Operation Career Readiness
The MISSION: Turn what you have learned during your time at WKU into a viable career.
If you are a past/current/future Hilltopper you know the transition from military service to college life was not an easy one. Now that you are or getting close to graduation, another transition is on the horizon… the transition to civilian employment. It is our hope that this will be a resource to help you navigate this transition.
As an active duty or veteran student, you are entering the work force with a variety of transferable skills that employers from various industries are seeking. Let us help you be successful at whatever career path you have chosen.
Check out these resources to get started.
| ACCORDION-ID | 0 |
| ACCORDION-ICONS | STYLE-2 |
| ACCORDION-COLLAPSIBLE | TRUE |
| ACCORDION-ACTIVE | FALSE |
| ACCORDION-HEIGHTSTYLE | CONTENT |
|
Resume, Interview, and Other Information |
You entered the military as a civilian and left a veteran. Now to help you transition back to civilian life the first step is to spend some time developing or updating your resume. Your resume offers you a chance to market your skills, abilities, accomplishments and experience. A good resume defines your qualifications as a job candidate and provides the hiring manager with a favorable first impression of you. You'll explore information about the four different types of interviews and how to prepare for each. Get tips on dressing for success and how to put your best self forward during networking opportunities. Let's get started.
The following Quick Reference Cards provide additional information to support your job search and should be utilized in tandem with the above education materials: |
|
Local and WKU Career Services Available |
Barren River Area Career Centers (area office of Kentucky Career Centers) Contact: Donald "Mac" McGlothlin, phone: 270-746-7265 or email: Donald.mcglothlin@ky.gov Employers and employees now have access to a wide variety of important services designed to help meet their challenges all under one roof at the Barren River Area Career Centers. Through the centers, our clients have direct access to resources about everything from jobs to specialized assistance and training programs designed to improve lives, improve production and retention, and develop a world-class qualified/trained workforce.
KEEP VETS: Kentucky Employment and Educational Partnership for Veterans KEEP VETS promotes the Commonwealth of Kentucky's commitment to its military and veteran communities by providing opportunities through collaborative efforts of member educational institutions and employers.
The Advising and Career Development Center Our office is in the Downing Student Union, Room 2001 (across from Diddle Arena). Perhaps you need a resume review, or interview tips, come on by! If determined that more time is needed we will gladly schedule you an appointment with a career counselor for additional help! Practice Interviews |
|
Federal Career Services Available |
The American Legion: Veterans Employment & Education Division The Veterans Employment & Education Division is responsible for ensuring that U.S. veterans have the opportunity to provide, with honor and dignity, the economic necessities of life for themselves and their families. Contact us for guidance, technical assistance and troubleshooting, because we are experts in programs involving veterans education, small business, employment, veterans preference, VA home loans, homeless veterans, training, licensing and certification, transition, USERRA, and other issues related to economics.
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) ESGR has served our country for more than 40 years, fostering a culture in which all employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the United States. These citizen warriors could not defend and protect us at home and abroad without the continued promise of meaningful civilian employment for themselves and their families. ESGR has continued to adapt to meet the needs of Reserve Component members, their families and America’s employers by joining forces with a network of other national, state and local government and professional trade organizations as together, We All Serve!
Are you looking for a job, or a career? If you're looking for a career, you're in the right place. Helmets to Hardhats connects quality men and women from the Armed Forces into promising building and construction careers.
H2H has transitioned its online capabilities to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Employment Center (VEC) (https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs). This transition supports the White House Joining Forces initiatives to combine Federal efforts to hire veterans under one web portal and strengthens inter-agency collaboration among the VA, Department of Defense and Department of Labor. Our H2H Employment Coordinators will continue to provide quality career readiness assistance to Reserve Component Service members preparing for the next civilian career. Each State, Territory and the District of Columbia has an H2H Employment Coordinator assigned who can assist with VEC enrollment and local employment resources.
Heroes Get Hired: How to use your Military Experience to Master the Interview In Heroes Get Hired: How to Use Your Military Experience to Master the Interview, author Michelle Tillis Lederman addresses the particular issues, questions, fears, and mental roadblocks that you as a veteran may encounter as you re-enter the civilian workforce, and how you can overcome these challenges to acquire the skills you need to excel at the interview process. Featuring contributions from IAVA and MSCCN, this free book sheds light on the specific strengths and competitive advantages that you as a veteran bring to the civilian workforce, and how you can make sure to communicate these qualities to a recruiter or potential employer. Heroes Get Hired is published and available free-of-charge thanks to the generous support of Citi.
"Transforming Military Service into Civilian Success” Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, – with offices in Torrance and San Diego, CA; Auburn, WA; Colorado Springs, CO; Plano, TX; and Raleigh, NC – Hire Heroes USA has built a national reputation of excellence for helping veterans find jobs: now at the rate of more than 60 veterans confirmed hired every week. Thanks to the tax free contributions of generous donors and funders, our services are provided at no cost to the transitioning service member, veteran or spouse. Our team of former military and business professionals effectively trains veterans in the skills of self-marketing, then supports their career search until they find good jobs with great companies. The hallmark of our program is a personal approach where each veteran receives dedicated assistance from a highly-trained staff member in order to help the veteran overcome barriers to employment. Signature services also include group workshops and connecting the job seeker with veteran-friendly companies and employment opportunities through the Hire Heroes USA Job Board.
We are a non-profit organization for veterans operated and founded by veterans. Our goal is to capture each transitioning veteran ideally within one year prior to their discharge to Train, Mentor and Coach them in job placement. The motivation behind this effort is to create a National approach to reduce Veteran unemployment that will allow employers an overall talent acquisition and retention strategy by making veterans a part of their workforce. We offer industry best practices and theory to meet current and future hiring and retention needs through the employment of Veterans. Hire Our Heroes stands ready to assist veterans looking for a new career or employers who are eager to hire skilled professionals!
We believe that human capital is the most valuable resource and that job seekers are much more than their resumes. As a result, we delve deep into each candidate's story and bring military efficiency to civilian job search. We focus on matching the right talent with the right opportunities so everyone wins. Founded in late 2011, Hirepurpose is developed by veterans for veterans and we are committed to addressing some of the incredible gaps that exist in the transition from military service to civilian career success.
A program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, launched in March 2011 as a nationwide initiative to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find meaningful employment opportunities. Working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s vast network of state and local chambers and strategic partners from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, our goal is to create a movement across America in hundreds of communities where veterans and military families return every day. To date, more than 27,200 veterans and military spouses have obtained jobs through Hiring Our Heroes events. More than 2,000 companies of all sizes have committed to hire 707,000 veterans and military spouses as part of the Hiring 500,000 Heroes campaign. Of those commitments, there have been more than 500,000 confirmed hires.
Troops to Teachers is a U.S. Department of Education and Department of Defense program that helps eligible military personnel begin a new career as teachers in public schools where their skills, knowledge and experience are most needed.
The Federal Government’s official one-stop source for federal jobs and employment information.
Our aim is to help employers, managers and supervisors, human resource professionals, and employee assistance program (EAP) providers relate to and support their employees who are Veterans and members of the Reserve and National Guard. In this toolkit, you can learn about Veterans and the military, such as what Veterans
bring to the workplace and
Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) This program is provided by the U.S. Department of Labor. We prepare America's veterans, service members and their spouses, for meaningful careers, provide them with employment resources and expertise, protect their employment rights and promote their employment opportunities.
From our website you can learn more about accessing employment-related services for veterans. You'll also find resources to help you:
|
|
Companies with Military Hiring Programs |
(*)Companies with tuition assistance and/or reimbursement programs. For more information, check with each company about their specific program and qualifications.
ADP, LLC (*)
Aerotek (*)
AETNA (*)
AlliedBarton Security Services
Archer Daniels Midland Company (*)
Bank of America (*)
Camber (*)
CSX Corporation (*)
Deloitte (*)
Disney (*)
Engility Corp (*)
FINRA: Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber (*)
Hilton Worldwide (*)
The Home Depot (*)
Hormel Foods (*)
Humana Inc. (*)
Intuit (*)
K2Group (*)
LG&E KU (*)
Eli Lilly and Company, Lilly USA, LLC
Lockheed Martin Corporation (*)
Macy's INC (*)
McDonalds (*)
Merck (*)
MetLife (*)
NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Norfolk Southern Corporation (*)
Northrop Grumman (*)
PNC Bank (*)
Raytheon Company (*)
Ricoh (*)
Schneider (*)
Shell (*)
Starbucks Coffee (*)
TEKsystems (*)
TVA: Tennessee Valley Authority (*)
Toyota Motor Manufacturing, KY, Inc.
UPS (*)
USAA (*)
US Bank (*)
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Verizon Communications Inc. (*)
Waste Management (*)
Wells Fargo (*)
(*)Companies with tuition assistance and/or reimbursement programs. For more information, check with each company about their specific program and qualifications. |
Some of the links on this page may require additional software to view.