Recent unemployment figures prove career transition still challenges post 9/11 veterans, with women veterans among the hardest hit. But career experts say those numbers improve when security cleared women veterans take command of the interview.
Despite the national push to hire more veterans, women with prior military service still find themselves coming up short when looking for civilian jobs. Security cleared women have an advantage when it comes to landing interviews. But even when their credentials and resumes are equal to those of their male counterparts, women more often walk away without a job offer.
THE INTERVIEW
“It’s really hard for employers and hiring managers to see across the fence when they’re talking to a female veteran,” said Marcea Weiss, author, “Leaving the Military”. A nine-year Army veteran and former Black Hawk Helicopter test pilot, Weiss knows well, how difficult interviews can be for women who’ve served in the military.
“If you piloted a Black Hawk, they want to know about that experience, not the training or the skills it took to do it, or the fact you held so many types of jobs in the military,” said Weiss.
She now partners with the Department of Veterans Affairs to help veterans map out a successful career transition plan. For women, she says the goal is to get employers to understand their talent and the value they bring to the job market by demonstrating it strategically.
“Taking control of the conversation has to be part of their strategy during the interview,” said Weiss. “Women veterans also find it hard to see across that fence and build rapport with hiring managers. They may have security clearances and years of military experience. But when a hiring manager seizes on a particular mission or experience, they’re not looking at the bigger picture. So women have to work harder to bring the hiring manager back to the heart of the interview and the actual job.”
Weiss explained that while employers are becoming increasingly military friendly, they can still find it hard to relate to women veterans. When that’s the case, women need to recognize this and take control of where the conversation is going by emphasizing words employers understand.
“They may not be able to look at you and see you in the role you held in the military, so you have to help them see you in the role for which you’re applying,” said Weiss. “They connect with words like, ‘problem solver’ and ‘leadership’ and ‘contingency planning.’ When you say you are skilled in contingency planning and explain specifically how you developed a strategic response to a situation, that carries weight. It shows your value. When you say you bring leadership, you have to explain you did more than follow orders. You also managed a team or resolved difficult problems and situations. Then they start looking at you in a different way and it makes it easier to connect you to the job.”
CONSIDER SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS
Weiss said that clearances and skills always count, but there’s an additional factor women need to consider.
“Employers are looking for people who not only can do the job but who are also culturally and socially a good fit,” she said. “This has to be conveyed by the ways in which you connect with the hiring manager. Women know how to connect and build relationships. But that can get lost in the effort it takes to focus only on skills. So your strategy has to be based on controlling the direction of the conversation, building a relationship and explaining your value. That’s when the offers come.”
