Evolution

Continued from Page 10 tool sets as well. There you will discover support groups, counseling, and placement help. The civilian aviation side also has many organizations to join. These groups offer in-person and virtual meetings, workshops, educational and many other ways to further our profession as aircraft maintainers. Aviation periodicals such as you are reading now are also a fantastic source of information for support and knowledge.

The same applies to pilots and crew members too. Beyond the training you will receive many educational facilities to offer workshops and counseling on how to take an interview.

Interviews… How do I walk into a room to an interview? How do I greet people at the interview? How do I sit? What do I do with my hands? What about eye contact? How is my tone of voice? We’ve taken all of this for granted during all these years in the military because it is what we were expected to do as we had grown up through the ranks. If there are 2 or 3 attend- ing the interview it is not uncommon to greet everyone by name but more than that perhaps “it is nice to meet all of you” type of statement may be best but be sure to address everyone in your follow up email afterword. Sit a bit more relaxed, not in a military style in front of the Commanding Officer per se. There are times when you will sit up straight like when the description of your role is being discussed but times like when the 401K is brought up, you can relax to the back of the chair. You don’t want to come across like a statue; an interview is a discussion. Since you have bought a suit of clothes and you are wearing that, wear a watch too. Nothing flashy. It is symbolic to the fact that you are respectful and grateful for the interviewer’s time and consideration. This brings about what to do with your hands. Pen in one with a small note pad is a good thing. Relax your hands so you are not fidgeting or clicking that pen! You are military, you already know how and when to maintain eye contact. This will give a great indicator to the interviewer(s) that you are in as deep to the interview as they are. If there is more than one interviewer present, address that person but it is very good to make eye contact with the others that are present to show that you are fully engaged. Your tone of voice should be slightly subdued to who is addressing you but not too much less, just a bit less. You may wish to bring up your hobbies and what you like to do in your off-shift time at the end of the interview if it had not been asked of you. We all love our families. Talk about them.

Deciding where to live is another aspect of your great new adventure into civilian life. The great news is that employment opportunities for A&P’s, pilots and crew members are worldwide! Again, this is something that would be discussed in depth with your family first. Educational institutes, prospective employers, and the VA (www.va.gov) have guidance on job opportunities and how to get to New York, San Diego, Colorado and beyond where you feel a good fit is for you, your family and your career.

There are many books published on how to transition from military life to civilian life and how to succeed. I encourage the reader to visit your local library or bookstore and seek out the knowledge available to ensure your success.

Note: the author is a 23-year retired enlisted veteran of the United States Marine Corps and United States Air Force that maintained AV-8B Harrier and C5-A, B and M series aircraft. He has held an Airframe and Power Plant certificate since 1988, currently maintains Gulfstream and Dassault Falcon corporate aircraft along with several other makes and models of corporate aircraft.