Do prestigious employers really value military service?

turtlerock
Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:37:31 +0000

KamelAkbar:

Enlisting (not being an officer) in the military is far from being something overachievers do, so does having been enlisted peg you as an underachiever? Honestly, I was an underachiever before I joined the military (and most of my peers were too, so the stereotype is justified in many cases). The military changed my life for the better.

If it is an issue, would it be dishonest to simply start my resume at college and never mention it?

Unfortunately, the exact problem is the stereotype. The enlisted one that is. IME when employers see military experience from the range of dates of 2001-present they may be flashed with images of Vietnam vets returning home which is often farthest from the truth of those returning home. I would say that nearly 100% of those I served closest with were underachievers in HS, but by the time they left service were anything but. Most private employers don’t recognize that type of transformation that the military provides to people.

Fortunately there are many more networks out there today than there were in the Vietnam days to help veterans with a transition, though more can always be done. Many private companies these days are partnering with the VA or other veteran programs to hire veterans and working to break down that “currently military = gun + possible PTSD” stigma and the branches themselves are investing time in making ways to have your military exp directly translate to civilian equivalents. It’s interesting to note that today’s Congress has the lowest held seat % of veterans than any time in the nation’s history.

Without much prior work exp before enlistment however, it would make it hard to apply for jobs that require certain years exp without listing the years provided by that military service, plus they will most likely question you about the gap of time between your HS graduation and your college years. Of course this is after they’ve looked at the resume and offered the interview at least, but of course I don’t think you should lie about it all together.

You could try something like leaving if off the resume (assuming you wouldn’t need it for the position in which you are applying) and then letting them know about it in an interview if it comes up. By seeing you in person and then learning about your vet status I think it would help to break down any stereotypes they had before they met you since they never connect that to you before they had physically met you. If they ask why you would leave something like that off of your resume you can say something to the effect of “While the military helped to develop myself as a person through an outstanding work ethic, team cohesiveness, and overall commitment to tasks at hand and those around me, I didn’t feel it added any direct technical skills that this position required. I feel that those personal growth points have already been adequately reflected in my academic achievements (4.0) and in the other things that I have been involved with since my separation.”

So to answer your question directly, no it would not be dishonest to not disclose it if you feel it may be an issue with a specific employer, but you should be prepared to talk about it if it’s brought up in subsequent stages of the job selection process since it would be hard to hide entirely.