Ten Tips to Get the Job

by Deb Kloeppel, MSCCN (Military Spouse Corporate Career Network)

1. Ensure that your résumé truly reflects your skill sets.  Use a one-page résumé.  List the job you want in the first sentence of the cover letter.  Place your desire to work from home in the body of the résumé.

2. Ensure that you are truly job ready.  Recruiters are trained to weed out people who waffle.

3. Ensure that you can pass a criminal and credit check.

4. Ensure that you can pass a drug tap.

5. Ensure that you check the Internet for digital dirt surrounding your name if it is “Googled.”

6. Ensure that you have prepared your military family for your reentry or initial entry into the workforce.

7. Ensure that you don’t negotiate salary and work hours during any part of the interview process.  Wait until you become indispensable to the employer before negotiating terms of employment.

8. Ensure that you know the difference in interview processes between making a reentry into the corporate workforce (break in work cycle) and snagging a corporate job in your field of expertise (no break in work cycle).

9. Ensure that you have a surefire answer to the question:  “Do you move a lot?”  A surefire answer is this:  “On average, a civilian stays in a job two months less than a military wife.  I intend to remain a star producer when working for your organization by fully contributing to the mission of the project assigned to me.  I’ll become the go-to person.”  (Corporate recruiters love this sentiment.)

10. Ensure that you believe in your abilities and talents.  Recruiters are trained to know when you don’t.