Season 2 Episode 61: 

Bridging Knowledge Gaps Using Certifications with Misty Moreno and Jeremy Burdick

Misty Moreno, you may remember from Episode 15 of Season 1 of the show. She retired from the Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant and went right into the private sector by masterfully leveraging her network on LinkedIn.

Misty starts the conversation by discussing the similarities and differences in the human resources career field from the military to the private sector. There are a lot of transferable skills between the military and private sector in HR, but Misty recognized that there were some gaps in the application of those skills. In collaboration with the team at Vets2PM, Misty set out to help veterans bridge some of those gaps by creating the Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR) certification training course.

Misty and Jeremy talk about the content of the aPHR certification prep course, why they decided to start with the aPHR instead of a higher-level certification and how the course will help you build your skills and pass the certification exam. They see the aPHR as an effective stepping

While a veteran does not need to start at the bottom when they leave the military and enter the civilian sector, they need to realize they may need to take a few steps back in order to get used to a different application of their military skills. Misty took a role a few steps back from where she was in the Air Force in HR, gained knowledge, experience and certifications to fill her knowledge gaps and has already been promoted twice in just 18 months with her company.

Misty addresses the issue of checking your ego at the door. You may want to consider the fact that taking a position a step or two below what you are doing in the military will take some pressure off you and give you an opportunity to adapt to this new work environment. There are many changes that will happen during your transition and taking some pressure off at work may help you better navigate this process.

We address whether or not a certification is required for getting a job in the private sector during their military transition. While certifications are not always required, it helps you stand out among the crowd of similarly qualified candidates, while also validating and expanding your knowledge as you transition from the military to the private sector.

Jeremy addresses some of the ways that active duty service members and veterans can get the costs of their certifications paid for or partially paid for through Vets2PM. There are many valuable benefits and services, such as job search and placement support, available to students who pursue their certifications through the Vets2PM organization.

In celebration of the new podcast, Military Transition Academy, that Jeremy Burdick and Eric “Doc” Wright recently launched, he is offering a discount to our listeners on all courses at Vets2PM. You can visit their website at www.vets2pm.com/training/ and enter the discount code MTA10 to save 10% off any of their certification courses.

Connect with Misty Moreno at https://www.linkedin.com/in/misty-moreno/

Connect with Jeremy Burdick at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-burdick/

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