When you think of the technology industry, IT jobs immediately come to mind. But this industry, like most industries, also has many non-IT fields in areas like contracting, construction, supply, logistics, human resources, manufacturing, etc.
One fact is that the tech industry likes to hire veterans. For example, David Cross, senior vice president of the software company Oracle, said in an article about Silicon Valley and hiring veterans: “Compared to non-veterans, veterans have the right mix of technical, operational, and analytical backgrounds and experiences. along with a high level of maturity, leadership, and following that most recent civilian college graduates do not possess.”
Chipmaker Intel also likes to hire veterans, and has selected veterans from a variety of military specialties, including infantry, finance, cybersecurity, and pilots… to name a few. Intel’s Director of Risk and Controls for Data Centers and AI commented on how they use the veterans they hire, “Approximately 80% of our veterans are in our manufacturing, supply chain and operations, and technology development organizations, which are the core of Intel’s business.”
In the technology sector, many of the companies hire veterans in part based on their “transferable skills” or soft skills, and after they train them for a specific position within their company. Soft skills include:
- Communication
- Organization
- Teamwork: lead and follow
- Confidence
- Adaptability
- conflict resolution
- Flexibility
- Leadership
- Problem resolution
- conflict resolution
- Creativity
- Work ethic
- Integrity
Prepare before you leave
As with most jobs these days, big tech companies suggest veterans identify what they want to do once they leave and prepare for that choice before separation. Between tuition assistance, tuition supplementation, GI bill, and given enough time, service members can usually meet the requirement of their chosen position even before leaving.
But it starts with having a path to follow well in advance of departure so they have time to meet the requirements of a work camp.
When applying for jobs
One area where veterans often fail is in their resume, which makes it too general. Resumes should be tailored to the position on the job, specifically linking relevant skills, soft and hard, along with training and experience relevant to the position.
When listing bulleted comments, be sure to quantify those comments as much as possible. For example, you can say “Responsible for the IT design of a command center” or “Designed the IT infrastructure for a $1 billion command center, which came in 4% under budget and 3 months ahead of schedule.” provided”.
It is important to provide a clear picture of your capabilities and achievements.
To be ready for the civilian workplace, service members must plan ahead. The Military Transition Assistance Program or TAP helps service members with certain aspects of preparing for employment after military service, but in most cases they are not advanced enough so that the person has time to prepare to enter the civilian market immediately after separation.