If today’s job market were a “traditional” one (and it certainly is not!), where virtually anyone wanting to work could actually get a job, the transition from active duty military service to the civilian workforce would still be challenging for today’s new veterans. Always has been and probably always will be. Today, however, veterans face some new, unique, very real challenges in the current civilian job market. Nearly everything—and I do mean everything!—has changed in the “hiring game” . . . possibly FOREVER . . . since you entered military service!
(I cover in great detail all that has changed, all that is new and different in today’s job market, in “Headhunter” Hiring Secrets: The Rules of the Hiring Game Have Changed . . . Forever! (paperback and Kindle® editions), as well as how to effectively compete in it. The book and the recently published “Headhunter” Hiring Secrets Application Workbook are both available on Amazon.com.)
The situation in today’s hyper-competitive job market can best be summed up like this:
There are actually TWO sets of “rules” in today’s “hiring game” (and that’s how you should view the job market, as a “game”):
- The OLD rules that most job hunters think hiring managers and the companies they represent play by; and,
- The NEW rules that hiring managers and companies actually play by.
An example of the OLD rules would be where the job hunter honestly believes that the principal goal of hiring managers and the companies they represent, when trying to fill a position, is to include as many qualified candidates as possible for consideration. The fact of the matter is, though, the NEW rule is that the entire job “screening” process is one of exclusion! That is, at virtually every step in the hiring process, hiring managers are looking for ways to exclude candidates from further consideration, so that they can more quickly and efficiently get to their final “pool” of viable candidates. And, by the way, to expedite this process of exclusion, little “traps” are set all along the way for unwary or unprepared candidates!
As a military veteran, then, you’re likely thinking, “So how is the best way to accomplish the mission of finding a new civilian job in such a turbulent market?” Good question, and the first step is to learn the NEW rules of the “hiring game,” then, start playing by these NEW rules and you will turn your job search into a job found!
The first NEW rule of today’s “hiring game” is this one:
Today’s unemployment situation is not merely part of a “normal” job cycle. Many, if not most, lost jobs simply are NOT going to return!
The implications for today’s job seeker? In the new economy job seekers who GET HIRED will only be those who are powerfully and exceptionally skilled at differentiating themselves within an ever-increasing pool of available candidates for an ever-decreasing number of jobs.
To be sure, getting a job in today’s civilian job market is a very challenging prospect for new veterans. Not only are they still trying to “assimilate” into the civilian world, they also are faced with very unique challenges. An example of these unique challenges is the task of translating high-level skills acquired and practiced while in the military into terms that hiring managers can understand. Because of this disconnect, applying for jobs through online postings on the Big Job Boards, already an inefficient way to look for a new job today, becomes even less efficient.
Helping recent veterans deal with the many challenges they are facing in today’s job market is, of course, one of the primary goals of VeteranCentral. I firmly believe they are on the right track and are completely and sincerely dedicated to accomplishing this goal, and that is one of the reasons I am honored and privileged to contribute to this “inaugural” edition of the site. In the weeks and months ahead, we will be revealing numerous “headhunter” hiring secrets that will strongly empower you and help you turn your job search into a job found.
Make no mistake about it, finding a job in today’s brutal job market is not an easy goal to accomplish. But then again, as a military veteran you certainly are used to finding ways to accomplish difficult goals! Let me assure you, America genuinely appreciates your service and sacrifices to our nation, and thank you sincerely for protecting “our six” with your service. Now, we have “your six”!
Skip Freeman is a distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he later was an instructor. Today, he is president and CEO of Hire to Win, an executive recruiting firm that is among the Top 20% of U. S. recruiting firms. He also authored “Headhunter” Hiring Secrets: The Rules of the Hiring Game Have Changed . . . Forever!, an international bestselling job-hunting book. Read Bio
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