At military job fairs, it's about them, not you
By BILL MURPHY JR. for Stars and Stripes Published: August 22, 2011 WASHINGTON
If you’ve been to an armed forces career fair you’ve seen them: aspiring applicants, resumes in hand, walking through the hall in their military uniforms.
Bad idea, says Chad Storlie, a retired Army Reserve lieutenant colonel and the author of the books, “Combat Leader to Corporate Leader” and “Battlefield to Business Success.”
The key to professionally transitioning to the civilian world is to translate your military accomplishments to civilianspeak, and show employers that you understand their problems and you’ve got solutions, Storlie said in an interview. Whether you’re a private or a retiring colonel, wearing a uniform shows you’re more focused on your identity as a soldier than on how you’ll find a fit in the private sector.
“An employer is evaluating how well you will fit into their organization, not how well you fit into the military,” said Storlie.
Everything about how you present yourself —from the clothes you wear to the resume you’ve crafted to the questions you ask should demonstrate that you’re committed to making the transition, not holding onto the past.
With unemployment among post-9/11 veterans hovering around 13 percent, Storlie is hosting a free webinar Tuesday on how to make the most of military career fairs. The presentation, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET, can be accessed at https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/775480182, and will be archived afterward on Storlie’s website, combattocorporate.com.
Overall, there are three key things veterans can do to stand out at events like these, said Storlie, who was a Special Forces officer who served in Iraq and Bosnia and who earned his MBA from Georgetown University before going to work at General Electric and Union Pacific.
First, research the employers who will be at the event ahead of time. Dig through the investor relations sections of their websites, scour public records, and read what media have written about them. You want to be able to articulate the challenges they’re facing at least as well as their current employees can.
Second, don’t follow a spray-and-pray strategy of simply dropping off resumes to every company you see. Instead, it’s probably better to focus on a handful of employers you think you’d really like to work for.
“Approach a career fair with a plan,” Storlie said, “understanding, ‘these two are my primary companies, and these are my alternates.’”
Finally, craft and rehearse your elevator speech —who you are, what your accomplishments are, and most importantly, how you can help the company solve its problems.
“Those things will make a person stand out, because you’ve changed the game,” Storlie said. “For the HR rep or the hiring manager at that booth, that’s completely refreshing. Normally they’re trying to sell their company. It’s a complete reversal of the norm that they’re used to.”
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