Matthew Codner ⋅ New York , NY U.S. Marine Corps, Captain ⋅ 4 years served

Jennifer,

The post- 9/11 GI Bill is a tremendous resource (and it keeps getting less tremendous each year...). It pays full BAH and up to $17,500 per year in tuition, plus many schools will kick in Yellow Ribbon funds. I recommend that everyone use it while the benefit is still there. I'm completing my degree without worrying too much about funds.

It is worth looking in to -- and in most locales, it pays better than an entry-level job!

Eli Lessing ⋅ Hamilton , OH General Electric ⋅ 30 years experience

Jennifer; First, Don't give up hope and believe in yourself. I don't know what your resume looks like or you present situation however make sure its set up to show all your expierence, leadership and education in a manner that tranlates into the job your applying for. Next, build a network to help open doors, Temp agency, Post a note on Proffessional and social networks, friends, co-workers, Monster.com. You can overcome the lack of a degree with the right look, presentation, and negotitations. Keep in touch and let me know how things are going. I be glad to assist more if you would like. What type of job are you looking for? Good Luck! Stay Strong!

Gary McKelvey ⋅ U.S. Navy, Petty Officer First Class ⋅ 9 years served

One way will be to try and talk with the hiring manager. It sounds like you have been interviewing with HR, and HR has their "marching orders" that typically aren't as flexible when it comes to meeting certain criterea. Certainly selling your experience should help, by going through a military experienced head hunter might be able to give you an edge also. Military experienced head hunters are better about getting you in front of a person that understands military experience.

Good luck in your search,
Gary

Judy Tomlinson ⋅ Dallas , TX Energy Future Holdings ⋅ 25 years experience

Contact Jaineen Brown. She is a senior recruiter in your area of the country and can help with finding a job and also can tell you what employers are looking for..
jaineen@crossroadsemployment.com
301-442-9652
Check me out in the Washington Informer! http://tinyurl.com/2wcmk7p

I can help with resume writing...if you need that.
Judy Tomlinson

Brian Berenbach ⋅ Edison , NJ Georgia Institute of Technology ⋅ 45 years experience

Jennifer,

There is a back door to employment thru internships, not consultancies. If you are enrolled for a graduate degree, even just one course, you are eligible for paid internships such as my company frequently has. Those paid internships go down on resumes as solid experience, and can often lead to full time positions.

Regards

Brian

Brian Berenbach
Vietnam Veteran

Jennifer Sardam ⋅ Alexandria , VA U.S. Army National Guard, Sergeant ⋅ 17 years served

Gary,

Thanks for your quick response, and thank you for your service as well.

Any suggestions on how I would find a military-specific headhunter?

Also, I agree with you. I think my best bet is to connect with the actual hiring managers as much as possible.

Come to think of it, all of the good jobs I've had came to me through a non-traditional route. I applied for one job at an organization where I was already temping while going to school and landed that one. For the other job, I made a "cold call" face-to-face with my resume, even though they had no advertised positions, because I already knew I wanted to work there. When they needed to fill a critical marketing job opening, I got the call 2-3 weeks later. This current job was the perfect fit for me. I Googled the name of the communications director while I was deployed, and ended up making a personal connection through phone and by email over the course of 6 months. Eventually, he found me the perfect job on the other side of the country, and I packed up everything I owned and followed my heart to this position, which was my dream job at that time.

So it feels weird to be interviewing and searching again. Take care, and thanks so much :)

Jennifer Sardam ⋅ Alexandria , VA U.S. Army National Guard, Sergeant ⋅ 17 years served

Hi, Eli. Thanks for your kind and inspiring words. I am definitely putting my all into finding my next position.

I am looking for either a federal or private sector job in strategic or corporate communications, public affairs, writing or editing. I also have marketing background in the newspaper industry and in oil and gas for the Dept. of Energy. Ultimately, I really want to work as a GS for the VA or a similar organization that works with veterans or current military. But I am keeping my options open.

You name it, I'm doing it. I'm in contact with every veterans organization, working with a lady who only deals with unlisted jobs for VRA-eligibles, I'm on USAJobs.gov, networking face-to-face with longtime colleagues, and on LinkedIn, professionally tweeting and planning on doing some professional blogging on a domain I registered at jennifersardam.me...I paid a professional much more than I could afford for a package that included federal and private sector resumes, and some job coaching.

I think that's a fair start. And then, I guess it's up to time, tenacity and consistent enthusiasm, mixed in with a bit of luck in this challenging economy; and maybe it's up to meeting the right employer, too. I've met employers in the past that looked to my experience and not just my education, and landed a handful of professional jobs that way; so I'm hopeful that the future will bring the same.

By the way, I'd love it if I could send you a copy of my resume and see what you think. I would deeply appreciate any pointers you could offer.

I think I need to comb through some old work samples and journalistic articles, too, and get a digital portfolio online. But some of what I produced is proprietary, so that makes it difficult.