kicking off the list with this episode because it’s one that trips up many transitioning service members in their post-military job search. And, also, because the speaker works for a company that offers many useful and free resources you can take advantage of.
Find Your Dream Job is the podcast for Mac’s List, a job search board concentrated on Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. It describes itself as a podcast for “professionals focused on work that matters,” which sounds an awful lot like military veterans to me.
In the Determining What Matters Most in Your Next Job episode, Corbin C, who works for employment and executive search agency Boly:Welch, talks:
– Why you need to get clear on what you don’t want from your next job
– How to use his acronym CLAMPS to prioritize your ideal job characteristics
– How “I’m open to anything” wastes time and hinders your job search
– Why being specific is more appealing to employers
Bonus materials: Boly:Welch has a lot of excellent job seeker resources on their site. Their comic-book-style digital Hacking Your Job Search, a free resource, contains straightforward, easy-to-follow tips on the entire jobhunting process.
They also have several upcoming FREE webinars on essential job-seeking topics.
I’ve attended a couple of their webinars, and they are informative and well-presented. The recruiters are also very open to answering questions during and after the workshops. (One note: none of their resources are tailored to veterans or the post-military job search, but they are so clearly presented that I think veterans will like them.)
2. Informational Interviews in Professional Networking – Career Cloud Radio Podcast
Informational interviews are an important aspect of any job search, especially for veterans. They provide valuable insight into your prospective career field or company and can help you get you on someone’s radar—in a good way.
In the Informational Interviews in Professional Networking episode of the Career Cloud Radio Podcast, Mac Prichard of Mac’s List gives advice on conducting informational interviews, including
– What every informational interview should have
– What you should expect to gain from this type of interview
– When to schedule informational interviews
– The one question you have to ask during an informational interview
– How to schedule these interviews and when to give up on one
– The informational interview trap to avoid
Bonus materials: Here’s an Indeed article on how to ask for an informational interview, including an example request, and a list of questions you should ask during your informational interview.
3. How to Set Up a LinkedIn Profile – The Finding a Job Podcast
These days, LinkedIn is arguably as important as a resume in the current job search. If you haven’t yet created your profile or you aren’t sure if you’ve got it quite right, Lesley Mitler, Co-founder of Early Stage Careers, will walk you through How to Set Up a LinkedIn Profile on this episode of The Finding a Job Podcast.
Both the podcast and Lesley’s company are geared to first-time job hunters coming out of college, but the topics they cover can be applied to the post-military job search as well. Mitler covers
– The one thing that makes your profile 14x more likely to be looked at
– How to use a headline
– What should be included in the About section
– Why your profile needs to align with your resume
– Why your experience should be geared towards your desired position
– Filling out the skills section on your LinkedIn profile
– Who you should follow on LinkedIn
If you’ve already created your LinkedIn profile, you can listen to this companion episode about how to use your profile.
Bonus materials: Mitler’s company offers several free resources. Although the site is designed for college students, their easy one-page cheat sheet on how to write a cover letter, their list of tech skills needed for modern jobs, and where you can learn those tools for free would be useful to veterans as well.
You can also take a look at the “Ultimate LinkedIn Cheat Sheet” profile checklist for veterans from retired SGM and LinkedIn guru Michael Quinn (Quinn also does free useful LinkedIn workshops for the USO regularly, so keep an eye out for those). And, if you’re thinking of opening your own business, I recommend checking out Helen Pritchard’s free Headline Guide for LinkedIn.
Searching for Your Post-Military Job
4. Resume Advice for Career Changers – Career Warrior Podcast
The post-military job search is often first-time job search and a career change for many veterans. Because of this, advice for career changers can be helpful when writing your resume.
The Career Warrior podcast is hosted by resume writer and CEO and Founder of Let’s Eat, Grandma Chris Villanueva. It covers, in a delightfully brief and to the point way, a wide variety of topics about jobseeking.
In the Resume Advice for Career Changers episode, Villanueva covers
– Why your resume needs to be focused on where you are going, not where you’ve been
– Using keywords to rise to the top of a hiring manager’s list
– Why you need multiple, specific resumes
– Why you need to leave out anything that’s irrelevant
– How to label your resume
– Why tenacity is required in a job search
Bonus materials: You can also find resume and cover letter examples on his business blog. And, as I mentioned earlier, don’t forget to check out Boly:Welch’s 101 – Nitty Gritty Guide to Resumes.
5. How to Spend Your Five Minutes at a Job Fair – Tips for Work and Life with Andrew LaCivita Podcast
Job fairs are challenging, even in non-COVID times. Hundreds of job seekers vying for the attention of recruiters and jobseekers make it difficult to stand out, even in job fairs designed to help veterans do just that.
In this episode of the Tips for Work and Life with Andrew LaCivita podcast, he covers How to Spend Your Five Minutes at a Job Fair.
In the shortest episode on the list—it’s only 4 minutes long!—LaCivita covers tips that work even in the online-everything COVID era, including
– The number one mistake job seekers make at hiring fairs
– How to approach a recruiter at a job fair
– The exact script to use to stand out
Bonus materials: LaCivita’s company offers a free resume template, and every Thursday, he answers career and leadership questions on YouTube.
Landing Your Post-Military Job
6. How to Sell Yourself in a Job Interview – From the Battlefield to the Boardroom Podcast
Because recruiters are in the business of finding qualified talent for their employer customers, many offer free resources to help candidates improve their job-hunting skills.
From the Battlefield to the Boardroom is the official podcast of Orion Talent, a recruiting firm that often works with transitioning military officers and NCOs.
In this episode, Navy veteran and Orion recruiter Daniel Jacob talks How to Sell Yourself in a Job Interview.
– What selling really is
– Why you need to be a storyteller and how to use the STAR method
– Why you need to know your audience and how to research it
– How to illustrate your accomplishments
– Finding a company that matches your brand
– Why personality matters
– Mistakes interviewees make and why preparation matters
– Why you need to have questions ready for the end of your interview
Bonus materials: Orion offers several free resources on their site, but this list of interview tips and types of interviews to expect and their pre-recorded webinars on aspects of the job hunt are probably the most helpful.
7. Salary Negotiation – Career Tips & Trends Podcast
If there is an aspect after resume writing that strikes fear in the heart of transitioning military members, it’s salary negotiation. But ensuring you’re fairly compensated in your post-military job is key to creating the civilian life you desire and ensuring you and your family, if you have one, are taken care of.
This Career Tips & Trends podcast episode on Salary Negotiation is a little older (2013), but the salary negotiation information is too useful not to include it. Example:
“If you did not negotiate, you are underpaid.” – podcast guest Katie Donovan
Two notes, though:
– Laws are changing, and many states are now making it illegal for companies to ask for salary history. Be sure to check the status of your/your prospective company’s state before you start applying.
– Because it’s older, the links and app mentioned don’t work, so I’ve included other resources in the bonus material section instead
In the episode, Katie Donovan, an expert on salary equality, talks:
– The most powerful moment for the job candidate in the job negotiating process
– Why salary negotiation isn’t about how much money you need
– How to research the salary for your prospective job or industry
– Factors that impact salary negotiation, including your own fears
– Tips for negotiating…including when to shut up
– Language to use (and not use) in the salary negotiation process
– What to do when asked for your ideal salary, including in an online application
– Why you need to understand that money is the language of business
Bonus materials: Here’s a salary negotiation decision matrix and a salary negotiation preparation checklist to help you get clear on the process.
8. 5 Things You Can Negotiate Besides Salary – Your Career Story with Jena Viviano Podcast
When you start a job, in most cases, you don’t just get a salary—you get a compensation package.
This means there are many things you can leverage in the negotiation process in addition to salary.
In the 5 Things You Can Negotiation Besides Salary episode of the Your Career Story with Jena Viviano podcast, Jena discusses
– Benefits you can negotiate in the job offer process
– Examples of each
– Factors to consider when negotiating/accepting each
Although Jena specializes in helping women, this podcast episode is geared towards individuals who don’t usually negotiate, which is a group veterans fall into.
Bonus materials: On her blog, Jena also offers free guides on writing your LinkedIn summary, 20 questions to ask your interviewer, and Resume Writing 101.
Starting Your New Post-Military Job
9. How Do I Start a New Job on the Right Foot? – Ask a Manager Podcast
Once you get the job, you might think you can rest easy, but the first day on the job is when you come face-to-face with the new corporate culture, and the adjustment to the business world really begins.
Hosted by Alison Green, consultant and former non-profit chief of staff, Ask a Manager is a call-in style show where Alison answers questions on a specific topic pertaining to employment.
In the How Do I Start a New Job on the Right Foot, Alison talks a caller through
– Best practices for your first days in your new job
– Paying attention to culture and unwritten rules
– Getting feedback from your boss
– Avoiding office politics
– How to introduce yourself to and connect with your coworkers
– How to decide what to wear on your first day
Bonus materials: For more information on what to do after you get your first post-military job, check out this useful article from Indeed on How to Succeed in Your New Job: The First Week, Month and 90 Days.
10. Guide to Managing Medical Benefits When You Leave or Start a Job – Money Girl Podcast
One benefit I was definitely not prepared to make a decision on when I left the military was healthcare. The complexity around civilian healthcare plans, what healthcare premiums mean for your paycheck, and what you need to know about your benefits when you start or leave a job are vital details veterans should understand.
In this Guide to Managing Medical Benefits When You Leave or Start a Job episode of the Money Girl podcast, host and financial authority Laura Adams covers:
– What leaving a job means for your healthcare coverage
– COBRA insurance and its alternatives
– How to decide if you should have more than one health plan if both spouses work (or, if you retired from the military, if you have TRICARE)
– Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts
Bonus materials: Money Girl’s other episodes on topics, such as what options you have for retirement accounts when you leave a job, are also worth checking out. Also, here’s a list of employee benefits your company might offer so you can get a head start on thinking through which ones might matter to you.
There are plenty of resources and podcast episodes that veterans can listen to in order to gain insight into the post-military job hunting process. These are 10 I recommend.
Please drop a comment below and let me know what other podcast episodes you’ve found helpful!
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