Episode #42:

Taking Control of Your Job Search Round 2 with Chris Dreisbach

After leaving his first post-military role within 3 months, Air Force veteran Chris Dreisbach is back on LL4V to share what he’s done between then and now. He originally transitioned from a SkillBridge opportunity to a role that looked great on paper. It was a bad fit for him, turning from a dream job into a nightmare, as he shared in Episode 25. Chris changed his approach in the interviewing process to ensure that this new role is the right fit for his priorities, and he encourages you to do the same.

Lessons Learned:

• Access the parts of your previous work that you enjoyed and excelled at doing to find work that is good for you.
• Refine your search parameters on LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, such as:
  • Remote positions or physical location within a 10 mile radius
  • Training/Safety positions only
  • Consider level/length of a company’s establishment and how connected to community service or charity it is.
• Sometimes, you’ll wait several weeks between interview rounds. Keep building bridges and don’t lose hope.
• When you’re offered a position that seems tailor made, take it as a green light, even if it’s a 2% pay cut.
• You will be calmer and more able to make better long-term decisions when you’re looking for a new position while in a current role (i.e. ongoing paycheck).
• You deserve to work in a career that you choose, not something you were “voluntold” to do.
• Build a financial cushion and figure out your minimum, real budget so that you don’t feel pressure to run out and take the first job you can find.
• Prevent feeling overwhelmed from options by establishing your boundaries and standards for a post-military career.
• During the interview process:
  • At the end of the interview, ask about the next steps in the process.
  • Make the most out of your turn to ask questions (Chris has some great ideas!).
  • If you felt a good connection in the interview(s) and haven’t heard back in 2 weeks, follow up.
• You can connect with Chris on LinkedIn at:
  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-dreisbach/