For the final part of my transition blog I will cover some misc items.

One item I did that I believe assisted me was that I came up with a portfolio for my job search. The portfolio had products I had produced during my time in the Army and how those products increased operational capacity. I also included information on the companies I applied to at the time. This allowed me to learn about the culture and how the company operates.

There are many sites, organizations and people that are helping Veterans. Sometimes it seems like there are too many and each one has their own agenda. Some are very good and some seem like they are in existence only for a tax write off. Each Veteran has to decide which one is best for them.

Eventually, you will receive a job offer. Be sure to do your research on what a fair and equitable compensation offer should be for you. As Veterans we are used to being told what we are going to be paid. In the business world you will have to learn to negotiate your compensation. Know what you are worth. You can use payscale, salary.com, the Department of Labor and many more sites for this. Remember, until you accept the offer, everything in negotiable.

You will hear that you should expect to take a position that is lower than your current one. Personally, I don’t believe we should have to do this. But the reality is that more likely than not you will end up accepting a position that is lower than what you believe you are qualified for now. I would say about 95% of the Veterans I know ended up accepting positions lower than they expected to take. But now they have a position and can continue to look for something better while in the current one.

I would now like to highlight some people who in my opinion are doing great things to assist Veterans.

Carl Berg – He is in charge of the U.S. Army Transitioning Group on LinkedIn.

Faaruwq Muhammad, PMP – On U.S. Army Transitioning he has provided a list of all websites for transitioning service members. This is a great list.

Patricia Frame – She provides a lot of great information and feedback. She tells the truth about the process and she does not sugarcoat anything.

Melissa Washington – Provides guidance to Veterans on various transitioning subjects. She is also an expert on LinkedIn.

Philip Dana - VP, Chief of People Ops, The Honor Foundation Transitioning Institute - Navy Special Warfare & SpecOps Forces (SOF). Phillip used to be the head of Talent Acquisition for Intuit. He is very passionate about helping Veterans having a successful transition.

You can connect with all of these people through my LinkedIn.

This will be my last blog that covers my transition. Like I said before if at least one person gained some value from these blogs then I will consider them a success.

I will continue to blog about HR, my current position, Tech, Startups, and other items of interest. If you found my blog to be of value to you, I ask that you subscribe.