Career Clarity for Military to Civilian Transitioners

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This week’s show is special because we are digging deeper into the military to civilian career transition experience. Kevin Kermes was a lieutenant in the Army and worked as a headhunter for ten years before founding All Things Career. Clarity is essential for your job search. Kevin’s advice and story is paramount to understanding why. I want to thank our mutual friend Michelle Lederman for introducing us and suggesting him as a potential guest.

I would love to hear about your military to civilian transition if this show resonates with you:

Call and leave a voicemail or text me at 708-365-9822
Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message
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Kevin founded All Things Career in 2008. He has also founded the sites Career Attraction,Every Veteran Hired, and CareerMeh. They have been featured in major sites such as Forbes, CareerBuilder, and the Wall Street Journal.

Here are a few highlights from our discussion:

Kevin shares about his transition from military to civilian experience
Transition back to civilian life is on going. There are “landmines” on the road to finding work that you love
Kevin and many other military veterans are”…crystal clear about what they are moving away from but not what you’re moving towards.”
“It’s a little bit of a calibration process…because something doesn’t work doesn’t mean that you’ve failed.”
Working with a headhunter only presented opportunities available through them, not the whole career landscape
Before getting out beef up your civilian network to gather wider job market intelligence
Going back to school is not always the answer
The cultural shift is huge and thinking everyone has the same background as yours is a major adjustment
Finding what you are looking for in a culture is important, perhaps even longevity. Working with a team with the same goals and objectives
Your military unit and its value is difficult to find in a company
Finding purpose is a journey, takes sorting out beyond salary
In finding your purpose and work you love, Kevin suggests you go back to people you’ve worked with and ask, “What did I do to make your life easier?”
Listen to how you made people feel

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About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.