The Foreign Service is Hiring Vets

After retiring from the USAF I was looking for a new career that would pay well, offer job security, and offer me the chance to travel as much as I did in the military. I found it with the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service.

The Foreign Service is a division of the U.S. State Department that is responsible for American foreign policy and operation of our Embassies and Consulates abroad at more than 260 locations worldwide.

My wife and I joined the Foreign Service and have been traveling around the world ever since. It’s the perfect fit for anyone who wants to serve their country and wants to travel around the world.

The Embassy is the work center for Foreign Service personnel, as well as many other Federal employees ranging from the FBI, DEA and Department of Agriculture to the DoD and many other agencies. But the bulk of the work at most Embassies is handled by Foreign Service Officers (FSO) and Foreign Service Specialists (FSS) who, together, make up the Diplomatic Corps.

Both my wife and I applied to be Diplomatic Office Managers, and our military experience helped a great deal on the competitive entry process. We choose this field as it offered the most variety of work environments -- and did not require any additional entry requirements than what I received in the military. 

I am now working in the office of Diplomatic Security while my wife is the Ambassador’s head office manager and executive assistant. We’ve been posted in Vienna, Austria; Warsaw, Poland; Pretori, South Africa; Suva, Fiji and Islamabad, Pakistan. 

The State Department hires regularity, and is currently looking for office managers, computer system specialists, construction engineers, and facility managers.

(Submitted by Peter Kennett)

No Job? So What. Go Back to School

I joined in '99 and got out in '05. In those six years the Internet bubble burst and the housing market was inflated and the economy was about to enter into one of the worst recessions in U.S. history.

So what. All trasitioning veterans need to do is go back to school. If it is a trade school or a university, the time spent in school will help in adjustment to civilan life (read normal). Employers want knowledgable/constantly improving workers. Also, most schools have a career services office that will help in writing a resume that is current with the job you are seeking.

Don't feel bad when most of what you did in the military is not accepted for credit at school or work experience. Make sure the resume does not have any military words or "feeling." Most employers just look at the time in service and say, " Thanks for your service. What else have you done since then."

The school will also provide opportunities for networking through job fairs, and other events. Don't waste time at unaccredited schools. Don't be too dependent on the info from the transition programs in the military or veteran services. It is a nice gesture on the militarys' part, but the people running it are underinformed and not in contact with businesses on a day-to-day basis.

As for interviews, always wear a suit, no matter what. Make sure it fits well and you feel comfortable. If you are going to be a mechanic, you can put on the coveralls when you get hired. Shine your shoes. Look good, feel good. Answer all questions in the interview honestly, even the illegal ones. Think if a company is asking illegal questions, do you really want to be working for them? Research your company before accepting the job.

(Submitted by Ken Perez)

Why Networking Works

Oct. 7, 2007 was my EAS and ECC. I attended the TAP classes at the community center on Pendleton. During that time, I was pursuing business in networking marketing. That was an uncertain road. For terminal leave, I flew to Japan to visit my wife's family and connected with friend for a potential job offer in Tokyo.

That friend helped me compile my resume using a template from the Internet. He took me to an IT hiring agency. After the interview, I knew I needed to impove language proficiency and get a couple certifications.

So I went back to the states. Another close friend invited me to a Christian men's retreat where I could possibly make connections for work. I received offers from two gentlemen. One was for a security guard supervisor and the other for IT field service technician. Since I had IT on my mind, I looked into it. I got that job and work for General Dynamics IT on Pendleton. It has been a blessing!

(Submitted by Mr. Joshua Kelsey)

I'm Part of Your Family

Well after so many years I still remember coming back and trying to tell my brothers about what I had done and seen. They were busy with their lives and didn't have much time. My mother which was the only one that really kept me focused on coming back said let it go and get on with your life put it in your past. Don't forget it but focus on the future now.

So I was off to City College and then the local University where I ended up getting my Life Teaching Degree in Secondary Education (Drama and Speech Comm.).

I had kept up my gymnastics all through my life leading up to Vietnam during and picked it up after competing at the University level. I taught high school for awhile but ended up starting Broadway Gymnastics School about 31 years ago and it is still growing.We have a staff of 50 employees and about 2,000 students per week.

I always remember the Soldiers that I spent so many hours, days and months with but only think about the positives mostly. But I appreciate my life and education. 

Like one of the other Soldiers that left a note on this website you need to remember all the good things that you learned in whatever part of the armed service that you were in. Consider me just part of your extended family, war just happened to be what brought all of us together.

Good Luck

(Submitted by Michael Cates)

Digging Out of the Hole

I returned from service in Vietnam as an Army engineer officer. I also went the I entered it after two years with a regular shrink. in the outreach program the major step was realizing that other warriors (read vets) were as screwed up as me and in the same ways and for the same reasons. As unpopular as we Vietnam vets were I began to take pride in the fact that I was a warrior and in the realization that we had won the vietnam war simultanious with the public walking away from us and our government surrendering to the enemy.

When that happened I realized that I was not the bottom of the American barrel but the elite at the top. I began running Marathons and racing cars to keep reinforcing this. I started several businesses, some succeeded, some failed. I learned from all of them. I was willingness to make mistakes and learn from them and to find opportunity in every adversity. I was willing to gamble and go back and forth between big companies and my own businesses. Next thing I knew I was a senior executive, then a lobbyist for seven years and finally CEO of a private corporation and of a public -gency consecutively.

I knew something the braggarts in the boardroom didn't know. When they talked about taking chances, or "killing or being killed by the competition" I knew that the only chances and killing worthwhile occurred on the battle field. I was a proud warrior, they were less. Now I am a retired warrior who never yielded on my ethics or morality. The comfortable retirement near Aspen and Vail is my due.

I never found a job with a resume. I went out and personally met my employers and interviewed them.
You can do it too if you're an American warrior. If you're standing in a hole put the damn shovel down, toss the booze and drugs, there just a procrastination tool. Get the help you need to do that and get a firm grip on how special you are to have defended this country. Help overthrow the "Patriot Act" which discarded the constitution we fought for.people who value being safe above all else aren't worthy of liberty. You are fellow warriors.

(Submitted by Ray Lloyd)

Picking Yourself Up is the Key to Success

I spent 30 years in the Navy as a hospital corpsman, FMF for 15 of that 30. I managed to acquire a BS in Business Management during my Navy career. I moved to a rural coastal area on retirement and worked retail management for almost 12 years.

Now I work as a county veteran services officer and help my fellow vets to pull themselves up. My position now threatened with budget cuts and downsizing. The stimulus package is questionable aid to the budget cuts.

I continue to serve despite the uniform hanging in the closet. I have my standards and I stand tall to defend them. Wisdom does not come without failure. The ability to pick yourself up and continue on is the key to future success. Sounds like bull sometimes, but it has worked for me. If you are a veteran, go see a VSO. It just might be the "hand up" you need to get where you want to be.

(Submitted by Mr. John Reed Sr.)