Mentioning your reserve service in an interview - Civilian Jobs, Military to Civilian transitions, Jobs for Veterans - Navy Times

Mentioning your reserve service in an interview

When Mark Godsey goes on a job interview, he’s happy to talk about his former military work, serving last in 1994 as a petty officer third class handling cargo on a Navy supply ship. He’s also happy to talk about his long experience as a mechanical drafter after active duty.

But he would rather not discuss his Navy Reserve service. A senior chief who works salvage operations, he’s proud of the work. But in two years of job hunting, he’s learned to play it close to the vest.

“I don’t tell them until they ask anything about it,” he said. “I know the first thing they are thinking is that if they hire me, I’m going to get deployed and I’ll be gone for 18 months.”

Potential employers can ask Godsey about his reserve service, but it’s illegal for them to turn him away because of it. Since the latter can be hard to prove, though, reservists and employers alike can end up treading a fine line.

Beth Sherman, spokeswoman for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department organization that works to foster better relations between reservists and employers, helps to sort out the nuances:

To tell or not to tell?

From ESGR’s perspective, it is best to be upfront about your service.

“This allows the service member to turn their military service into a positive quality,” Sherman said. “This also sets the tone for open communication.”

Navy Reserve Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas Thompson found this out when he went looking for a job. His only experience as an information technology specialist has come during his reserve work, so he had no choice but to list the duty on his résumé.

“It was pertinent to the position, and they asked in a lot of detail about what I did as an IT specialist for my unit” in Kansas City, he said.

That open discussion landed him a job with Research Analysis & Maintenance Inc.

As a military contractor, RAM may have been more sympathetic to the reserve life than other employers, but Thompson said he still felt nervous whenever his service came up.

“In the back of my mind, I would wonder, ‘What stops them from taking that résumé and putting it in the trash?’” he said.

To answer or not to answer?

Candor may be the way to go, but that doesn’t mean you have to break the ice. Sooner or later, an employer may raise the question of reserve service, and that’s all right.

Nothing in the law restricts employers from asking about service in the Guard or reserves. In fact, it’s reasonable for an employer to be concerned about the impact military service might have on a potential employee’s ability to perform.

Use the opportunity to have a candid discussion. It’s fair and even helpful to let an employer know what to expect.

To sue or not to sue?

Employers cannot turn you down for a job because of your reserve service. But the burden of proof is on you to show that this was the reason for denial of employment.

“Unless there is a paper trail, unless somebody writes something down, it would be very difficult to prove,” Thompson says.

You can get help from the Labor Department’s Veterans Employment and Training Service, www.dol.gov/vets, which can look into your claim and help you prove that you were discriminated against.

Your rights are protected under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, which provides a range of protections to veterans and reservists. In case of a violation, courts may order an employer to pay for lost wages or benefits. ESGR provides free and neutral mediation between the service member and potential employer. You can also hire a private attorney.

To ask or not to ask?

Employers typically have policies in place regarding reserve service: How will pay and benefits be affected? What steps will be taken to protect the service member’s employment? ESGR recommends knowing the landscape at the outset. Many companies post their policies online. Others will share that information through the human resources office at the time an interview is set up. It can help to understand these things before an interview.

Once an offer is made, if the topic has not come up already, ask about these policies and tell human resources about your military commitments to make sure both sides understand how pay and benefits will be handled.

Thompson’s preference has always been to raise the question of policies early on.

“If you talk about that upfront, it shows you the atmosphere of the place,” he said. “If they kind of look at you funny — and it’s clear that they don’t know the answer to that question — that says that maybe this is not going to be a good situation.”

Sometimes, all it takes is gut instinct to know whether reserve service is welcome.

“It comes up in the interview, and you just know,” Godsey said. “You can see it in their eyes.”