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I was in the Air National Guard from 1979 until recently. I was employed with the state military department as a fulltime technician. I was called into the commander's office at age 57 on a drill weekend and told that I was not going to be retained. Retained..not allowed to renlist. When my separation occurred from the guard I also lost my technician job within a week. What happens now after devoting 30 plus years to the government? Non-retention in the military is a form of age discrimination but it can not be proved. Been there....done that....lost. Where do I look for a job now?
Location: Prescott Valley,az summer/east valley Az winter
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guess I am not really qualified to answer this question as I never looked for a job in my life. As a high school kid my father and I started a business. Just as it was starting to go well I got drafted~ and got into a 120 day delay by joining Navy! Then all summer long I listened to this just-getting-started farmer talking about how if he had stayed in he would be retired by now, so after 4 years I stayed~ and company I helped start grew! So after 20 years I got out and returned to my company with my brothers ~ we bought my dad out!
Now am retired but still hired vets as first choice every time and was sucessful doing so! As long as you have other experience to list never take military service off your resume~ tis still a good indicater of character.
I was in the Air National Guard from 1979 until recently. I was employed with the state military department as a fulltime technician. I was called into the commander's office at age 57 on a drill weekend and told that I was not going to be retained. Retained..not allowed to renlist. When my separation occurred from the guard I also lost my technician job within a week. What happens now after devoting 30 plus years to the government? Non-retention in the military is a form of age discrimination but it can not be proved. Been there....done that....lost. Where do I look for a job now?
Are you eligible for retirement?
Were you QRB'ed out of the military?
Not real familiar with fulltime technician, but I was under the impression that if the State let you go, then they had a responsibility to find you a job (same pay grade) within the State (if you are not eligible for retirement) - have you spoken to your Technician Officer in the HRO?
Not real familiar with fulltime technician, but I was under the impression that if the State let you go, then they had a responsibility to find you a job (same pay grade) within the State (if you are not eligible for retirement) - have you spoken to your Technician Officer in the HRO?
The way it works: You have to be a member of the national/ or air national guard to apply for and hold a full time technician job. If for some reason they want to get rid of people, which they have done so many in the past, they non-retain them on the military side. You lose your military slot which then causes your technician job to be lost. Mine happed in just a few days. At age 60 you can draw your military (guard) retirement. When you are gone before the age of 60 you can start receiving your technician retirement. For the older people this is CSRS, for the others FERS. I was told that non-retention in the guard is a legalized form of Age Discrimination. When you lose your technician job you are put on a prority placement list for a job in the field that you were trained in, you can chose certain geographical areas of the world. These jobs may be available for your area of training or not. When you lose both positions you had, you lose more than half of your monthly pay. Yes...I have spoken to my Technician Officer in the HRO. It is hard to make the few years until you hit age 60. Friends have been non-retained at ages of 48, 52, 54, and many at ages of 57. Luckily the age 48 was placed in a job in the next state. When you apply for local jobs the pay rate is about 2/3 rds less of what you were receiving.
Cut it any way you want folks 3 times out of 4 service as an elisted man is a stigma
to most employers of any size.Always has been.
In the trucking industry, they LOVE ex-military! (They just don't want to pay us any more for our skills than any other entry-level employee...) My somewhat-limited experience with civilian employers is that more than a few think that if you're retired from the U.S. military, they can pay you less because of that "Big ol' pension" you're getting...
Wow, I'm a female Vietnam Era Vet who has never had a problem getting a job (after a fashion). I applied for over 100 jobs before I got picked up in a clerical civil service job. I continue to apply and either hear nothing or get turned down, but the law of averages is with you if you take action. I'm now a high grade civil servant, but it took me decades to get here.
Get the skills you need for a job you want, get the education that will benefit you, a bachelor's at least. If nothing else, it shows you have initiative and can complete something on your own.
Please don't think that every employer believes that the military is on-time or dedicated. Some of us both remember and still see enlisted and junior officers barely put in 6 of an 8 hour day. You get slackers everywhere.
My question is why you think you're entitled to a job simply because you're a veteran? There are hundreds of thousands of veterans out there.
If it's me or not, I'd rather see the best person in the position when my tax dollars are paying for it.
Cut it any way you want folks 3 times out of 4 service as an elisted man is a stigma
to most employers of any size.Always has been.
That doesn't apply here in SA and definitely doesn't apply at my company. We're a defense contracting company and the majority are former enlisted. In the section I just transferred out of we had only one former officer and he was in the bottom 25% as far as trust and performance.
It is mostly your performance and networking that will get you a good job. I actually came upon my latest job via someone on C-D in the San Antonio section. This is a pretty powerful sight if you participate and get to know more people.
I've been thinking about this topic a bit and have a few other thoughts:
- if you're having a hard time getting a job, there are probably other reasons than your military service. The economy is miserable, people are losing jobs at an alarming rate, many have advanced degrees and experience that's germane to the position;
- have your resume reviewed by a service that specializes in resume writing, make sure there are no misspellings (I would automatically dismiss the resume);
- keep applying. A long time ago, returned to my home city and was looking for a job. I was depressed from the lack of response to my job search efforts. A friend gave me the best advice I've ever had: take some action and send out another. I kept doing that and landed a nice job (eventually).
- don't take it personally. The market is really horrible.
- if your finances are a serious issue, take any job you can. It's easier to get a job when you have a job.
I think we leave the military expecting to just have a job thrown at us. I pounded the pavement looking for a job for 3 months before I got out and only got 2 offers that were decent. You have to keep the pressure on employees and let them know why you are the best candidate for the job and why they shouldn't pick the other people.
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When you lose your technician job you are put on a prority placement list for a job in the field that you were trained in, you can chose certain geographical areas of the world. These jobs may be available for your area of training or not. When you lose both positions you had, you lose more than half of your monthly pay. Yes...I have spoken to my Technician Officer in the HRO. It is hard to make the few years until you hit age 60. Friends have been non-retained at ages of 48, 52, 54, and many at ages of 57. Luckily the age 48 was placed in a job in the next state. When you apply for local jobs the pay rate is about 2/3 rds less of what you were receiving.
