How Do Veterans Find a Leadership Job After the Military?

Job-seeking veterans tell me they want generous salaries, solid benefits and a little slice of that work-from-home pie. Yet the dream job they yearn for most is a job in leadership after the military.

Sign up for our newest transition master class, Positioning for Power: Jobs in Management and Leadership for Veterans, on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 4 p.m. Eastern.

As the transition master coach for Military.com’s Veteran Employment Project, I hear about this longing for a leadership position from military members at every level, but especially from senior leaders — both officer and enlisted.

You talk about it during your transition. You talk about it even more three years after you leave the military. I see the words “leader,” “led” and “leadership” sprinkled like freckles all over your resumes.

Leadership Jobs Are the Hardest Ones to Find

I used to tell job seekers to stop mentioning the “L” word in interviews, because it alienates the interviewer. I would strike a line through all those “L” words and ask candidates to replace them with the hard skills you used on the job.

I don’t do that so much anymore. Now I stop and ask job seekers to tell me more about what you mean by a leadership role. When did you feel best on the job? Tell me about a time you felt that you were really called to lead. Then I know where to send you.

Because the secret to finding the right kind of leadership role for veterans is found in your definition of leadership, not in the Harvard Business Review or Fortune Magazine. The job is there for you if you know how to find it.

Leadership is a natural talent that calls young people to join the military. It is also the developed skill set that makes people stay for 10 or 20 or 30 years. No wonder top veteran employers want to hire former military members for their leadership skills.

How Veterans Find a Job in Leadership and Management

That is why I am so glad to be joining veteran Rob Wood from the School of Business at Western Governors University for our newest transition master class, Positioning for Power: Jobs in Management and Leadership for Veterans, on Nov. 21, 2024, at 4 p.m. Eastern.

In this 60-minute class, you will learn:

1. How to leave a military leadership role and envision your brilliant civilian future.
2. How to identify jobs most likely to provide the kind of leadership role you want most.
3. How to talk to civilian employers about leadership without alienating them.
4. How to make your first job in industry, government, education, information technology or health care grow into an industry role in leadership.

Natural leadership is not something that should be squandered, wasted or allowed to be tucked away unused. It takes skill to get your leadership abilities the platform they deserve. Sign up for our master class today.

The Next Step: Get Veteran Jobs Tips

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