Dear Corporate America, From Any Veteran, USA

Dear Corporate America,

This letter is intended to ask for your help and to open your mind, perhaps a little bit. I have recently completed my tour of duty serving our country and now it is time for the next opportunity in my career. The past several years have been tough for me; numerous deployments, time away from my family and loved ones, the missing of birthdays and holidays and tough financial times as well.

I initially joined the military due to my sense of commitment and wanting to be part of something greater like service to my community and country. Now that I have accomplished that, I am ready for my next challenge and will be entering the civilian world, hungry for an opportunity where I can demonstrate my talents and knowledge.

While in the military, I learned such traits like leadership, commitment, accountability, dedication, team work, sacrifice, and courage. I learned my job in the military through schooling and classroom education. What takes civilian world technical schools and colleges months and even years to teach, I learned and successfully passed in weeks and months. I then applied those acquired classroom skills and theories in real world applications and career fields such as aviation, logistics, security, administration, healthcare, supply, legal, nuclear power, IT, and many other fields.

I performed my job in the military to a high degree and in places around the world that your average worker in Corporate America has never seen and will never know of: on an Aircraft Carrier in the Persian Gulf, on the airfield of Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, patrolling on the streets of Iraq, building relationships in the horn of Africa, at 25,000 feet in a heavy transport airplane, inside a hospital in Germany, and many other places I can’t even begin to share with you.

So I am here now and ready to make a change in my life like many other job seekers you have come across. Yet, I find it a little harder and even frustrating not getting the same chances and opportunities to showcase my talents and experience to you. Perhaps you are not familiar with the terms on my resume; perhaps you are thinking that it will take time for me to adjust; perhaps you are thinking that my skills will not translate; or even — perhaps you are thinking that some things I may have seen will stay with me and will be brought into the workplace.

I am not asking for a handout, nor am I asking you to hire me simply because I am a veteran. I am asking you to give me a fair shot and have an open mind when you receive my resume. Take into account the experiences I have had, the projects and assignments I have worked on — and if you need clarification on any acronyms on my resume, please call me or invite me in and I will be more than happy to clarify them for you. Oh … and when we do finally meet and I address you as sir or ma’am, it’s not because I am “programmed” to speak a certain language and cannot adapt; it’s because that is the word I use to as a sign of respect.

And if and when you do decide to hire me and give me a shot; you will find me to be punctual, respectful, grateful, hardworking, knowledgeable, and accountable. I will learn fast and apply the principles that I know in order to be successful and bring success to the department and company. I will work hard, dedicate myself, add to the team, lead where I can, and set an example for others.

One thing that I will ask of you is that you don’t fall into the “craziness” people and companies make hiring a veteran like me out to be. It’s not that hard, it’s not rocket science — I am a human and not a robot. The military is a company in its own manner. As a matter of fact it’s one of the largest companies in the world that employees individuals in every career field imaginable.

So if and when your next open position arises, and you receive a resume from me or someone like me, perhaps you will give the resume a second look and think about this letter that I have written to you. Perhaps you will even go as far to invite me in and let me express the value that I can bring or perhaps at the very least … maybe if I am not qualified at all, you can cut me a break, and provide me a small piece of career advice or guidance in order to get my career pointed in the right direction and contribute to the success of corporate America.

Signed,

Any Veteran, USA