What I’ve Learned in My First Few Weeks:
(Veterans Opportunity to Work VOW ACT - In Lieu of DD214 for USAJobs.Gov for early applications during skillbridge and terminal leave: Example form at bottom of page)
1. FLAKY Connections: The hook-ups from friends and family, while well-intentioned, often don’t pan out. They mean well and give it their best shot, but there are just too many factors at play. They often find out the hard way that they didn’t have as much influence as they thought. Every one of these leads has fallen through because of…
2. TIMING: You want to know what’s more valuable than the skills you bring to the table? Timing. It doesn’t matter how good you are if there’s no opportunity to showcase it. Think about this: even Tom Brady was benched once. He sat there patiently, fully aware that he could be a game-changer on the field. He waited for his opportunity, and once it came, he never looked back. The key here is not to give up because you need…
3. FAITH: I have to remind myself that I am top-tier talent—I’ve worked my ass off to get here! I can’t lose faith in what I’m capable of. I must trust that something will open up and when it does, I’ll be ready. Panic will only set me back. Instead, I need to stay…
4. PROACTIVE: I was told I couldn’t apply for USA Jobs because I don’t have a DD214 and I’m still serving, which means I can’t be selected for a government job. I was crushed and worried. BUT, I did my due diligence and went to the civilian personnel office, where I discovered a waiver (kind of). It’s called the VOW Act form: “Veterans Opportunity to Work.” If signed by your commander, it serves as your DD214, allowing you to apply and be selected as long as the start date is at least on or after your terminal leave. I went through TAP (the service exit prep class) and never heard about this—not once! But because I was proactive, I found out. I almost threw myself a pity party and gave up, but I’m so glad I didn’t. You’ve got to be an absolute savage out there for yourself. Now, you know it exists too! And that’s what mentors do—speaking of mentors, they’ve taught me to…
5. REACH OUT: There’s nothing like talking things through and getting it off your chest, especially when the other person has been through it. Retiring from the military feels like entering a black hole. No one knows where you’ll land on the other side; all they can do is prepare you for the entrance. They can be your eyes and ears, and once they see how dedicated you are to finding a job, trust me, they’ll be on your side. The opportunities may not be perfect, but they’ll be dropping in your lap like crazy once your network is on the hunt. And in the end, having options is better than having none. This week alone, I’ve spoken with First Command, resilience teams, PA, outreach initiatives, and business development roles. I had to ask a lot of questions because there are jobs out there I didn’t even know existed. I’ve also had a lot of help with resumes because…
6. RESUMES ARE BRUTAL! I used to think a résumé was all-encompassing, but now I realize it has to be so specific to the job—it’s insane. For the Public Affairs role I’m eyeing, I had to take every assignment from my career and find a Public Affairs angle for it. It doesn’t matter if I was one of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year or earned other kudos; the résumé has to capture the job description to the MAX. I’m serious—it needs to read like this is the only thing you’ve ever done in your entire life. And guess what? If you want to apply for a resiliency position next, you can’t use that résumé you just spent two weeks perfecting. Time to start over! To save time, I’d suggest plugging your current résumé, past annual reports, and the job description of your choosing into a paid ChatGPT 4.0. That will at least save you hours of foundational writing to get started. Bonus points if you ask the AI how to outsmart the AI that might toss your résumé before anyone even sees it. The whole process can be extremely frustrating but you should…
7. NEVER BRING THE STRESS HOME: Real talk—I started to panic at one point and vented to my wife, which only made her panic too. Then our kids saw the discussion unfold, and they started worrying as well. The whole situation created nothing but internal chaos. Instead, revisit these initial lessons learned; they should help ease the anxiety enough to keep pushing through.
