Transition Advice

A Good Mentor Goes a Long Way

As January is National Mentoring Month, we thought it timely to address the importance of finding an industry mentor. A good mentor can be valuable not only in your transition and civilian job search, but they can also help you develop and advance your career into the future. A mentor can help you: navigate your job search and civilian career, learn what works and doesn’t work in your industry, increase your confidence and risk-taking, improve your competence in key areas, get more visibility, and expand your network and opportunities. It can be a valuable relationship for both the mentee and the mentor.

Careful preparation and personal soul searching should go into choosing a mentor and deciding on the goals of the relationship. Give careful thought as to what your needs are and who would be a good match for helping you with your goals. What goals? That’s an important part of the preparation -- reflecting on your hopes for the future. What’s your personal strategic plan, including your core values, SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)? What’s your action plan for the future?

As you identify your vision for the future, pinpoint what gaps exist between your vision and your current competencies. Make a list of people you think could help you close these gaps and build the career you envision. Consider your current and past supervisors as possible mentors, and keep in mind personality and charisma. Having a mentor who is a military veteran is recommended, as they’ve navigated the military-to-civilian transition, plus they may better understand your background.

Mentoring is a working relationship toward achieving your goals to get you from where you are now to where you want to be. Define a specific area for improvement, quantify an indicator of progress, set goals that are realistic and worthwhile, and establish a timeframe for accomplishing the goals.

Get tips on how to develop a trusting, mutually benefitial mentor/mentee relationship in this article: A Good Mentor: Don’t Leave the Military without It.

Upcoming Job Fairs

Corporate Gray Military-Friendly Job Fair * February 27, 2019 * Virginia Beach, VA
Come meet face-to face with top military-friendly companies on February 27th at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Some of the participating companies include: Lockheed Martin, Systems Technology Forum, MBP, Cleveland Brothers Equipment Company, and many more. Check the list often as more companies will be registering as it gets closer to the event. Job fair hours are 9 am to 12 noon with two free employment seminars from 8 am to 9 am. To ensure you receive the job fair Employer Directory in advance, pre-register at http://corporategray.com/jobfairs/404. And if you upload your resume to the Corporate Gray website, the participating companies will have early access to your credentials. While especially for transitioning service members and veterans, this job fair is free and open to all job seekers.

Corporate Gray Military-Friendly Job Fair * March 29, 2019 * Arlington, VA
Save the date to interview with dozens of military-friendly companies at the March 29th Corporate Gray Military-Friendly Job Fair at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia. Job fair hours are 9 am to 12 noon, with an Employer Panel discussion for job seekers starting at 8 am. To ensure you receive the job fair Employer Directory in advance, pre-register at http://corporategray.com/jobfairs/405. And if you upload your resume to the Corporate Gray website, the participating companies will have early access to your credentials. This job fair is free to all job seekers and is especially for transitioning service members and veterans of all ranks/ratings and branches of service.

TAOnline Virtual Career Fair * The Big Virtual * January/February 2019
The Big Virtual is a TAOnline Virtual Career Fair where U.S. veterans and security cleared professionals can connect online with military-friendly organizations. The event will take place from your computer in January/February (date TBD) from 11 am to 3 pm (ET). This event is for anyone seeking nationwide opportunities and is for all ranks and branches of service, including active duty, Reserve, National Guard, and individuals with a security clearance (including civilians). More information will be available soon.

Transition Assistance Partners

Free Resume Templates - Battlefield Resumes
Free federal resume template and civilian resume template downloads. Also, download our "Three Battlefield Tested Steps To Obtain The Highest Salary Possible" for free. In only 3 steps I will show you an easy strategy that will help you overcome the most common military-to-civilian transition problems: (1) Search for jobs based on salary; (2) Search for jobs that don't require you to translate your military experience but embrace your military experience; (3) Search for jobs that DON’T require you to start over but want you to continue to expand your military experience. https://battlefieldresumes.com

Services for NCOs
The Non Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA) was established in 1960 to enhance and maintain the quality of life for noncommissioned and petty officers in all branches of the Armed Forces, National Guard and Reserves. The Association is a leader in Veterans and Spouse Employment and is a strong voice on Capitol Hill and with the Veterans Administration. NCOA is proud to offer a wide range of benefits and services in education, healthcare, finance, and more, designed especially for current and former enlisted service members and their families. For information on benefits and to become a member, visit https://ncoausa.org. Join NCOA Today!

Getting ready to buy or sell your home? Tom Turner Homes is an affiliate of Keller Williams Realty, the largest Real Estate company in the U.S. Tom Turner can introduce you to a strong Realtor in almost every residential area in the country. Each Realtor will be an agent with prior military experience who understands the unique issues facing transitioning veterans. This service is FREE to all veterans – not just for your first move, but for all future moves. Send email to Tom.CG@TomTurnerHomes.com.

Featured Employers, Schools, and Service Providers

These companies have sponsored The Military-to-Civilian Transition Guide because they want to reach out to military-experienced candidates. They want to hear from you! Contact them about your next career move!

Defense

Lockheed Martin is one of the foremost systems engineering, software and systems integration companies in the world. They are seeking experienced Cyber Security Engineers, Intelligence Analyst Staff, RF Engineers and more. Visit www.lockheedmartinjobs.com/corpgray to learn more.

Equipment Dealership

Foley is a premier Caterpillar Dealership that serves the New Jersey, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Northern Delaware Regions. Foley’s divisions provide a diversified line of products, rentals and services to support our wide range of construction, power generation, industrial engine and marine customers. Please visit www.foleyinc.com/about-foley/careers to learn about our exciting employment opportunities, training, benefits and more.

Government

Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) is the Department of Defense (DoD) component that works directly with Defense suppliers to help ensure that DoD, Federal, and allied government supplies and services are delivered on time, at projected cost, and meet all performance requirements. DCMA directly contributes to the military readiness of the United States and its allies, and helps preserve the nation's freedom. Challenge Yourself. Join Team DCMA! www.dcma.mil/Careers

Government

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) mission is to license and regulate the Nation’s civilian use of radioactive materials to provide reasonable assurance of adequate protection of public health and safety, to promote the common defense and security, and to protect the environment. NRC hires engineers, scientists, security specialists, IT professionals, financial analysts, and others at all levels-from recent grads to senior leaders. Learn more at www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/employment.html

School

Cayce/Reilly School of Massage offers students a holistic learning environment in the growing field of massage therapy. Cayce/Reilly’s well-rounded curriculum prepares students for employment in massage careers in a medical setting, chiropractic center, spa, sports therapy, or alternative healing center. Students explore anatomy, pathology, and business while also focusing on holistic healing, service to others, and the body/mind/spirit connection. Visit www.caycereilly.edu to learn more.

Veterans Services

David Griswold & Associates, Inc. has helped thousands of military transition to civilian jobs for over 30 years. They partner with you to develop a career campaign strategy to put you in a new career. Their clients have recently accepted positions to include Boeing, Booz Allen, Deloitte, Ingersoll Rand, General Dynamics, GE, General Motors, MTSI, MITRE, Oracle, SAIC, Skanska, and Xerox. Visit www.dhwgriswold.com and send them your resume to DHWG@sbcglobal.net to see if they can assist you in your job search.

Hot Jobs & Opportunities

The following jobs and educational opportunities are being highlighted this month:

Alliance Consulting Group is seeking a Project Manager with professional engineering experience to supervise multi-disciplined projects in Alexandria, VA.
For more information and to apply, visit www.alliance.us.com/career/project-manager.

The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) is hiring Contract Specialists, Administrators, Engineers, and more in multiple locations. View their open positions here: www.usajobs.gov/Search/?a=DD63.
Challenge Yourself. Join Team DCMA! www.dcma.mil/Careers.

Foley Caterpillar is currently hiring for these positions in New Jersey and Pennsylvania:
• Technicians
• Service Administrators and Advisors
Search all their openings at www.foleyinc.com/careers.

Lockheed Martin has the following immediate openings:
• Software Engineer (453130BR) in Littleton, CO
• Cyber Defense Lead (455035BR) in Ft. Worth, TX
• Cyber Intelligence Analyst (457189BR) in Herndon, VA
• Cyber Architect (464076BR) in Annapolis Junction, MD
View all their career opportunities at www.lockheedmartinjobs.com/corpgray.

Lynch Consultants, LLC is a private consulting firm that provides Contract Advisory and Assistance Services (CAAS) to the Federal government. They are actively seeking highly motivated and talented Junior Military Officers (O-3) who thrive in collaborative, fast-paced environments to learn and grow one of their consulting practices: Resource Advisory, Risk Advisory, and Program Advisory. For more information about the firm visit www.lynchconsultants.com.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has many different career opportunities in multiple locations. View their open positions here: www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?a=NU00.
Learn more about NRC's careers at www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/employment.html.

Find more jobs on Corporate Gray Online by clicking Find Jobs in the menu bar. Type in your Keywords or search by Company Name.

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