I was curious if anyone had any good job search strategies. I am in the process of completing my C&P exams and likely to be found unfit. I likely have a few months but searching for a job without a confirmed discharge date is difficult. I was wondering if anyone had any strategies or success stories about working with employers.
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Job searching
- Thread starter FCSJ85
- Start date
Hi! I am at the same stage in this process as you are, and my 9 years in the military is the only “adult job” I’ve ever had so please take this with a grain of salt as I’m sure others with more experience can definitely elaborate further. What I’m doing is sprucing up my LinkedIn account (Portraits For Patriots is a company that does free headshots for transitioning vets), creating a succinct 1-page resume carefully “translating” my military skills into the equivalent civilian verbiage, and applying for schools. I do not know if I’ll be out by the time the next school year begins so I’m trying to plan for both job and school opportunities depending on my IDES time line. The VA had a program called VR&E which is a solid resource for school stuff. Look up job fairs in your area too. What has been confusing for me though is simply having no idea when I would even be out of active duty haha
it may be helpful to search for jobs, write a resume, apply even starting now if you’re sure enough on an unfit determination. Some sites for applications ask for estimated available starting dates in the application. so try to gauge around a 6-8 month estimate of being in ides from start to finish. And also leave a disclaimer during interviews that you’re going to EAS at X date. But you may be available to work earlier. This can let them know that you’re interested and if anything happens during ides you can give them concrete start availability earlier than your EAS. Companies will continue actively hiring despite your situation if they have a deadline or need someone to fill the role. The job may have been filled by then or it may not have been filled. But if you’re making it to the interview process then they’ve deemed you at least qualified off of your resume and when you reach back out when you get your teriminal/sep/retirement dates you could be higher on their hiring list. And there’s always a chance that they fill the role and then that person is not a good fit and they remember you’re available to work at the time they need you based off of whatever dates you have availability to start working. Hoped that helped a little
I was in a similar spot a while back and found a couple of things really helped. One was focusing on building new skills that could make me more attractive to employers.
I get it—job searching can feel like a full-time job! It’s not a bad deal since the certification can help you stand out and show you’re serious about the job. If you're looking into New Jersey’s laws for Central Service Technicians require a certification ithin three years of employment.
I’d say focus on hospitals or medical facilities since they often have steady openings. Even if you’re new, many places hire entry-level techs, giving you time to work toward certification. It’s also worth checking job boards like Indeed or LinkedIn and maybe even networking with others in the field.
I’d say focus on hospitals or medical facilities since they often have steady openings. Even if you’re new, many places hire entry-level techs, giving you time to work toward certification. It’s also worth checking job boards like Indeed or LinkedIn and maybe even networking with others in the field.