Changing careers is never an easy transition, yet for military veterans, the challenges can be exponentially more difficult. According to the United States Census bureau, there are 19 million veterans in the United States, many of whom continue to struggle to find full-time work and assimilate to civilian life.

Pace University’s Director of Career Services Paula King shares her top 11 tips for veterans on the job hunt:

1. On your resume, use a profile section to clearly identify your military status and what skills you developed while you were enlisted.
2. Let the career services team at your college or university help translate military training and experience in your resume, making the connection between your service and your new career path.
3. Quantify military experience and achievements wherever possible. For example, let employers know the number of soldiers you supervised, or medals earned.
4. Develop a cover letter that introduces your veteran’s status to an organization, demonstrating your interest and experience as it relates to the position.
5. For federal jobs, your resume must follow a specific format and include a Veterans Preference.
6. Craft a carefully worded 30-second pitch to let recruiters know you are a veteran and why they should hire you.
7. Research employers in your industry that have veteran hiring initiatives or mentoring programs to create a target list.
8. Utilize LinkedIn as a tool for branding your veteran experience. Develop a profile that communicates clear transferable skills (e.g., critical thinking and leadership skills), collect recommendations from civilian and military references and join networking groups.
9. Schedule a mock interview with a career counselor on your campus so you can learn to effectively articulate your military experience and navigate potentially difficult questions.
10. Connect with other veterans through the Student Veteran Association and at on-campus events; build your networking skills and learn from each other’s experiences.
11. If your college or university offers them, attend on-campus employer spotlights and panels, road trips, and career fairs to network with employers on and off-campus.

Lifelong skills picked up serving in the military can pivot to a career path that can contribute in innumerable ways to companies looking for successful job candidates! Get connected with Career Services at Pace today.

Joshua Brachfeld is a 2L at Haub Law and so far he describes his experience at the law school as “amazing.” “The School has been extremely helpful in assisting me navigate my law school experience in the midst of a pandemic. All the faculty and staff I have worked with have been great. Everyone is willing to help. Notably, the Center for Career and Professional Development has been a huge help this last year in helping draft my resume and respond to any questions or concerns I had about internships and in providing useful advice for applications.”

Joshua spent this past summer as a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Andrew E. Krause in the Southern District of New York. He noted that “everyday was something new in Judge Krause’s chambers. Some of the most interesting legal work I did included writing bench memos for the Judge and listening to pretrial and settlement conferences. This experience was great as it exposed me to many different areas of law. I was also able to further develop my legal writing skills. I learned to better synthesize and analyze information, and also discuss that information in a persuasive way. My research skills were very much enhanced and overall, I gained a better understanding of the stages of a lawsuit.”

While at Pace, Joshua is pursuing a concentration in corporate law. “Upon graduation, I plan on practicing Corporate Law in New York. I have accepted a 2022 Summer Associate position at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. This experience will provide me the opportunity to work on corporate matters, such as M&A, Private Capital, or Executive Compensation.” Recently, Joshua completed participating in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Student Honors Program. This is a ten-week program for law students to become acquainted with the regulation of the securities markets.