Chevron Archives - Marine Corps Times

A Recruiter’s Perspective on Hiring

migration — Tue, 22 Dec 2015 14:22:23 +0000

This story is presented by our sponsor Chevron. “Our team has the technology to take on big challenges, the integrity to do it responsibly and the drive to keep moving the world forward. Join the Challenge.” For more information, visit chevron.com.If you’re transitioning from military service into the private sector, you’re likely hitting that job search from multiple angles: online, job fairs, networking events, government resources and personal connections. Each of those resources has valuable information to help you prepare for a successful search. But ultimately, it’s the person in the position of hiring authority whose opinion counts the most.

Michele Gorun is one of those people. As global recruitment programs supervisor for Chevron, Gorun knows what it takes to land a position with an oil and gas corporation that spans the globe. From her perspective, veterans are an excellent match for her employer.

“We know and appreciate the commitment to safety, the leadership skills,” she said. “That’s what we look for.”

Chevron offers an internal network for veterans, Gorun said. Chevron also dedicates a section of their company website to helping veterans find employment and has an online military skills translator. This tool allows candidates to search specific military terms and job categories to find a similar civilian position. Job seekers can search based on branch of service, pay grade and job title to get an idea of what private sector positions may be a match for their skills.

The veterans’ network sis a way to bring the organization together with one common goal around a passion for military talent,” Gorun said.

With an employee base across the United States, there’s a wide range of divisions and specialties within Chevron, she said. Finding the right job really comes down to understanding what those positions are and why it’s right for you, she said.

“Our job descriptions really identify the skill set that’s needed,” she said. “I like to give people advice and encourage them to really review those descriptions. Make sure your background really correlates with what we’re looking for.”

Those descriptions will include required and preferred skills. Taking the time to craft a resume that clearly highlights how you meet all those criteria will catch a recruiter’s attention. If you’re applying for multiple jobs at Chevron, each resume you submit should be specific to that position, she said.

“Instead of having a resume that lists a (military) code and then some basic key points, really understand what the job is and talk to it in the resume,” she said. “For the role you’re looking at in Chevron, customize (the resume) to that role.”

Pinpointing the right terms and phrases to best describe why your skills match those required and preferred skills is the foundation of a strong resume, she said.

Cull key words from the job description, as well as the company’s website and other online platforms such as LinkedIn. These will be phrases and terms that are specific to the industry, the company and the job itself. You can also learn key words by attending military career fairs and discussing your background with military recruiters, Gorun said.

“You want to ensure you know key words that are a part of that description that you can identify and talk about in your last position,” Gorun said. “It’s a different mindset than looking at your resume. It’s really learning the job, knowing what you did to match that description and highlighting that.”

If you’ve honed your resume well enough to land an interview, Gorun recommends you research the person or people with whom you’ll be meeting. LinkedIn is a great resource for that. Profiles will likely list military connections or other common ground you may share with your interviewer, she said.

“Doing your homework is so key,” she said. “It’s so important to know what the business is doing, what projects are being pushed out and what you could be involved in.”

By learning more about the company, its culture and priorities, you may find that you’re well positioned for a rewarding second career with a corporation that shares your values and makes the most of your talents.

Photo Credits: Digital Vision, Getty Images

This story is presented by our sponsor Chevron. For more information, visit chevron.com.

©2015 Chevron Corporation. No U.S. military endorsement is implied.

New Horizons: One Veteran’s Transition from a Military Career

migration — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 14:06:14 +0000

This story is presented by our sponsor Chevron. “Bring your talent to a team with the technology to take on big challenges, the integrity to do it responsibly and the drive to keep moving the world forward. Join the Challenge.” For more information, visit chevron.com/careers.

When Clark Scharman reached his 13th year in the Navy, he faced the same choice many service members wrestle with: Push through to 20 years or take his retirement and venture out into the private sector. The nuclear-trained submarine officer looked to his wife and then five children he’d missed for a total of three-and-a-half years to reach his final decision.

“I wanted to see them grow up, quite honestly,” Scharman said. “I felt like at the 13-year point, I was still young enough to learn the profession and join another industry. I didn’t feel that moving on to command would be best for my family.”

About 18 months before he separated, Scharman started investigating the best civilian career options, consulting trusted advisors and working on his resume.

“My eyes were opened up to the energy industry from a few mentors who talked about the volatility of the defense industry,” he said.

Because the defense industry mirrors military activity – booms during times of conflict and downturns during peace – mentors told Scharman the energy industry was a more stable option.

“I felt it was a more secure place to go, and it was an industry where my background as a nuclear engineer was going to be very applicable,” he said.

He knew his military skills, his undergraduate engineering degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and his MBA were highly marketable, but selecting an industry was just the first step. Even knowing which companies or position he was interested in didn’t sufficiently focus his search, he said.

“That’s part of the responsibility of what you have when you’re preparing for the transition,” Scharman said. “It’s not just ‘Here’s what I can do.’ You have to know the job that you’re going after… You can’t just say, ‘I want to be a project manager,’ they’ll still look at you and say, ‘Doing what?'”

So Scharman approached his job search from multiple fronts. He made the most of DoD’s Transition Assistance Program, signed up with the military-focused headhunting agencies Corporate Gray and Lucas Group, and spent time online at USAJobs, LinkedIn and other job hunting sites. He gratefully accepted feedback on his resume, which he rewrote and finessed for months.

“I cast a very wide net,” he said. “I didn’t disregard any option when it came to finding a place to land.”

But it was a mentor who eventually led him to his second career with Chevron as an operational excellence engineer.

“We’d kept in touch,” Scharman said. “When this job came up, he said, ‘I know you’re from Houston, I know what you can do. This position is perfect for you.”

Even with the encouragement and personal connection, landing the job required Scharman to explain exactly how and why he fit the position in civilian terms. (Read “Beyond Military Skills Translation” for more on how to avoid military jargon)

“Knowing how to sell yourself is part of a big challenge,” he said. “I would try to use similar language and translate my experience out of the military lingo and translate into the business world.”

By the time Scharman accepted the offer, he’d been working on his job search for about 18 months. He started working full time for Chevron while he was still on terminal leave. He says based on conversations with other transitioned veterans, roughly half have jobs lined up by the time they leave.

“The early start (on the job search) is absolutely critical — as early as you can,” he said.

Scharman also encourages transitioning military members to be sure they fully understand all of their benefits as they leave the military for the private sector. He says because he didn’t know he could’ve gotten one more move for his family from the Navy, he “left money on the table” when he opted to have Chevron move his family to Houston from northern Virginia.

Now that he’s been in the private sector for almost two years, Scharman says he’s made some cultural and professional adjustments to acclimate to a corporate environment. Rather orders down from a chain of command, decisions tend to take longer because there are more parties to consult.

“We (the military) develop very outspoken, very assertive people when it comes to decision-making,” Scharman said. “In the civilian world, you have to co-op other decision makers and use those soft personal skills to communicate and bring everyone together. There’s a whole lot more communication going on.”

Rather than being focused solely on accomplishing a mission, corporations must factor in financial issues.

“The military is not in the business of making money,” he said. “If the sub breaks, you’re getting the money to fix the sub. Everything in this job, you have to develop a business case to do it. What pays our bills is increasing value for the company.”

Now that he and his family are back in Scharman’s hometown of Houston and expecting their sixth child, he says he really appreciates the differences and the time at home. The work-life balance, the operational tempo, the higher pay and the culture of Chevron are all factors in a highly satisfying second career, he said.

“I can get 100 percent on day one behind what Chevron stands for because it was very in line with the values I’d developed in the submarine force,” he said. “They have their priorities straight with how they treat their people, how they conduct their operations and that fell right in line with the Navy. It was aligned with what I’d developed and was looking for in a company.”

Photo Credits: Digital Vision, Getty Images

This story is presented by our sponsor Chevron. For more information, visit chevron.com.

©2015 Chevron Corporation. No U.S. military endorsement is implied.

Beyond Military Skills Translation

migration — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 14:16:25 +0000

PCS, TDY, OPSEC, COP, SECCLER — the military is chock full of acronyms that make sense to people in uniform but leave civilians scratching their heads. Much like British vs. American English, it can sometimes feel like you’re separated from the rest of the nation by a common language.

For a transitioning service member ready to launch a second career in the private sector, you’ve got to speak the language to get hired.

“You have to start thinking and speaking like a civilian if you want to be hired by one,” said Janet Farley, military spouse and career coach. Farley is author of “Quick Military Transition Guide: Seven Steps to Landing a Civilian Job” as well as other career guides for service members and spouses.

For Thom Besch, an Army colonel who recently transitioned to the energy sector, being aware of subtle conversation cues was key.

“You’ve got to be conscious of those acronyms,” he said. “You need to read people you’re communicating with. If they’re giving you a bewildered look, rephrase it.”

Part of effective communication in the civilian world includes adding context to conversations so you forge solid connections, Besch said.

“(Veterans) have a tendency to downplay their skills,” he said. “Just saying, ‘I was in logistics,’ doesn’t tell the story. They need to be prepared to share a story or an explanation or description that anyone can relate to.”

Choice of words is critical, said Michele Gorun, global recruitment programs supervisor for Chevron. Be sure you’re familiar with phrases and terms that a potential employer used in job descriptions, then use those terms in resumes and interviews. If you’re unsure how your military experience translates, Chevron offers a military skills translator as part of the section of their website that’s dedicated to veterans.

“That helps candidates translate what they did and decide if a position potentially could be something they’re interested in,” she said.

Besch says jargon wasn’t a significant hurdle in his job search process, thanks in part to the support he received from DoD’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP). TAP offers classes and counseling on a wide range of transition issues that helped Besch make the move to the private sector.

Farley acknowledges it can be a challenge to revert back to pre-military speech patterns after a lengthy career in uniform.

“It can be even more problematic switching to business English, a strange new world where ‘missions’ are ‘projects’ and ‘subordinates’ are your ‘colleagues’,” she said. “Still, if you’re going to succeed in your career post-uniform, you’ve got to adapt and overcome or learn new skills, as you might say in non-military parlance.”

To do that, Farley recommends a step that will serve you well throughout your career change: find a successfully transitioned veteran in the field you’re pursuing who’s willing to mentor you. This is someone who can review your speech patterns and search your resume for jargon as well as give personal perspective on what it takes to make the change to the private sector.

“There’s lots of opportunities to do that (find a mentor and network),” Besch said. “There are military organizations and church organizations and people who are motivated to help vets. But you’ve got to let them know you’re looking.”

Besch made sure his parents’ friends, other transitioned military members and other connections in his hometown knew he was looking for work in the private sector. The more people who know you’re searching for work, the more likely you are to find an opportunity or a personal connection to mentor you through the process, he said.

“They have to put it out on the street (that they’re looking for a job),” Besch said.

Such connections can open all kinds of professional doors for you, point you to tools, organizations and resources specific to your area of expertise and give you candid feedback to improve your chances of landing a job.

“You get bonus points doing this because not only are you giving a fellow veteran the opportunity to mentor an up-and-coming civilian, but this is also subtle networking in action,” Farley said.

You can also hit the internet to find sites that help you translate job skills and other transition issues. CareerOneStop, a website from the U.S. Department of Labor, offers a military-to-civilian occupation translator. Stars and Stripes’ Veteran Job Center also hosts a MOS to civilian occupations translator. O*Net Online also has a MOS crosswalk search.

Farley and Gorun recommend you spend some time on LinkedIn reading the profiles of people who hold jobs you’re interested in or work for companies you think you’d like to join. Check those profiles for military ties and send invitations to connect, Gorun said.

You can learn words and phrases from job ads on major employment boards like Glassdoor, Monster, CareerBuilder and Indeed.com.

“Read their skill set line by line and see if it doesn’t sound familiar in meaning if not semantically to you,” she said. “This can be a painful drill for you, literally word by word, but it’s an important one for you to do. Make flashcards if you must.”

Really understanding the position you’re applying for is critical, Gorun said. If you understand what that job entails, you can explain in civilian terms how and why you fit the position.

“Just being able to demonstrate that you understand that job – ‘… I did that in military and I did it out on a platform in the middle of the Gulf,'” she said. “It may be a military title, and that’s fine, but you want to talk in terms of what you did relating to the role itself you’re applying for.”

For more on making the transition, read this commentary and Farley’s article, Military to Civilian Translations.

Photo Credits: Digital Vision, Getty Images

This story is presented by our sponsor Chevron. For more information, visit chevron.com.

©2015 Chevron Corporation. No U.S. military endorsement is implied.

Resume Writing 101 for the Energy Sector

migration — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 14:16:57 +0000

When you’re applying for a civilian position in the energy sector, the right resume is your ticket through the door. The wrong one will slam that door shut. Length, format and word choices are different for a civilian-targeted job than the military CV you’ve likely compiled over the course of your time in uniform.

A well-crafted resume that incorporates the terms of the industry you’re targeting to succinctly describe how your skills fulfill a company’s needs will catch the eye of a recruiter. It’s a snapshot of why you should be selected from the larger applicant pool for further consideration. But it shouldn’t be a highly-detailed play-by-play of your career. Too much information will overwhelm that recruiter and land your resume in the “circular file.”

“Don’t make the mistake of handing off your federal resume to a civilian employer in ANY industry,” said Janet Farley, career coach, military spouse and author of Quick Military Transition Guide: Seven Steps to Landing a Civilian Job. “The federal resume is a glorified job application that gets into too much detail for private industry.”

For younger veterans with less professional experience, one to one-and-a-half pages will likely be sufficient length to hit relevant points. As a general rule, Farley recommends two to three pages at the most, preferably two for mid-career and higher-level transitioning veterans entering the private sector. Cut out content such as employers’ addresses, supervisor contact information, salary, military schools, laundry lists of awards that don’t relate to the skills you’re showcasing and your hiring eligibility. Simple, straightforward chronological order is your best bet, she said.

Write your resume not just for the industry you’re pursuing, but even down to the specific job. If you’re applying for multiple jobs with the same company, each of those resumes should be tailored to the language and requirements of each specific job description, said Michele Gorun, global recruitment programs supervisor for Chevron.

“My suggestion is to really take the time and customize it,” Gorun said. “You’re not changing what you’ve done, you’re highlighting skills so that it shines a little bit more. Your summary is a little bit stronger as it relates to that discipline.”

Carefully read the job description and tailor your resume to show how your skills fit that description. This can help you cut down on content and specifically target the position you’re applying for.

“You’ll need to really tighten that up by getting rid of a big part of it and focusing instead on what you have that is relevant to what the employer wants,” Farley said.

Thom Besch, a retired Army colonel who recently transitioned to a second career in the energy sector, agreed.

“It’s not easy, trying to be concise but also descriptive,” he said.

Besch relied on a trusted network of friends and the DoD’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to help him through resume revisions. That feedback helped him craft a resume geared toward the energy sector that eventually landed him his first job out of uniform.

“I had lots of people look at it,” he said. “I got comments from lots of people I trusted. I sent it out to friends that had already made that transition or to the TAP counselor.”

Resumes that use appropriate key words and show a clear connection between the skills of a candidate and the job requirements stand out, Gorun said.

“It’s a great competitive edge, to help you stand out a little bit,” she said. “I always give advice for transitioning military to really do their homework and understand the skillset and the jobs.”

As you’re condensing those skills, be sure you use clear civilian terms rather than military jargon (Read more vocab tips here).

“Avoid using the military language you know and love,” Farley said. “Instead, use the language of the energy industry. If you don’t know what that is, you have to find out what it is and relate your skills to it.”

If you’re not sure how to get started, you can find resume templates online at sites like ResumeGenius, LiveCareer and Instant Resume Templates. Look online at job postings in your industry to identify key words that will catch the right recruiter’s attention.

Stick with key words, but avoid buzz words, Gorun said. Key words are the ones that very specifically describe skills and achievements, such as “cyber security” or “IT analyst work.” Buzz words are vague, unquantifiable and cliché, like “team player” or “good with people.”

Farley recommends that in addition to culling job descriptions and ads for key words, you also go through the company’s website to get a sense of how they communicate and describe themselves. If you see the same words over and over again, work those words into your resume in ways that show you match the company’s values and culture.

“Read over the jobs they offer that are posted and isolate words that may work in your resume for the job you want,” she said.

Employee profiles on LinkedIn can give you valuable insight on terms to use and talents to highlight. You can also google industry terms for lists like the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s online glossary. Some private energy companies have similar lists, Farley said.

Another good potential resource is a military-focused headhunter. Typically they don’t charge job seekers; they get paid by companies soliciting new hires. Ask other recently transitioned veterans for recommendations on which ones to work with.

“The reputable ones can act as a true liaison between the worlds,” Farley said.

Once again, LinkedIn is another good source of potential contacts. Check employee profiles from companies you’re interested in to see if there are any veterans you can offer to connect with, Gorun said. You can also join military-specific networking sites like RallyPoint, which was designed in part to help service members find jobs in the private sector.

Some corporations even have sections of their websites dedicated to transitioning service members, like Chevron’s U.S. Military Veterans page. So search specific company sites with terms like “veteran,” “transitioning military” or “service members.”

Besch also recommends you turn back to that network of friends and mentors, particularly those in the industry you’re breaking into. Given the tight-knit nature of the military community, you may very well have a potential mentor in your circle of friends who is happy to point you in the right direction.

“You’ve got to network, which is hard to do if you haven’t been there,” Besch said. “If you’re coming back from Alaska or (Fort) Bragg, then you’ve got to establish that network quickly. You can’t be shy … that’s how it works in the outside word certainly. You have to bring something to the table.”

Photo Credits: Digital Vision, Getty Images

This story is presented by our sponsor Chevron. For more information, visit chevron.com.

©2015 Chevron Corporation. No U.S. military endorsement is implied.

Ace Your Interview

migration — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 14:14:30 +0000

This story is presented by our sponsor Chevron. “Bring your talent to a team with the technology to take on big challenges, the integrity to do it responsibly and the drive to keep moving the world forward. Join the Challenge.” For more information, visit chevron.com/careers.

Congratulations – your job application caught the eye of the recruiter and you’ve been invited to interview. If you’re pursuing a job in the civilian sector, particularly if this is your first foray outside of the military, we’ve got tips to help you stand out and make the cut.

“If you’ve made it to the interview stage of a job search, then you’re doing something right,” said Janet Farley, career coach, military spouse and author. “That’s the good news here. The bad news, on the other hand, is that there is a high potential to tank the interview if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

Study Up

To prep yourself, do some research, Farley said. If you know people who already work there, particularly if they’re also transitioned veterans, find out about their experience there. Start your online exploration on the company website to get an idea of how the company projects itself, but also search for news articles and other posts from outside the company to get a sense of its profitability, reputation, long-term viability and competition. Reuters and Bloomberg are good sources for business news. Job sites such as Glassdoor, Indeed and Vault offer valuable resources such as company reviews by employees, as well as interview reviews written by previous job candidates. LinkedIn, the professional social networking site, is another resource.

Those sites with employee reviews may give you some insight into how formal the atmosphere is. Before you head in to shake hands, be sure you know how to dress the part.

“The last thing you want to do is show up for the interview wearing casual attire when everyone else you see there is wearing a business suit,” Farley said. “The reverse of that example could also prove awkward. Instead, do your homework ahead of time. Know the expected dress code before you show face lest you are remembered for the wrong reasons.”

At Chevron the level of formality and interview process varies greatly depending on what kind of position you’re applying for, said Michele Gorun, global recruitment programs supervisor. Some positions will land you in a room with other applicants for a group experience, others will require a suit and tie in the board room. Regardless of the setting, you want to be ready to prove your worth, she said.

“You want to go in, be professional, be knowledgeable, have some information with you that you’re aware of Chevron’s value, mission statement and the role you’re applying for,” Gorun said. “That’s consistent all around.”

Interview Etiquette

For most service members, being on time means showing up 15 minutes early, Farley said. Five to 10 minutes is appropriate in civilian circles.

Expectations in the private sector differ from those in the ranks; this is a different professional culture than the military. It’s often a less formal setting than what you find in uniform. Farley describes it as a meaningful conversation between two interested parties where there is a useful exchange of information. Locking eyes, formal address and monosyllabic responses are the respectful norms when dealing with higher ups in your chain of command, but it may be a bit intimidating for a more casual encounter in a corporate setting.

“These may be desirable interview behaviors for sitting center stage in a promotion board, but in a post-uniform job interview, you’ll need to soften your body language and communicate verbally using your civilian words,” Farley said.

Find ways to make connections between the dots of any potential disconnect with employers who aren’t familiar with the way the military works. You’ll need to clearly explain how your past experiences have prepared you for the requirements for the open position you’re pursuing.

“You never have a second chance to make a first impression, so doing a little bit of homework and research prior to that interview, that will set you ahead,” Gorun said.

Unlike a review board, that information won’t necessarily be obvious to your civilian interviewer.

“Even just trying to show an employer that you are trying to fit in can go a long ways,” Farley said. “You should do your homework ahead of time to prevent miscommunication from happening during the interview.”

That means spending some prep time translating the job description to specific examples of how your military career gave you the experience you need for the job you’re applying for. If a job description lists “identification of pursuit of cost-reduction opportunities,” give specific examples you managed to save money in your military career, Farley said. A phrase like “ensure transactional efficiency of contracts” basically means you confirmed paperwork was correct and you carried out the terms it entailed. Even if you didn’t specifically work with contracts, cite examples of how you accomplished similar tasks.

“Employers, particularly those who are not familiar with the military’s way of doing business and expressing how they do business, look for the words they understand,” Farley said. “Providing those words will be up to you.”

Speak Their Language

While acronyms and jargon are the foundation of military speak, they often sound like a foreign language to people in the private sector. Drop “Hooah” and “Roger, that,” for “of course I can do that.” Rather telling your interviewer you wrote OP orders for the battalion commander, tell him or her you wrote strategic business plans for senior management that detailed the organization’s overall mission and outlined its future goals, Farley said. (For more on speaking “civilian,” read Beyond Military Skills Translation)

Above all else, be sure you clearly communicate why you’d be the best fit for the open position and what you bring to the company. Explain how your skills and experience will benefit your potential employer, why you fit in to the company culture and give specific examples of how you can contribute.

“You can do this,” Farley said. “Be patient and work your job search efforts consistently. You have marketable skills and qualifications. If you take the time to carefully connect the dots between what the military taught you and what the civilian work force needs, you will be offered a decent job in time.”

So with the right preparation, you’ll be ready to sell yourself with confidence and honesty.

“At the end of the day, it’s about representing yourself and being professional and being focused on the task at hand and understanding the organization and being prepared,” Gorun said.

Photo Credits: Digital Vision, Getty Images

This story is presented by our sponsor Chevron. For more information, visit chevron.com.

©2015 Chevron Corporation. No U.S. military endorsement is implied.

Refining Career Skills

migration — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 17:02:41 +0000

This story is presented by our sponsor Chevron. “Bring your talent to a team with the technology to take on big challenges, the integrity to do it responsibly and the drive to keep moving the world forward. Join the Challenge.” For more information, visit chevron.com/careers.

The years you’ve spent in uniform were part job, part education and a healthy dose of adventure. As you transition out of the armed forces, the integrity, ingenuity, adaptability, problem-solving and management skills you’ve honed over the course of your first career have laid a solid foundation for a second in the energy industry.

“The energy sector is a great place for transitioning service members with the right skill set to launch their post-uniform careers,” said Janet Farley, career consultant, military spouse and author.

For the right person with the right skills and mindset, the energy sector offers a new range of professional prospects in a field of cutting-edge technology and global impact.

“There’s a lot of transitioning military personnel that had a specific skills set — nuclear engineer, subsea engineer — and while they do not do Navy nuclear engineering work, the analytical side (of their experience) gets applied to our business, the training, the due diligence behind the background of that, it fits in our organization and people just thrive,” said Michele Gorun, global recruitment programs supervisor for Chevron.

Transitioning service members with leadership experience in project management and technical expertise in engineering are attractive to energy sector employers, Farley said. Above and beyond their professional skills, people who’ve spent most of their adult life in uniform have a perspective that often sets them apart from the general population, Farley said.

“Veterans have the qualities that many employers (in the energy sector) seek,” Farley said via email. “They are generally not afraid to make timely decisions using the information available to them and they are used to working in less than ideal circumstances. Veterans are also flexible and able to readily adapt to changing work environments.”

Farley cited the example of a project manager or field tech who might have a rotating schedule on an off-shore oil rig far from family members for months at a time.

“Not everyone is cut out for this,” she said. “Veterans, however, …can adapt and overcome more easily than others.”

Gorun said the military and Chevron share professional ethics that make potential military hires particularly attractive.

“At Chevron in general in terms of our corporate culture and who fits in well with our organization, one of our core values is safety,” she said. “We find that in military talent, someone who’s delivering results, someone who can work effectively and efficiently under pressure.”

Chevron’s U.S. Military Veterans section of its website offers videos, articles and other information specifically to help transitioning service members learn more about whether they might be a good fit for the company. There are links to open positions and a military skills translator.

“Look for companies that are hiring military talent, Chevron being one of them,” Gorun said. “We’re passionate about it, we showcase that and we have a site to make that even easier.”

To find the best fit for your MOS, there’s a variety of online tools that allow you to search your military job and see how it translates to the civilian sector, such as O*Net Online, Farley said.

“The MOS Crosswalks are good starting points, but veteran jobseekers need to do more research,” she said. “Service members contemplating a military to civilian transition into a particular career field, such as the energy industry, could also start learning the lingo of it by talking with other veterans who have already successfully transitioned before them.” (Read more vocabulary tips here.)

To zero in on the best opportunities for you, Farley suggests you start with a little research to find the companies that best fit your skill set then connect with their reps at job fairs. Look to join job groups on LinkedIn such as Power/Energy Sector Professionals, Energy Sector Recruitment Network and Energy Sector – Management & Leadership or attend virtual career fairs via sites such as Veteranrecruiting.com and Careereco.com to get an idea of what positions might work for you. Military job placement services are also effective at vetting both candidates and potential employers, Farley said.

You can start general with some of the top job search sites like Indeed.com, CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com to get an idea of what’s open and where. Spend some time on specific company sites to see whose hiring and how your skills match up with open positions. For sites specific to transitioning military, take a look at Bradley-Morris Inc., Lucas Group and Orion International. On these recruiting sites, you can create profiles, upload resumes, search jobs and find events like job fairs or consultant visits on base or near you.

“This approach can be meaningful for both the veteran and the employer as an effective placement service can uniquely assist each side in better understanding the skill set of the other, acting as a translator and essentially minimizing the military to civilian language barrier,” she said.

Military-specific job events and programs such as Hiring Our Heroes are also great tools for learning more about launching your new career, Gorun said. She also strongly encourages applicants to make the most of LinkedIn.

“I’m noticing the veteran community is really growing on that network,” Gorun said. “People should be highlighting their background and joining groups that connect and help network. Nowadays it’s becoming the keys to the kingdom to help you get into other industries or specific companies.”

Photo Credits: Digital Vision, Getty Images

This story is presented by our sponsor Chevron. For more information, visit chevron.com.

©2015 Chevron Corporation. No U.S. military endorsement is implied.