Each year nearly 250,000 servicemembers and their families leave the
military. While a few (10 percent) go into full-time retirement, most
expect to work for at least another 10, 20, or 30 years. So, what kind
of employment decisions will they make? Where will they live? When and
where will they retire? Faced with numerous forks in the road, most
transitioning military want to make smart re-careering, relocation, and
retirement decisions. They welcome useful advice. Like a good friend,
Military-to-Civilian Success for Veterans and Their Families is designed
to help anyone achieve transition success in the less structured and
more chaotic civilian world. It forces readers to address one of the
most important questions about their future: "What do you want to do
with the rest of your life?" The answers hopefully involve more than
just making money or acquiring more depreciating "stuff." Successfully
managing this process begins with changing one's mindset about meaning
and purpose in life. Ideally, one should find work that confirms what so
many other people in transition have discovered: "If you pursue your
passion, you'll be happy and healthy for the rest of your life!" When it
comes time to re-career, don't just focus on jobs that look interesting
or pay well. Instead, explore those that directly relate to one's
motivated abilities, skills, and values. This book shows how one can
make that happen and thus direct one's focus toward those things that
are the most important to them. Representing a greatly expanded version
of the author's 4.5+ million copy Military-to-Civilian Transition Guide
(annually distributed to all transitioning military), this book is
filled with timeless tips for launching a successful transition into the
civilian world. It also addresses important relocation, retirement, and
benefit issues. Its 19 chapters cover the new world of work,
transferable skills, best jobs, top 100 employers, attitudes, skills,
goals, applications, resumes, letters, dress, online job search, job
fairs, networking, interviews, salary, job offers, career advancement,
overcoming setbacks, and much more. Special features include: - 150
military-friendly and best employers- 103 compensation elements for
negotiating salaries- 47 tough interview questions you should be
prepared to answer- 40 myths and realities of the job search process- 40
employment trends- 25 job-keeping and advancement strategies- 20
principles for job search success- 19 sample resumes- 14 things you need
to know before starting a business- 11 samples letters and focus pieces-
7 sequential job search steps you must follow The book also includes
numerous self-assessment tests and exercises, a realistic planning and
implementation time line, job search contract, weekly performance
reports, advice on relocation, tips on starting a business, questions
about retirement, and useful military transition resources.