CAREER RESOURCES FOR MILITARY, VETERANS, AND DEPENDENT STUDENTS
One of the responsibilities of the Office of Veteran and Military Services at SUNY New Paltz is to make our Veterans, services members, and their dependents aware of the key resources available to them as they pursue their career goals. Military, Veteran, and Dependents (spouse or child) students who enroll at SUNY New Paltz gain access to the Career Resource Center. Offering employment services to connect military, veteran and dependent students to promising employment, SUNY New Paltz’s career counselors are here to assist you.
WEB RESOURCES
CAREER PLANNING
Even though you had a position in the military, it does not mean that is your career path. The following you may want to consider:
- You want to ensure you are in the right major to pursue your career goals. If you are having trouble identifying your major or career goals, come to the CRC and schedule an appointment to meet with a career counselor;
- Determine how your military skills relate to a civilian position. Take note of your skills obtained in your military career that apply to the civilian workplace. From there, identify the expertise, skills and core values that you have gained that translate to a civilian position;
- Find civilian job titles by reading G.I. Jobs magazine and researching Military Friendly® Employers to understand the skills, experience, and education needed for positions.
CAREER EXPLORATION
CAREER SEARCH
Civilian employers may have challenges understanding military terms and situations if they do not have military experience. This does not mean you have to leave out your valuable experience—you just need to de-militarize your resume and cover letter. If you are having trouble building your resume or cover letter, SUNY New Paltz provides resume and cover letter critiquing during the academic year to ensure you are ready for your chosen career path. Here are some tips for veterans coming off active duty:
- Your military experience is an asset and should be emphasized on your resume;
- If you have security clearance, highlight that in your resume. Some employers will specifically look for security clearance;
- Use civilian key words when creating your resume/ cover letter by avoiding military jargon, abbreviations, and acronyms;
- Qualifications, experiences, and accomplishments should be used to show that you have successfully applied your skills to achieve a task;
- Unique qualities such as: teamwork and leadership, communication skills, and ability to work under pressure should be featured in your resume.
These resources provide an in-depth summary report of job responsibilities as an active service member, in “civilian” terms, by providing your MOC, MOS, Rate or AFSP. This will enable you to easily translate your military experiences onto your “civilian” resume.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Schedule an appointment to meet with one of our career counselors. Some of the services we provide to you include:
- Career fairs with Military Friendly® Employers: SUNY New Paltz holds a career fair every semester with a variety of employers looking for veteran and active service member students;
- Help with interviewing skills by performing mock interviews; Schedule a mock interview with the CRC.
- Resume and cover letter critiquing by one of our career counselors;
- Handouts and sample resumes tailored to majors to help you explore your career goals;
- Handshake: An online database for volunteer, internship, and full-time career opportunities.
- Careershift: CareerShift offers the most comprehensive online resource, designed to support the # 1 request of job seekers: an easy to use web site to conduct and organize their job search. For more information and how to access the system please visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/careers/jobsearch.html.
We encourage you to take advantage of the many resources we offer to help you transition from military to civilian life. Do not hesitate to stop by the Career Resource Center or contact us to make an appointment.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
MILITARY FRIENDLY® EMPLOYERS
Veteran Career Fair Survey
