July 1st– The #NumberOfTheDay is 8
8% of American adult have served in the U.S. military. Often veterans have a very difficult time finding employment even though their skill sets, and work ethic will rival anyone. Preparing a successful military-to-civilian résumé is crucial.
Here are a few tips to help:
- Lose the alphabet soup, acronyms are great in the service, but most non-military hiring managers have no idea what EPR, UTC, or AOR stands for
- Translate military jargon into civilian language – again remember your audience
- Take your occupational specialty and achievements, and align it with the civilian job market
- Include special skills; foreign languages, computer skills, security clearance, or other technical specialties that help set you apart
- Stick to 2 pages
July 2nd– The #NumberOfTheDay is 84
According to SHRM, 84% of organizations using social media for recruitment and another 9% are planning to start to use it.
What does this mean for you? Social media can be a great way to connect with companies, learn about their latest news and job openings, and interact with key stakeholders. While LinkedIn is a fantastic source, don’t ignore Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and others. Most organizations have company pages and post jobs regularly.
If you use those platforms, make sure your profile is free from anything that could be deemed controversial – obscene language, inappropriate photos, bad-mouthing coworkers or employers, discriminatory comments, or confidential information.
July 5th– The #NumberOfTheDay is 250
When employers fill open positions, they usually look to internal candidates first, followed by referral candidates next, and only if they do not find someone will they post the position publicly. If you wait around searching job boards all day, you are missing out on 75% of available jobs.
Now consider that according to Glassdoor, the average job opening attracts 250 résumés. Assuming the employer meets with the top 5 candidates, your chance of landing an interview is a paltry 2%.
Instead of wasting your time scouring job boards waiting for the perfect position to be posted, spent your time targeting specific companies and building your network in those organizations. Your chance of landing a position as a referred candidate is significantly greater than trying to get through an ATS and hoping you’ll be one of the 2%
