Heather Gillbanks ⋅ Houston , TX General Electric ⋅ 26 years experience

Hi Tim,

Keep in mind that the sense of urgency felt by the hiring manager and by you are likely mismatched. (Meaning: they have lots of things to do, whilst you are focused on finding a job; this is to be expected).

Have you tried the "pain letter" technique, or are you simply cold emailing them? Try to add something of value that will spark their interest, and you may find you get better results.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2014/10/12/forget-cover-letters-write-a-pain-letter-instead/

If you are not comfortable with the pain letter, at a minimum go to LinkedIn and search each hiring manager. Try to find some common ground that may make them more likely to respond to YOU.

Finally, if you are cold emailing people from large companies, HR policies may limit them from responding to you (we use an Applicant Tracking System - or ATS - and I am supposed to put all posting-related correspondence through the ATS so HR can run reports/ trends/ for legal reasons).

Hope this helps you!

Charlayne Coburn ⋅ Reno , NV Bonanza Casino ⋅ 30 years experience

I don't think you're doing anything wrong... you just need a little patience. I'm not a Veteran but we have several Veterans working for us at our casino here in Nevada. I'm the H.R. Director and we hire Veterans whenever possible. Our Facilities Manager is an Air Force Veteran; our Surveillance and Safety Manager is a Viet Nam war Veteran, three of our Security Officers are Veterans -- the list goes on. I find that the discipline and organizational abilities that come with Veterans uniquely qualify them for managerial and detail-oriented jobs. I do think, however, that figuring out what field interests you should be your first step. Then, find the organization that needs someone in that capacity. This casino loves Vets. Perhaps there is one in Texas that does too? Good luck to you and thank you for your service!
Sincerely, Char

Tim Trautmann ⋅ Wylie , TX U.S. Navy, Petty Officer Second Class ⋅ 6 years served

Thank you all for the responses. My challenge is finding the hiring managers. I should have been more specific. Thus my inquiries to ACP advisors at targeted companies for their assistance in identifying them in specific departments for open opportunities. Once I have this information fairly skilled at self-selling and receiving responses.

Tim Trautmann ⋅ Wylie , TX U.S. Navy, Petty Officer Second Class ⋅ 6 years served

Thanks for the response. My queries have been for targeted positions that I am qualified for and have experience in. I figure after a month with no response its time to take another approach. Was hoping the Vets I contacted on this site would have responded either way and provided some direction and contact information.