During the resume screening process how do you view applicants who have undergone mandatory service (combat not support units) in countries such as Israel, Singapore, South Korea etc?
I understand that military service is looked upon favourably but this usually applies to US military vets who have served active deployments in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq etc.
Would this experience be enough to bump the applicant from the maybe to yes pile, or count as a 'plus'?
Just interested to hear the opinions of fellow monkeys.
Bump. Anyone?
I would give them attention because of what the military can instill in them but I don't as strongly favor them as I would someone who voluntarily enlists and serves.
I usually see it with Korean applicants. I like it, as it shows more diversity in life experience and ability to work under pressure than the typical pasty North American kids with sweaty handshakes and manufactured resumes.
This.
I wouldn't say it gives you the type of advantage that a target school, a vast network, a high GPA, etc. do, but it's a strength because you will most likely be more mature than other candidates, have a different way of thinking, etc.
I personally haven't had to review a resume with mandatory military service before, but I can't imagine why anybody would view it negatively, unless it's somebody with Palestinian relatives that got shot by the IDF or something ridiculous like that.
Military service = ability to grind it out, in my mind
Thank you all for your comments! I can see the difference compared to my home country - simply because every single male has served his time so it's not really a differentiating factor. Combat related roles are actually looked down upon because they have longer "reservist" training periods compared to their service support counterparts.
it means nothing, it only indicate that this kid went through a shitty experience no big deal, everyone in one way or another paid his dues in a different way
Sorry Mr Green Beret, but I will have you know that I maintained a 3.5 GPA the same semester that I broke up with my GF! I'm not sure if you are familiar with that type of shitty experience, but everyone has to pay their dues one way or another!
It helps. As someone who also serves in a non-combat role in the military, I can attest to that. Like anything on your resume be able to talk about it and how the skills and experience you've gained while serving your country can make you a valuable member of the team.
Mandatory Military Service - When Should I Do? (Originally Posted: 06/30/2017)
I am a rising senior at top 20 University, currently majoring in Economics and I want to work in investment banking industry after graduation. I have a dual citizenship (Korea and the U.S.) and as some of you know, as a Korean, I have to serve the Korean military service for approximately two years. I have two options regarding on when to serve the army and I want to know which options might allow me to land a job in banking industry better than the other.
Serve the army right after the graduation and pursue some finance-related master's programs, for example, Masters of Science in Finance. (because I heard it is far better to try to find jobs as a student using school's career center rather than as a guy who has no work experience and was gone for 2 years in non- business world)
Land a job after the graduation, work in the industry about a year or two, and then serve the army, hoping that I am able to build terrific networking with coworkers and then somehow I can find jobs using that social network.
I don't mind either option, but my concerns are following: For the first one, I am concerning about the usefulness of MSF when it comes to the banking industry. (If it is helpful, I would definitely won't mind choosing the first option!) For the second option, I am concerned about an uncertainty on how to find a job after 2 years of gap in between. Furthermore, I am not even sure if there are any companies that would hire me at first place if they knew that I would leave only after a couple of years.
What situations would recruiters prefer more? I really want to work in the banking industry and at the same time, I want to serve the army because I do not want to be a draft dodger.
Please tell me your insight on my situation! Thanks!
Why don't you go to military now before finishing your senior year? You would still have OCR for you senior year when you come back for military. Why are you planning on going to the military if you have dual citizenship? if you plan to live in America, just renounce your Korean citizenship.
I haven't had any network so far (I was in pre-med track until last semester), so I thought it would be better for me to build some sorts of network and study a little more into the business before I go to the army. Because of OCR, I was thinking seriously about the graduate school whenever I come back from the army. Korean military law is somewhat weird, so I can't renounce my Korean citizenship after 18 years old, and I will be a criminal in my home country. It seems like OCR is the best bet to land a job in the banking industry... How difficult is it to break into the banking if I don't have one just like my first option?
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