This article is for my fellow Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans who are looking for a job, or friends and family who want to help them out and have three minutes to tune in.
By the end of this article, I am going to help each one of you land a job — the only thing you have to do is to accept the challenge of being who you already are.
I recently watched a film Amelia Earhart, it was called “Amelia.” I am not certain of it’s historical accuracy, but the only thing that really mattered was the beginning, and the end. I’m pretty sure those were accurate. In the beginning, Ameila states that she intends to fly around the world – the precise term is “circumnavigate the globe.” In the end, she dies trying.
That’s not what I am here to tell you – “keep going, or die trying” or some other unusable dribble.
What I am here to tell you is that Amelia was in the very last leg of her trek around the globe before she disappeared across the Pacific.
The very last leg. She was at the finish line, and then … nothing. Vanished. You made it this far, you have visited the devil’s sandy doorstep, and either came home with a picture of a gold-plated AK or a shrapnel riddled HMMWV (Humvee). You made it back, you are now in the last leg — don’t disappear.
See, for Amelia, it really can’t be said that she did not know how to fly — she was 90% of the way there — she checked that block. You also really can’t say that she didn’t know how to circumnavigate the globe; in essence, she did just that as it was a straight shot home from a small island in the Pacific to the coast of California – she checked that one as well.
What Amelia failed at, if you are to believe the film, was not tuning to the right frequency — not being able to hear the calls from control tower on that small island in the Pacific telling her to land, to get refueled, and then to fly home victorious.
You, just like Amelia, already have all the tools you need to succeed — you have had a military career that has made you an ideal candidate for a leadership position. You have certifications and training from here to Howland Island. You checked the box.
The only thing you need to do is to realize that this offer has already been made, you just couldn’t hear it. The only thing you need to do is to tune in, and get paid. Let me help you get tuned in.
Step One. Get your mind right – read a recent article by Dan Gomez on the ten lessons learned for every transitioning combat veteran.
Step Two. Get your information straight – visit www.turbotap.org , and use their new online career decision toolkit. Yeah, it takes a little while to get through, but it is time well spent.
Lastly, go to the Department of Labor, and visit their www.fedshirevets.gov site to find job positions, or call out JP Morgan Chase out on their assertion that they are hiring 1000 Veterans – why not you?
One special note for our combat wounded — if you are a disabled Veteran that is rated at over 30% from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or you suffer from PTSD or TBI, there may be a special hiring authority that qualifies you for a direct hire — no muss, no fuss.
Call any federal agency, and ask them if they have a hiring manager that focuses on hiring Veterans. Here is the DoD board – http://www.dodvets.com/job.asp
Did you know that?
Looking for a job after a tour (or four) in Iraq and Afghanistan can feel like you are trying to circumnavigate the globe — an endless flight across barren landscapes and oceans waiting to swallow you alive.
Help is out there my friends — remember how far you have gone and who you are. You are on the last leg. Tune in, don’t disappear.
I am an advocate for wounded warriors and their families.
thewarrioradvocate 