The civilian world is upon you. Either through retirement or the desire for a new way of life, you’ve decided to leave your military service behind and move on to what you hope are greener pastures. Though every Veteran will encounter transition challenges, it IS possible to have a smooth military transition into civilian life. One way to ensure success is to prepare for your departure before you actually depart. By taking care of a few things beforehand, you’ll save yourself time, energy, and a whole lot of stress once you have that DD214 in hand.

As you make your way out of uniform, there are things you have to do (e.g. paperwork, briefings, classes, etc.) and then other things you should do. Here are three things you SHOULD do before leaving the military — preferably a year out.

1. Save Your Money
Yes, your military career came with stresses. It also came with incredible benefits that are hard to appreciate until they’re gone. One of those benefits was military discounts. As a civilian, things like medical care, rent, groceries, prescriptions, and even fuel are going to cost more than when you had access to military base pricing. To offset these costs, start saving money now. A good rule of thumb is to have enough money put away in savings to cover at least three months of living expenses, which includes rent, food, fuel, and other necessities.

2. Explore Your Educational Options
Do you plan on going back to school post separation? If so, educate yourself on what GI Bill benefits you’re entitled to. It’s also important to note that if you wish to transfer benefits to a spouse or other dependent, this has to be done before you leave the military. Don’t be in such a hurry to get out that you miss this extremely crucial step to receiving — or transferring — educational assistance.

Another educational option to consider is an apprenticeship program and/or professional certification course. GenM, a student-to-business matchmaking company, offers apprenticeships with vetted business owners to give students real-world educational training. As a Veteran with SAVI, you can take advantage of GenM’s programs and courses for free. Learn more here about how to take advantage of this partnership.

3. Prepare for Your Future Jobs
Well before you actually get out, you should be creating a plan for military separation. This entails searching for civilian jobs that either interest you or fit closest to your current skill set. To do this, find Veteran mentors to help you create a resume that translates your military experience into civilian speak. Build relationships with these Veterans as well as with professionals in careers you desire. One great way to grow your network and start looking for potential jobs is with a profile on LinkedIn, which offers military members a free premium account for a year. Join and engage with groups that interest you and follow companies you’d like to work for in the future. Check out our previous blog post on networking and growing Veteran connections.

Though far from a comprehensive list, these three items of business will make a huge difference in the success of your military-to-civilian transition. For more information on how to prepare for your departure out of the military, contact SAVI today.

Fixed or growth. These are the mindsets we hear about most frequently in the civilian business world. Having a fixed mindset means you believe your current level of ability cannot be changed, and having a growth mindset means your abilities can improve with hard work. Coming from a career that requires constant training and improving, it’s easy to see which of these stances the military stands on. Hint: It’s growth. By sticking with this Veteran mindset even after your military service, you can apply it to a new environment to aid you in growing your skill sets.

Here are six ways your Veteran mindset plays a role in your success post-separation.

Prepare and Practice
Most of your time spent in the military was in training courses that prepared you for the real thing: deployment. This same strategy should apply to your new life as a civilian. Do you have a big presentation at work coming up? Practice it the way you’d practice the assembly and disassembly of a weapon: over and over and over again. It’s all about confidence, and the more you do something the more confident you are in your ability.

Take Responsibility
When mistakes are made in the workplace, the best thing to do is admit them and take responsibility. Putting blame on others to save face isn’t how you gain respect from colleagues, even if the mistake wasn’t all your fault. As a Veteran, you know this lesson well. On the flip side of this, it’s just as important to not take all the credit when things go well. If you’re the leader on a collaborative project, give credit for its success to other team members. That IS how you gain respect from colleagues, which will make learning from them easier and more productive.

Show Adaptability
We could talk all day about how adaptable the military has made you in just about every aspect of life. Use this to your advantage. The civilian world is full of ambiguity and sometimes even rejection leads to new opportunities. If you hear “no” to a job, project, or business venture, find a new strategy instead of giving up. Persistence and a willingness to adapt to a different way of doing things is usually rewarded in the end.

Serve Others
There’s a reason it’s called military service, as service to others is the cornerstone of a military career. Though it may not seem as obvious as it did in the military, there are plenty of ways to continue serving your fellow man post-separation. Make coworkers feel appreciated through random acts of recognition or pay for a lunch out with a team member who works under you. In your personal life, volunteer in your community and become more involved in your loved ones’ lives. Service to others can take so many shapes, and finding your shapes can make a huge difference in your overall happiness after the military.

Be a Servant Leader
One of the most obvious skills military Veterans bring to the table is leadership. But there are so many experiences — from public speaking to leading troops — that make Vets experts in this area. One way Veterans can demonstrate their expertise in the civilian workplace is by being humble, patient, and honest. These qualities are required by any true servant leader, and that is the perfect way to sum up a military Veteran’s leadership style.

Have Attention to Detail
In the military, the mishap of glossing over minor details could sometimes be the difference between life and death. Though your civilian job will likely not have as much on the line, giving this same attention to detail will serve you well with any project you find yourself working on. Since success often comes from the effort of several small things that add up to a big one, taking extra time to do the little things correctly will set you on a much clearer and more successful career path.

As you begin your transition into civilian life, SAVI can help you translate skills and a Veteran mindset into real-world victories. Contact us today to get started on your success story.

As more business leaders become aware of the invaluable talent the military produces, many of them are looking for recruitment strategies geared directly toward the Veteran population. If you’re a company who values the skill sets often associated with senior military personnel, here are three effective ways to recruit and retain Veterans as you head into the spring quarter.

Go Where They Are
If you’re serious about hiring more qualified Veterans, find out where they are and put your efforts there. For example, there are countless Veteran-specific job fairs and conferences that bring thousands of Vets to a single place each year. This is a highly effective way to recruit and retain Veterans because the pool of candidates has already been vetted. Special recruiting and conference events bring out a very narrowed population, meaning most of the Vets you’ll meet are looking for professional career opportunities to apply their leadership and advanced skills toward. The more serious they are about the job hunt, the more serious you can expect them to be about your company once they get the job. It’s also important to familiarize yourself with online job boards used by Veterans. Yello has a great resource for finding Veteran-focused events and boards.

Sell Yourself
Veterans are mission-driven. They’re coming from a career with great purpose and are looking for that in the civilian world as well. As a company wanting to hire them, you have to sell your brand and vision. Language is your friend when it comes to marketing jobs to Vets. Positions that call for leadership skills, promote diverse teams, and encourage collaboration are enticing to Veterans. Make sure the recruiters you’re sending to Veteran-focused events, as mentioned above, are well-versed in your company’s vision and the purpose it serves.

Advertise You’re Hiring Vets
If hiring Veterans is your goal, talk about it everywhere you can. Your company website, social accounts, and marketing materials should all promote that you’re hiring Veterans. One important aspect of this is to make sure you’re using appropriate terminology to draw in Veteran applicants. Not all branches of the military use the same language, rankings, etc., so it’s wise to keep your ads general to the military as a whole. Walmart does a great job of promoting their commitment to supporting Vets in the workplace.

Of course, there are more than just three ways to successfully recruit and retain top military talent. SAVI’s expert career advisors and business partners are ready to guide you through a more extensive strategy to improve your military reach. Contact us today to learn more.

Service in any branch of the military comes with clear purpose and high reward. That’s why finding a career with meaning is a top priority for most Veterans entering the civilian workforce. With a little effort, life after military can be a rewarding one.

If you’re a Veteran, here’s how you can find purpose post-military.

Build and Leverage Your Veteran network
The Veteran network is vast and growing. It’s also a powerful tool when searching for your next career move. As we’ve discussed in a prior blog post, 85 percent of jobs are filled through networking. It would be a shame to miss out on your potential dream job because you failed to build professional relationships. Putting your initial energy into the Veteran network is the perfect place to start. To do this, we recommend becoming active on LinkedIn and attending Veteran-focused conferences to meet like-minded professionals. In addition, if you are a Vet thinking about starting your own business, check out our blog on 15 Veterans We Admire & What They’re Doing Post-Separation.

Educate Yourself on Options and Benefits
“Opportunities to apply their skills and abilities; adequate benefits and pay; and meaningfulness of the work.” According to a 2014 survey by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families and VetAdvisor, these are the top three factors that drive Vets to, or away, from a job. The answer to fulfilling these requirements is in the upfront work you do to learn about your career options and benefits. First, educate yourself on the GI Bill benefits you may be entitled to. Will it pay for you to go back to school? Then, begin narrowing down the various industries you’re interested in and learn as much as you can about each. This is also where your Veteran network will be extremely helpful. Find mentors in Vets who have gone before you to learn whether or not specific career paths are right for you and your family. If you don’t put the time into learning about your various options, then you likely won’t find the ideal employment match. Just like the military taught you: Plan, learn, execute.

Healthy Living
Though the job you hold post-separation is important, it isn’t everything. It’s arguably more vital to your overall happiness to pursue a healthy lifestyle. Healthy Veterans make choices and pursue healthy living habits that can reduce stress and anxiety during times of uncertainty. One way to do this is to prioritize your self-care routine, which could be as simple as a daily exercise regimen, getting outside, or regularly socializing with friends and family. Coming from a structured military lifestyle, it’s also good to establish routines early with the help of planners, goal setting, to-do lists, and daily meditation practice. And don’t forget to make connections within your family and community. Eat dinner as a family each evening or find a nonprofit to volunteer at together. In fact, research shows that people who stay connected or re-establish connections with loved ones tend to live longer, healthier lives.

SAVI is dedicated to making sure Veterans not only find purpose after the military, but excel at it. Contact us today to learn how we can support your post-separation dreams.

Though you’ve heard it before, it’s not what you know but who you know when looking for employment. The countless job sites inhabiting all corners of the Internet make it seem like cold applications are an acceptable form of job hunting, but they rarely end in even a call-back. In fact, 85 percent of jobs are filled through networking, meaning you need to know someone before you’re going to be taken seriously for most positions. Even our SAVI business partners agree that they’re more likely to hire candidates who come recommended by other employees.

If you’re a Veteran new to the job scene, here are three ways to grow your Veteran connections and build your personal brand through networking.

Online Networking
Much of what attracts employers to employees is determining whether or not they would make a good culture fit within their company. One way they do this is through the personal brand you’ve cultivated. And one of the first places they’ll look for that brand is on a little site called LinkedIn. Oh, you’ve heard of it? LinkedIn started in 2003 as a job search tool and has grown to become the largest online professional networking platform in the world. According to research, 50 percent of LinkedIn members have found a job through a mutual connection on the site, and 87 percent of recruiters use LinkedIn to evaluate candidates. So if you’re a Veteran entering into the civilian job market, networking via LinkedIn is a good place to start finding connections. LinkedIn is also military-friendly, as it offers military community members one year of free access to LinkedIn Premium and LinkedIn Learning. Go here to see if you’re eligible.

Veteran Networking Conferences
Despite the power of online networking resources, there isn’t anything that can replace a good old- fashioned, face-to-face meeting. That’s why networking conferences are another important aspect of getting your brand and name out there to potential employers. For Vets, it’s especially helpful to attend Veteran-exclusive conferences. Each of these events bring companies who are looking to hire Vets specifically. By just being a Veteran, you’ve already passed the first round. If you come with a solid personal brand intact, this is a great place for Vets to connect with business professionals who value candidates with military backgrounds and skill sets.

Connect and Build
Once you connect, whether online or off, the next step is to cultivate a relationship from that connection. Luckily for you, there’s a formula to building professional relationships and it’s pretty simple. First, reach out to that connection and set up a time for a quick informational interview. This is you showing you’re interested in the company and want to learn more. The key thing here is to NOT ask for a job. You’re simply showing interest and asking questions. Once you’ve had your meeting, send a thank you email and ask if there’s anyone else you can talk with to learn even more about the company’s culture. This is a great way to make sure the company knows you’re highly interested. Since most job openings aren’t advertised, this is also a technique to keep your name relevant if a position does become available. Put the time in and you may just reap the rewards.

SAVI works with businesses across various industries to offer relevant knowledge to Vets transitioning out of the military and into the civilian workforce. Contact us today to learn more about these business partners and how they’re serving the military community.