Alphonse (a.k.a, Al) Telese ⋅ Frisco , TX U.S. Army, Lieutenant Colonel ⋅ 32 years served

I have a question for you....... Have your read the book "What Color Is Your Parachutte?" (Forgive the spelling)

But if you haven't... go out and get it then read it. You'll be surprised what you learn and how you feel afterwards.

Then follow the guide that it gives you to determine your passion/direction. Then use you military skills to develop a plan to facilitate your passion and do it.

If your retired from the military you might already be drawing yo retirement and that helps. Otherwise find a part-time job that's in-line with your passion as you develop your plan for success.

For me.... doing what I love is the best practice to follow. It does pay dividends. Much more than working for someone else.

Al

Nathan Whitlock ⋅ Cleveland , GA BRAID CONSULTING FIRM ⋅ 15 years experience

Shot in the dark says look up VA programs and usajobs.com and select va or appropriate agency. They have tons to research.
I am looking to expand wealth of knowledge to small business start-up partner or executive officer to assist with start-up business plan being written in detail. Pay will increase this summer, but it never hurts to volunteer somewhere.

Dali Rivera ⋅ Abingdon , MD U.S. Army, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 10 years served

Hi Stewart,

Another thing you can do is network while you are in the military so that when you get out you can have more potential job offers. Also, don't wait until you get out to post your resume online. I would talk to as many people as possible about any future job openings and don't forget that community colleges and universities hold job fairs with great potential employers as well. Most often, these are open to the community, not just the schools.

Best of luck!!

Mark Tegtmeyer ⋅ Sylvania , OH U.S. Army Reserve, Chief Warrant Officer ⋅ 21 years served

Stewart,
Without trying to pry, why are you getting back into the workforce? If you are just looking to be more active after retirement from the military, I would suggest looking at non-profit groups. I'm sure a lot of groups would love to have your experience and military leadership abilities as soon as possible. Or you could try an internship program. Internships are not just for college summers and would be a great opportunity to make sure that working in a particular field is what you want. Either would give you a lot of great experience and get you actively working again and would be a good segway into other (paying) opportunitites. On the other hand if you are returning to work to improve your income, a lot of military job boards have come online in the past couple months and years to target the high unemployment rate of veterans. If it's been awhile since you retired, have you been in touch with the transition office from your post to get the newest information? Let me know if you need some of the sites, I'd be happy to share the ones that I know of.

Stewart Basnight ⋅ Bothell , WA U.S. Navy, Petty Officer First Class ⋅ 20 years served

Hi Terry -

Thanks for your response. I have been doing what you suggested in your reply every since I have been submitting my resume either directly to companies on the web or using job boards online to get my resume out. Since my military experience covers a broad range of jobs I have been applying for other positions in the field as well.

I had my resume reviewed and got outstanding remarks for well documenting my education, experience, communication, use of Microsoft tools and other requirements for jobs.

Anymore suggestions you might have that I am overlooking?

Terry LLoyd ⋅ Kissimmee , FL Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM) ⋅ 29 years experience

Hello Stuart,
This is a really broad question. One of the first things I thik you need to consider is if you want to stay in your current location or are you willing to relocate (again)? If you want to stay, then start looking at companies in your area that needs your skills. Keep an open mind, and try to think of other occupations that your skills might apply to, and not only those positions that directly correspond to what you know. If you are willing to relocate, than I suggest using Monster or other nationwide job board to fins out where your skills are needed. If you have some more specific questions, fire away !