Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Workshop Participant Manual

280 Pages·2014·2.62 MB·English

by  Participant Guide

U.S. DOL
Employment
Workshop

Transition from
Military to Civilian
Workforce
Participant Guide
January 2014 edition
Table of Contents
PREREQUISITES 1
SECTION 1: TRANSITION PLANNING 2
1.1 Individual Transition Plan: Career Path Employment 3
1.2 Manage Change 4
1.3 Personal Assets 14
1.4 Update ITP 42
SECTION 2: CAREER EXPLORATION & VALIDATION 43
2.1 Research Industries, Occupations, Trends 44
2.2 Job Search Assistance Resources 46
2.3 Essential Tools 50
2.4 Target Employers 53
2.5 Update ITP 77
SECTION 3: JOB SEARCH PLAN 78
3.1 Set Goals 79
3.2 Schedule 83
3.3 Job Search and Networking Methods 84
3.4 Analyze Job Postings 93
3.5 Complete Application Forms 94
3.6 Update ITP 96
SECTION 4: BUILD AN EFFECTIVE RESUME 97
4.1 Understand the Resume Reader 99
4.2 Target Resumes and Master Electronic Resume 104
4.3 Sections of a Resume 117
4.4 Resume Types 141
4.5 Resume Formatting 144
4.6 Resume Review 147
4.7 Cover Letter 149
4.8 Salary History 154
4.9 Update ITP 154
SECTION 5: FEDERAL HIRING, FEDERAL RESUMES AND FEDERAL
PROGRAMS 155
5.1 Federal Hiring Reform 156
5.2 Job Classifications within the Federal Government 157
5.3 Competitive Service 159
5.4 Veterans’ Preference 159
5.5 Excepted Service 163
5.6 Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans 164
5.7 Veterans Employment Initiative 168
5.8 Finding Jobs 169
5.9 Understanding the Vacancy Announcement 171
5.10 Application Procedures 174
5.11 Federal Interviewing 181
5.12 Getting the Offer 182
SECTION 6: SKILLED INTERVIEW 183
6.1: Summary of the Hire Process 184
6.2 Types of Interviews 187
6.3 Interview Stages 189
6.4 Prepare for the Actual Interview 202
6.5 Follow-Up after the Interview 213
6.6 Update ITP 215
SECTION 7: INTERVIEW POST-ANALYSIS 216
7.1 Evaluate the Interview—Continuous Improvement 217
7.2 Evaluate Job Offers 222
7.3 Negotiate Job Offers 228
7.4 Communicate Your Decision to the Employer 233
7.5 Update ITP 237
APPENDIX A: INTERMEDIATE EXPERIENCE 238
APPENDIX B: ADVANCED EXPERIENCE 249
APPENDIX C: CURRICULUM VITAE 255
APPENDIX D: SAMPLE ACCOMPLISHMENT STATEMENTS 260
APPENDIX E: WORDSMITHING EXERCISE 265
APPENDIX F: LETTER OF EXPLANATION SAMPLE 266
APPENDIX G: MOCK INTERVIEW OBSERVER SHEET 267
APPENDIX H: GOLD CARD 269
APPENDIX I: DRAFT RESUME TEMPLATE 271
Prerequisites
If you haven’t met with your Preseparation counselor, you should schedule your
appointment and acquire these documents:
• Career Interest Inventory Assessment
• VMET (Verification of Military Experience and Training, DD Form 2586)
• Performance evaluations
• Military and college transcripts
If you have followed the design of the DOD TAP, you have met with a Preseparation
counselor and been familiarized with the Individualized Transition Plan form and the
various sections included within that form. You have also completed the Career Interest
Assessment tool and have discussed the results with your counselor.
You have attended the MOC (Military Occupational Codes) Crosswalk module, which
gave you a summary of how your current military experience can be translated into a
civilian occupation. You have your VMET, your performance evaluations, and your
military transcripts.
In addition to meeting with your Preseparation counselor and attending the MOC
Crosswalk, you have been briefed on your benefits from the VA and have created a 12-
month budget as an outcome of attending the Personal Finance for Transitioning Military
members.
If, due to various factors, including scheduling, you have not attended MOC Crosswalk,
Personal Finance for Transitioning Service members, or the VA Benefits briefing, you are
encouraged to get scheduled for these modules ASAP.
Bring the following to class:
• Career interest inventory assessment
• VMET
• Performance evaluations
• Military and college transcripts
• MOC Crosswalk results
• Laptop or notebook
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Preface: Create a Customized Employment Transition Plan
This manual is designed to share best practices for transitioning into the civilian
workforce. You will customize these best practices to create a plan as a vehicle to attain
your goals. You will take this information and create an ITP (Individual Transition Plan)
that works for you.
Section 1: Transition Planning
Objectives
Participants will be able to:
• Complete an Individual Transition Plan: Career Path Employment
• Manage Change
• Identify Personal Assets
• Create a Career Catalog
• Complete a Master Application
• Analyze Your Skills
• Complete the Transferable Skills Inventory
• Identify Personal Factors for a customized Job Search Plan
• Update ITP

*Career interest inventory is completed during the Preseparation Counseling phase; it is
accessed through eBenefits. Bring the results to class.

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1.1 Individual Transition Plan: Career Path Employment
Your Individual Transition Plan (ITP), for your career path as it relates to Section IV:
Career Path—Employment, will be completed by the end of this DOL Employment
Workshop. By planning, you will identify steps to reach, not only the DOD Career
Readiness Goals, but your customized goals for employment after transition.
Transition Quiz

Read each statement; indicate whether it is true
or false. True False
1. Given two qualified job applicants, employers will
usually hire a veteran over a nonveteran.
2. The same job you had in the service will pay up to
twice as much in private industry.
3. Military skills transfer to civilian jobs without
additional training.
4. Civilian employers believe that members of the
military do not deal with profit and loss.
5. Most employers have had enough military experience
to be able to understand military language.
6. Most employers are skilled at selecting new
employees.
7. You may have to overcome an employer’s negative
reaction to veterans in order to get a job.
8. Veterans must build a network of job contacts as part
of their job search.
9. Collecting unemployment compensation can hurt your
pride and self-respect.
10. After military service, you may have to take a lower
level job than someone of your age who has not been
in the service.
11. A good resume will get you a job.
12. There is really no way to prepare for job interviews
because they are all different.
13. In a job interview, you should always address the
interviewer as “sir” or “ma’am” just as you would do
in the military.

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1.2 Manage Change
Change and Stress
Change and uncertainty always produce stress. Although military life is full of assignment
changes and moves, there is some stability in knowing that you are employed, have a
support system, and a paycheck. However, leaving the military will probably bring about
the most change and uncertainty you have had to deal with in quite a while. You may need
to change many behaviors and to do that successfully it is recommended to have a system
that provides emotional support. Your best practice is to maintain a positive attitude and to
remain optimistic during your search for the right job—which is where planning and
support can assist you.
There are many different definitions and ideas about stress, but in practical terms, stress is
a mismatch between the demands in our lives, and the resources we have available to deal
with those demands.
Individuals can experience stress in both positive and negative circumstances. Positive
stress can help a person to concentrate, focus, or perform for a regulated timeframe.
Positive short-term stress is balanced by the expectation of benefit and the evaluation of
resources available to cope with the change.
Negative stress has been linked with many physical ailments; however, stress need not be
detrimental to your health. Although leaving the military can cause some internal
confusion of identity, loss of self-esteem and control, you can identify appropriate coping
mechanisms to use to mitigate the consequences of change. Since you may go through
several changes as your job search progresses, strengthening these skills is a best practice.

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