After being referred to LinkedIn, I quickly realized it’s not how qualified you are, it’s who you know. With that said, I think that if we want to change how policy is being implemented in our government, we should do everything in our power to change it. Those of us that can afford to run for government offices SHOULD. Kick out the established idiots running our government. I find that most of them are disconnected with how our society functions.

For those of us who don’t have the bankroll to run for offices, I say be like Lisa Rosser. If we gripe enough to the government, eventually they will here us. You all remember how griping works, we’re all vets here.

I did serve in the Navy submarine service with pride, but after leaving in 2006 and seeing the trends our government is on, my support of this country is fading.

- A scorned submariner

Alas, that expectation is a pipedream. My only desire thoughout my Navy career was to transition into civilian government service whenever I decided to leave active duty. I wanted to continue to serve my country until the day I retire. Now, I just feel scorned, like some rejected lover, instead of a stalwart citizen of the greatest nation on Earth.

How can the government justify giving me the equivalent training of a BS in EE as an enlisted sailor and entrusting me with the safety of a nuclear submarine, then pay for a BS in Astronomy & Astrophysics at a top-notch institution, stick me in a scientific field as an officer, place me in a role where my responsibilities are international liaison and lead customer service rep with operational commands and scientific agencies… only to turn around and tell me I’m not qualified to work in an office building in DC as an “information receptionist”?! The only difference between me now and then, is that I am no longer wearing the khaki uniform to work every day. Same skill sets, same personality (albeit more jaded now, I’ll grant you that), same desire, and possibly even more motivation than before. I challenge President Obama and any hiring official to tell all the the vets out there who are disenfranchised, how it is we suddenly become worthless to the government the second we remove our service uniform. And then, tell us how we can expect anything but the same treatment from the private sector… because if the federal government isn’t willing to hire us, what kind of message does that send to the business owner who knows nothing about the military and its people?

The suggestion about creating a pipeline to transition desiring service members directly into government jobs is an excellent one, and an idea that I’ve had in the back of my own mind for about 10 years. We all realize that we can’t jump directly into civilian-equivalent positions of leadership straight from the service without learning the ropes at a lower level. We’re just asking for the opportunity to work our way up the ladder like we did in the military, and a chance to demonstrate why vets are a cut-above the rest of the applicant pool! Besides, in this day-and-age of trying to do more with less, doesn’t it just make good business sense to continue to earn interest on the investment that the government made [by training us in the military] through retaining us for a second career? Call it, “Professional Recycling”, since green words are the buzzwords these days.

Best of luck to all my fellow vets looking for a second chance to serve our country.

- A Very Scorned Patriot

Key changes required:

1. VETs need to be at the top of the pile. They are not today.
2. Professional Resumes that cost $100s of $$s hit all of the key search points so many VETS are never considered.
3. Hiring Symposiums need to be held in key states and only VETs can attend.
4. The HR system is a good ole boy network and not based on qualifications.

I had a long and witty response extolling this blog entry … and everyone’s responses (so far) to it over on LinkedIn.com … but LI errored out when I tried to enter the comment. I am a 20-year IT-professional/veteran that moved away from the South Texas Military Intelligence community to be with my family (many in ill health) near the USSTRATCOM/Offutt AFB community in Nebraska (near Omaha) … I retired in early 2008 and have been down the long trail of dissapointment via USAJobs, Monster, CareerLink, and many other sites as well as local placement agencies … all trying to get me into a position where I could continue doing the type of high-quality work I was doing at the Texas Cryptologic Center. It *does* still seem to be WHO you know, not WHAT you know … at least in this area! Long story short, the Transition Assistance Program I was part of in early 2008 has FAILED me and my family, mostly due to poor advice on my resume; A Navy officer that previously worked at USSTRATCOM told me that the “NSA-approved” resume that I left Texas with had been “dumbed down” so much that I was coming across as nothing more than a mid-level NCO in charge of “office administration,” and not the IT Project Manager/Program Manager my military colleagues knew/know me as!

Your efforts have given me hope … Keep up the good work! (I hope that Mr. Collins … and ultimately, the President … take heed of the need for ACTUALLY hiring veterans … before it is too late for some of us!
[... THAT would be an "unprecedented" act for THIS group of government officials!] Until I get solid, steady work my family’s future is definitely “ON HOLD.”) … As more and more of us *do* get our “foot in the door” it *may* get back to ‘the way it was’ immediately after WWII, when so many that had previously served in the military went on to places of power –in BOTH government & business– … Any future business/endeavor *I* am a part of WILL (WILL, WILL, WILL!!!) require that my HR personnel get trained to hire veterans!
… until then, I remain firmly in the camp of:

“The Skorned Sceptics”

-Jeff Brehm … some knew me as “Dolph”
… FUNemployed & HATING IT (yes, that’s spelled with an “F!”)

As a recently transitioned veteran, I struggled with the resume conversion. I t made me feel as though my military service was substandard and unappreciated. I began to feel like a minority in the “Jim Crow” South trying to “pass” and hoping not to get caught (though never changing or exaggerating my accomplishments just trying to use civilian descriptors). It was the first time as a veteran I really felt like a second class citizen. Why when I am defending my country and its government should I have to convert a title like “Company Commander” to “Team Manager” using a description like “managed and coordinated a group of 250 employees…” when I want to say “Lead a Company of over 250 hard charging Marines through 6 months of combat operations in Al Anbar Province…” The frustration and humiliation is all that much greater when the conversion is done to seek a job in the same government who employed me for over 16 years to defend it. In a new age of cultural sensitivity and awareness, where is the awareness and sensitivity for the “military culture”?

Instead of all those damn yellow ribbon magnets on civilian cars and all the empty and uncomfortable “thank you for your service” comments, how about taking a few minutes to actually show your appreciation by learning something about military culture and careers. My experience has made me a firm believer in the FUBU (For Us By Us) concept among veterans; in veterans hiring and/or looking out for other veterans as the only guarantee of success in today’s job market for veterans.

I am also an HR professional in the civilian world and know full well if I were to conduct my recruiting processes in that manner I would be fired!

Thanks again, I only hope someone is listening.

Jon Vance, MSgt, USAF (Ret)

Oh and by the way, USA Jobs I think is mainly a marketing tool as I doubt most of those jobs exist.