Videos Archives

10 Nov 202126 Apr 2023

Do I Need a College Degree

Video Transcription

So a lot of veterans asked me, will not having a college degree, affect my career search after the military. The answer that is yes and no. It depends on the job that you’re going for.

I’ll tell you this guys some of the smartest people I’ve ever met, don’t have college degrees but they still tasted rejection because they didn’t have that piece of paper. It’s one of those things that we’ll recommend you knock out.

If you don’t have time to use your GI Bill and go back to school full time and you need to get job because you’re supporting the family, I totally understand that there’s means to knock out that college degree, go to CollegeRecon. There’s a lot of online universities where you can get your degree while working a job and in fact, a lot of the enlisted guys I knew knocked out their degrees on deployments. So it could potentially lower your potential for acceleration within the company if you don’t have that piece of paper. That’s just the facts of life.

06 Oct 202126 Apr 2023

Geographically Mobile

Video Transcription

Brothers and sisters in arms, Mike Sarrialle from CareerRecon. I’m back.

hey, today we’re going to talk about location. If you get out of the military, and you want to move to your home of record of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, I get it. Because you’ve got family there. That’s where you want to be, you want to be close to them, because you’ve been gone for so long. makes total sense.

When you make that decision, when you sort of constrain yourself to one location, you’re limited to the industries that are in that location, as well as the functions within those industries.

when you are geographically mobile, you open your aperture to a lot more opportunities, and probably can secure a job a whole lot quicker.

Just be advised when you make that decision, you’re going to have to contend with those constraints. But in today’s market, it does help you to be geographically mobile, meaning that you are willing to go wherever the opportunity is, when you are geographically mobile, you open your aperture to a lot more opportunities, and probably can secure a job a whole lot quicker.

We understand location is something that matters to all of you. For me, Home is where the heart is. If I have to move to Louisiana, then I’m going to make sure that Louisiana wherever I settle, I’m going to make that my new home.

COVID has changed the game a little, more companies are realizing that if most of their workforce is remote, it lowers their overhead.

So guys, you may find more possibilities because of COVID or more job opportunities that are remote because of COVID. But location is going to be a consideration for all of you can do to contend with.

Alright, guys. Hope that helps. Mike Sarrialle out.

06 Oct 202126 Apr 2023

Beware Social Media Suicide

Beware of Social Media Suicide

Video Transcription

Hey guys, one of the things we’re going to talk about today is social media suicide.

Guys, we’re going to tell you about the right steps to take to secure your next profession. But unfortunately, we also have to talk about the landmines you could potentially step on. We see this all the time with veterans, you need to make sure that your social media channels, your ones, are set to private, you can guarantee that the companies you interview with are going to go research your social media accounts to see if they see any red flags.

If you’re trying to secure your next profession, don’t put political views on your social media, you’re potentially going to lose a job.

All the time we see veterans with their political views. Or maybe they post pictures, which have no place on your social media accounts whatsoever, and serve no purpose. But whether you’re a Trumper or you’re from the left side, nobody cares. Don’t put it on your social media, you’re potentially going to lose a job.

If you put anything sexually-oriented that is demeaning towards any specific demographic or political, you’re entitled to your opinion, that’s free speech. But, just make sure when you’re interviewing for a job, don’t let the public see it. Keep those private guys, I want to see you succeed.

I’ve seen so many people that have secured the job, only for those companies to go look at their social media accounts and say, no Bueno and they lose the offer. This advice is up to you, you can take it or leave it.

But appreciate your time, guys, Hope that helps. Mike Sarrialle out.

06 Oct 202126 Apr 2023

It Takes Time to Identify Your Next Passion

Video Transcription

So the number one question is, what the hell do I want to do when I get out of the military? That’s a tough one. There’s no way to sugarcoat that whatsoever. I wanted to personally just continue being a troop commander in the Seal teams and continue going to war. But that wasn’t an option as the war winded down.

So you’re going to have to face this tough question at some point in your life, and you’re going to be okay. And sometimes it takes three or four or five jobs to identify what you truly want to do. And again, that’s okay as well. But if you take the time to identify what you think your next passion is, do that personal inventory, you define success. The likelihood is you’re going to end up in a role that you love a lot sooner than just taking whatever job comes your way.

I will say this, there’s money, and then there’s happiness, and the two necessarily aren’t linked.

I’ve worked jobs where I made a lot of money, but I was miserable because all I was doing was working and I wasn’t living life. So you also have to weigh that balance. What’s more important? quality of life or money? And that is a personal question. And that is a personal answer for you.

06 Oct 202126 Apr 2023

Do Reference Letters Matter in a Job Search

Video Transcription

Brothers and sisters in arms, Mike Sarrialle from CareerRecon. I’m back.

People ask us do reference letters matter in a job search? They do, but here’s the thing, you often have to write the letters for the people that are going to sign them.

Of course, they’ll apply their edits, but if you had that great platoon commander, you’re asking them to write a reference letter, often you have to provide the material for them, they’re busy people. A great reference letter, highlighting all your strengths and the value that you brought to your past military unit, does not fall on deaf ears in the private sector, I guarantee it.

06 Oct 202126 Apr 2023

High IQ Doesn’t Equate to High Performance

Video Transcription

You should never forget. You’ve learned everything that you need to learn about leadership in the military, the military has given you the foundation for leadership principles. Of course, you’re going to grow upon those as you get older and gain more experience.

I was an unruly kid when I joined the Marine Corps, I had a 2.9 GPA in high school. It’s not because I lacked the aptitude, it’s just because I wasn’t focused, and in less than five years in the Marine Corps, they sent me back to school and something called the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program, and I graduated college with 3.7.

Now just because somebody has a high IQ, doesn’t mean that they are a high performer.

I assure you I did not get smarter over the last five years, but I learned determination, I learned discipline, commitment, and tenacity, and I knew that I wanted to graduate with a high GPA, which would increase my probability of getting into the SEAL teams, and it worked out.

You have that same potential. There are two forms of intelligence, there’s your IQ, and then there’s something we call effective intelligence. Now just because somebody has a high IQ, doesn’t mean that they are a high performer. In fact, data has shown that past a certain point, at different functions an IQ score above the minimum bar doesn’t necessarily equate to higher performance.

You have to gain situational awareness you have to become very astute. Situational awareness is having the ability to look at real-world problems for which no book solution exists, assess the information you have, make a decision.

If that decision doesn’t work out first iterate, iterate, iterate until you solve that problem. That’s effective intelligence and each of you has that. You just need to focus on applying it in a very productive manner.

Alright, guys. Hope that helps. Mike Sarrialle out.

06 Oct 202126 Apr 2023

How to Deal with Imposter Syndrome

Video Transcription

People ask me about how to deal with imposter syndrome. But let’s start with what imposter syndrome is, basically doubting your own experience that you’ve accumulated as well as your skills. And what that means is you’re a good human being.

I served at a level in the military with some of the most high-performing, men and women in the armed services, and as I look back and reflect upon that I constantly question. Why was I allowed to serve at that level?

I never felt like I belonged there, I had to fight to stay there every day, but I accumulated. I gained some good experience and I learned from my peers. I learned from great mentors, and ultimately, guys, you’ve got to respect the fact that you put sweat, blood, and tears to gain your experience, and you should be proud of that.

But ultimately, what you have to do is you have to be able to translate that so that the civilian market understands all the values that you have to offer. Rest assured you bring a lot of value to any organization that’s going to hire you.

06 Oct 202126 Apr 2023

Let Your Actions Speak for Themselves

Video Transcription

Guys, doing is greater than talking. Or another way to say this is to let your actions speak for themselves. People have preconceived notions about veterans. They usually got those perceptions from Universal Studios or war movies that don’t paint us in a great light.

I see a lot of veterans coming into companies and they tried to tell people how great they are. How their service is so unique and it is, but actually, you should be focusing on building relationships with the people around you that never served in the military, your new colleagues.

…let your actions, and let your leadership speak through what you do on a day-to-day basis.

You should try and you should be trying to find ways to connect with them. Differentiate yourself and let your actions, and let your leadership speak through what you do on a day-to-day basis.

If you can do that with patience and persistence. Some of those people are going to walk away from their company and say hey, this army soldier, and they were the most amazing team player, who had great discipline, who was emotionally intelligent, humble, and respectful to the entire team, that’s what you want to achieve.

Alright, guys. Hope that helps. Mike Sarrialle out.

06 Oct 202126 Apr 2023

Don’t Say This In an Interview

Video Transcription

Brothers and sisters in arms, Mike Sarrialle from CareerRecon. I’m back.

One of the questions you’re going to get asked in an interview is: “Why are you applying for this job?”

Yes, we all get out of the military at some point, but you still have aspirations in life, and they should revolve around the job that you’re interviewing for.

Let’s start with what is not a good answer: “Well, I’m retiring or separating out of the military I need to get a job.”

That is not a good answer, your answer should be around the passion that you have for that potential role, the passion to come in and become part of the team in the organization to drive results in the value that you provide.

Yes, we all get out of the military at some point, but you still have aspirations in life, and they should revolve around the job that you’re interviewing for. And you need to articulate that.

Alright, guys. Hope that helps. Mike Sarrialle out.

06 Oct 202126 Apr 2023

The After Action Review: Tool to Help Veterans & Military Find Jobs

The After Action Review

Video Transcription

Brothers and sisters in arms, Mike Sarrialle from CareerRecon. I’m back.

Let’s talk about the after-action review

For those that are in the transition period or doing a career switch, and you’re all searching for a job, I want you to remember one tool. We all use it in the military. It was the greatest tool for not only personal but organizational development.

The after-action review (AAR), some people call it a hot wash a debrief, it doesn’t matter what you call it, but that technique alone after everything we did training or real world missions would come together and say:

What was planned?
What really happened?
What did we do well?
What are the areas for improvement?
How do we take action?

If you do that every night of your transition, takes five minutes to walk through what’s going on.
If you didn’t interview well and got a no, breaking down that interview, and saying, What could I have done differently to convey my value? So that I can get a yes and a job offer.

This tool of self-reflection is not only important in the transition but it’s important in life. It’s the personal self-accountability measure, you take to continually get better as a leader, so please if you’re not doing that in the transition and beyond, start. Again, it only takes about one to five minutes a night, or before you leave work to conduct this invaluable, and effective tool.

Alright, guys. Hope that helps. Mike Sarrialle out.