Trident University International

Whether you are seeking a job or you already have a job, good communication helps you to build strong relationships. Professional and effective communication opens doors to opportunities, including promotions.

With today’s technology, there are many ways to communicate. Here are some methods and how to use them most effectively.

1. TEXTING

• Do respond to texts from a recruiter or an employer, using professional language, and correct punctuation and grammar.
• Don’t initiate a communication via text to a recruiter or an employer.

Talking about yourself should be the easiest thing for you to do. Who knows you better than you? However, responding to this question during a job interview can be stressful and uncomfortable. Here are some ideas on how to craft an impactful and memorable response.

1. Be sure you know who you are. Assess yourself and create a consistent message regarding your background and experience. Then, tweak your message for each individual situation.

Note: this is the follow-up to a blog on cyber security and hacking that we posted last month.

Earlier this year, the United States government hired a team of hackers to exploit flaws in the Pentagon’s Cyber Systems. A system penetration occurred not once, not twice, but over 130 times.

This was part of the Department of Defense’s "Hack the Pentagon" event, which was labeled as the first ever "bug bounty" in the US federal government history. Over 1,400 hackers were contacted to take part in this exercise, invited to find cyber security weaknesses with five government public websites, including defense.gov, between April 18 and May 12. During that period, the hackers reported 1,189 vulnerabilities, with 138 of them determined to be "legitimate, unique and eligible for a bounty.”

This is the second part of a special two part blog series from United States Army veteran and Trident's National Director of Military and Veterans Alliances, Philip F. Johndrow. Come back to our blog tomorrow to see the final part of this blog. Read the first part here.

After you step back into the civilian world, after many years away, you may experience a myriad of different feelings, such as:

• Feeling uncomfortable with the lack of structure and goals compared to military life
• Longing for the adrenaline rush of physical and life-challenging situations
• Concern about finances due to the lack of job security
• A perfectionist attitude in work and other areas of life
• Annoyance at others who seem more easygoing or less detail-oriented than you
• Isolation or loneliness because others may not understand some of your military experiences

But like many of the challenges that you’ve faced in the past, these are some you can overcome by putting your mind to work. By making a plan and outlining the steps to navigate these challenges, you can have a successful military to civilian transition.

I joined the United States Army when I was 19 years old and I retired when I was 53. As an adult, the military was all I knew. It wasn’t just a job - it was my life – and it shaped me into the person I am today.

Transitioning out of the service can be difficult for some men and women because they’re saying goodbye to a way of life and returning to the civilian world. Some of these folks, like myself, may have spent their entire adult lives in the service, so the civilian world may seem a little foreign to them.

I did my best to avoid being sheltered while in the Army. I was active and engaged with the local community, my children played sports, and I attended social functions and school events, but for the better part of the day my life and my mind were firmly entrenched in the military.

Trident’s staff and faculty are focused on the success of all our bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and certificate students.  If you’re a new student – or are considering enrollment -  these are some of the key resources available to maximize your educational experience so you can prepare yourself for a rewarding career.

1. Center for Student Success
The CFSS focuses on program completion and graduation for all of our students. Our Student Success Advisors (SSA) are all about fostering individualized relationships with each student. The SSA is here to support you in every step of your path towards graduation.

Emanuel “Manny” Sepulveda is a key player in Trident’s military and veteran education initiatives. As a Regional Manager of Strategic Military and Community Relations for the Mid-Atlantic Region, Sepulveda works with men and women with a military background who are seeking to further their education. As someone who’s made the same transition in the past, he understands the preparation needed to translate their success to the civilian world.

Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sepulveda enlisted in the Navy in 1988. Throughout his time in the Navy, he earned two Navy Marine Corps Commendation Medals, nine Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and various unit and campaign awards. He served on submarine duty in the Mediterranean and the Arctic and time as a counselor recruiter.

You’ve worked hard to achieve your degree and are excited about the possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead. You’ve sent your resume to several well-known companies. And, thankfully, you have received an invitation to interview for a position that sounds perfect for you. What should you do? How should you prepare?

An important thing to remember is the hiring manager has already determined that you have the qualifications to do the job based on your resume. The purpose of the interview is to determine if you have the right attitude, demeanor, and communication skills to do the job.

The United States government hired a team of hackers, instructing them to exploit flaws in the Pentagon’s Cyber Systems. Due to their actions, a system penetration occurred over 130 times. After these “attacks,” the Pentagon will assess the damage and develop countermeasures against them – and then the cycle starts over as the hackers start to look for more flaws to assess. Cyber security is a never-ending process.

While we have sophisticated systems, we also have sophisticated enemies requiring sophisticated defense and offensive methodology.

“Life kept me so busy so I didn’t have time to look back. Then one day earlier this summer my dissertation committee – Dr. Frank Gomez, Dr. Bernice B. Rumala, and Dr. Welford Roberts started calling me Dr. Fernando. I had just completed my doctorate at Trident,” remarked the newly minted Ph.D., Dr. Wickramarachchige Sugath Rohitha Fernando.

Dr. Fernando’s beginnings were humble. He came from a small village in Sri Lanka, growing up on a tea plantation. Each day would begin with walking several miles to school, and although this journey may have been difficult, it helped to build perseverance and focus.