Las Vegas will hold Military Career Expo at Golden Nugget

Members of the military have, during their years of service, worked harder and been held to more rigorous standards than many private-sector employees can even imagine. But because the structure of military life is so different than that of the civilian world, that work may not appear as though it translates into skills that can be used in the private sector.

There are several programs that returning members of the military can take advantage of during the transition, and, for many, these career guidance tools have led to lucrative, rewarding jobs.

Veterans will have an opportunity Tuesday to improve their chances for getting hired by attending the Military Career Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Golden Nugget, 129 Fremont St. Employment specialists at the expo will offer tips to job applicants on what to bring to interviews, how to polish resumes with cover letters that work, and how to "dress to impress," according to a news release from Military.com. Participants can register for the expo at www.military.com/career-expo/2012-las-vegas-career-fair/.

HELP AVAILABLE

The Transition Assistance Program, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor and administered through the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, requires veterans to take part in programs that help them reintegrate into civilian society.

It is similar to the assistance that a graduating college student would get from his or her career center. According to Roy Brown, veterans’ program coordinator for the state of Nevada, veterans get help on every aspect of job hunting, from honing in on the right career paths to practicing face-to-face interviews. The first step, which many returning military members struggle with, is figuring out how their military positions translate into job skills in the private sector.

"Let’s say we have someone who was in infantry – they’re the grunts, the guys who face the danger every day," Brown said. "They think they didn’t do anything, but there are a lot of associated skill sets, like communication skills and computer skills. They know leadership and how to work with people, or maybe they’ve maintained documents and spreadsheets or helped with the publications the military sends out."

Anthony Roeback, employment coordinator and vocational rehab counselor at the Department of Veteran Affairs, said though he was a career counselor during his time in the military, he found the idea of translating that to a private-sector job daunting.

"If you’re in artillery, there aren’t many cannons you can fire in the private sector, but you have skills such as leadership and you can see where they might translate," Roeback said. Or, he noted, there may be a director correlation: A business analyst in the private sector and an operations sergeant in the military do similar jobs but are simply referred to using different titles.

After veterans determine the job skills they have, it’s on to the job hunt.

"When someone looks for a job, the best way to do it is to network, and that’s what our veteran representatives who are employed by the Department of Labor help him or her do," Brown said.

Participants in the program learn how to fill out a job application, how to send a follow-up note after an interview and even participate in a mock interview so they know what to expect.

"It helps the veteran re-acclimate to the way civilians conduct themselves during interviews, rather than ‘Yes, sir,’ ‘No, sir,’ " Brown said.

RENEWING CONFIDENCE

Michelle Saunders, chief program and policy adviser for Hire Heroes USA, a nonprofit that hosts career opportunity days, said part of the transition process for veterans revolves around restoring their confidence in their own abilities.

"Oftentimes they undersell themselves because they’re already reluctant and it’s very scary for them to go through that transition," she said. "They’re a population that’s so used to taking care of everybody else that they’re afraid to ask for help."

Another challenge for veterans is committing to the job search, when serving in the military and returning home already has been emotionally and physically taxing.

"What happens when a lot of people come out of the military, if they’ve been deployed overseas or out in combat, they want to come back and relax, but the job market is such that people come back and have to start immediately looking for work," Brown said.

His advice for veterans is to treat their search as an 8-to-5 job, when human resources managers are in their offices, rather than applying for that one perfect job and doing nothing until they hear back – especially considering they may never hear a peep.

And for those who do the legwork, there are many opportunities to network outside of the traditional online application process, many geared specifically toward veterans. Hire Heroes’ career opportunity days give veterans the first chance to come through and get a crack at open positions. Saunders said that in Las Vegas, many food and beverage industry employers recruit at their fairs.

ASSISTING DISABLED VETS

There are also resources for disabled veterans, who may struggle even more with finding employment in the civilian sector. The Vocation Rehabilitation Employment Program helps those with a disability rating of more than 10 percent, meaning the veteran incurred some type of disorder or physical disability during his or her service.

Like other transition programs, Roeback said one of the main goals is helping veterans understand their job readiness skills and find a career niche suited to their expertise. There’s an opportunity for "nonpaid work experience," a program that allows a veteran to volunteer to get experience working in a federal job and receive a stipend for living expenses.

Roeback said the program has one of the highest rehab rates in the state; he sees 10 or more people per month find jobs.

As he put it: "Our veterans are going to work."