Workshop provides tips on securing federal employment

No matter their rank, age or socioeconomic status, troops exiting the military to embark on journeys to a new career path experience their own form of stress or anxiety.

“It can be difficult navigating from military service to the civilian world,” said Paul M. Plasencia, director of the Department of Labor’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and Veterans Employment Program manager. “Unemployment after the military is something that affects all servicemembers, from privates all the way up through generals.”

Plasencia, a retired Army veteran, presented a workshop on navigating the federal sector during The American Legion’s 97th National Convention in Baltimore, Aug. 31.

Geared toward troops separating from the service and veterans having difficulties securing federal employment, the two-hour session, hosted by the Legion’s Veterans Employment and Education Division, included a variety of topics that most applicants have issues with.

From veterans preference to competitive versus non-competitive jobs, the course ran down a laundry list of topics to include the federal hiring process, hidden keywords in job announcements, qualifications for various jobs and grades, and military skills translation.

“I wanted to put together a course tailored to the needs of those going through the workshop. I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through,” Plasencia said.

After serving as a logistician for two decades, he retired from the Army and began seeking federal employment. Plasencia experienced a variety of setbacks during his job search. He integrated what he learned along the way and tools he learned while on the job with the DoL to create the content and structure of the workshop.

Plasencia said he felt it was important to include federal résumé information due to the hiccups he encountered.

“On my résumé I was highlighting everything I did as a logistician,” he said. “I did that for 20 years. I thought it was important to mention the skills I acquired although they did not relate to the job. After a while I wondered why I wasn’t getting a call back.”

While it is not the first workshop of its kind, the event was valuable, said Jim Fratolillo, chairman of the Legion’s Employment and Veterans Preference Committee. “The transition to civilian life is critical. Applying for federal jobs is a whole different ballgame.”

With a vested interest in veteran employment, Fratolillo said his committee – along with the Legion's Veterans Employment and Education Commission – will continue their advocacy efforts to ensure resolutions are passed to benefit returning troops and the veterans attempting to forge the barriers to federal sector.