RESUMES VS RANGER NETWORK
We’ve all heard the saying: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. But I’ll tell you it’s really, “Who you get to know,” someone that’s willing to put their name behind your name, is where you will find the good opportunities. The Ranger network is the folks who are willing to put their name behind yours. Your Ranger buddies may not be the hiring manager, but they will get you in front of the hiring manager; that’s the biggest hurdle. All organizations have internal referral systems. A resume is written by the applicant; that’s an unknown person vouching for themselves. A referral from somebody already in the organization, somebody who is a proven asset, is priceless and a huge advantage in getting the opportunity. Resumes are important, but only if you can get somebody to look at it.
From a veteran Ranger on LinkedIn:
I’ve applied to more than 2,000 roles. I’ve interviewed for about 25. I’ve used my network, referrals, and paid services. None of it has made a difference. This isn’t a question of capability. I have 15+ years in security operations, intelligence-driven decision-making, and high-pressure special operations environments — the kind where results actually matter and excuses don’t exist. Yet the hiring system doesn’t reflect that reality. And I’m done pretending it does. (We’ll speak with him soon)
Responses (some, not all of them) in one day from Ranger Mentors to one transitioning Ranger on the initial Ranger for Life Networking email:
I made the jump straight from Regiment into tech and now serve as an Associate Director of Data Science at Verizon managing our AI/ML portfolio. I originally broke into the industry through Hiring Our Heroes. Them and Three Rangers Foundation opened a door I probably wouldn’t have gotten on my own.
I’m happy to connect, talk through the transition, or share what worked (and what didn’t) when moving from Regiment into the corporate America’s tech industry.
I retired in 2020 and now work with L3Harris Technologies Inc based out of Florida. They do hire veterans and happy to chat for either general advice or helping connect you with them. Check out their website as they are a technology company and developer of many systems Rangers and others employ it could be a great fit. We love it down here in this area of Florida it is very nice with great VA facilities and good schools for family. Feel free to reach out on my cell at XXXXXXXXXX.
Give me a call. Here to help any way possible. Take a look at Sherpa 6 opportunities. We likely have some opportunities that may be of interest to you.
I retired out of JBLM and work for AWS (supporting COCOMs) in the Seattle area. I’m available to assist however I can. There are also 3 former Ranger and JSOC communicators on our team (2/75 and RS6, a former 1/75 Signal PL, JSOC Network engineer both in uniform and as a civilian).
I work for Amazon and my wife works for Microsoft. We can both help create connections or make job referrals.
I have good hooks into your target companies on the private sector side; most of the government ops are on the East Coast, however, there is a good spread and happy to help navigate.
Statistics on referral hiring:
Percentage of hires - Employee referrals can account for 30% to 50% of all hires in the U.S., and a healthy referral rate is often considered to be between 35% and 40%.
Hiring efficiency - Referral candidates are often more efficient to hire, with some studies suggesting it can take significantly less time to hire them compared to candidates from other sources.
Quality and retention - Companies that prioritize referrals report higher retention rates for these hires, and they are often seen as a source of higher-quality candidates
RLTW!
mike