Whether you are developing a contingency plan, an operations plan, a business plan, or a marketing plan, one of the first items to consider is what you hope to achieve, or why you are bothering to develop a plan at all. In the military it was called the mission statement, but it really is the goal. You can plan all day long, but if you don't know where you're going, the planning is meaningless. We can't imagine an infantry commander telling his men, "Go out there and attack today." They would have to know where to attack, and what they were supposed to do if they were successful: hold the ground or continue the attack. They must know their objective.
The same rules apply to the marketing plan you must develop for your job search. Before you even start to plan a program to find that meaningful position in the private sector, you have to decide what is important to you in your life. You must establish some goals and then conceive a plan that will help you realize those goals.
Many military retirees have told us they went through three different jobs in the first five years after leaving the service. The majority who shared that experience identified the primary reason as their failure to do any realistic goal setting before leaving the service. In fact, many indicated that they had not even considered their real goals until they were well into their second position following separation.
Money, Location, Job
There really are only three major goals to consider in your professional life; money, location, and job (or position). There probably are many more sub-goals, but they generally fit into one of these three categories. Most people are not able to realize all three goals simultaneously. One or two of the goals have to be sacrificed. Some priorities have to be set.
A lieutenant colonel friend of ours was leaving the service after twenty-three years. He had been smart with his investments over the years and was going to be able to count on some regular income after retirement. He also owned his home, which he had purchased during an early assignment, and he claimed on moving there immediately after leaving the service. At the time of separation, he had two children in high school, and he felt that if he could find a job paying $35,000 per year, he would only have to work ten more years. That would allow his children time to finish school. Then he would be situated well enough financially so he would never have to work again.
We had to congratulate this officer for his intelligent career planning. He seemed to have established some real goals (money), and he knew what he wanted to do. We had to ask the big question, though, and soon discovered that the house he was planning to move into was in Lawton, Oklahoma, just outside of Fort Sill. We had to wonder how many salaried positions in Lawton would pay $35,000 per year. Not many, we guessed, unless the colonel could find a position in commissioned sales.
Then he could control his own income. Otherwise, he had set himself up for some real frustration. His true goal was location, not money. The house, and not his need to retire early, was driving his decision. He didn't realize most jobs that pay the kind of money he needed were not to be found in small communities, but in major metropolitan areas.
Another friend of ours, an army sergeant major living in the Midwest, also thought he had it all figured out. He had spent many years in the recruiting field and additionally had obtained a degree in Marketing, through off-duty college courses. His only goal was to get into the marketing business. He truly enjoyed the pace, the creativity, and the fulfillment he believed he'd receive from a successful marketing campaign. He began to float his resume around the country, and after several inquiries received a call from a company in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The vice president was quite impressed with the sergeant major and, after a long telephone interview, invited him to the home office for a final meeting. If all went well, he had the job. Upon arriving home that evening the sergeant major briefed his wife on the phone call and asked her help in getting ready to travel to the Bay Area the following week. He needed a suit and a new briefcase and had to do some research on the company.
His wife, however, objected. "Look," she said, I have been following you around for over twenty years. Every time I got a decent job with some hope for advancement, you got transferred and I had to quit. Our children have been in five different schools and are still in high school. I have a pretty good job here, and I have a chance of getting promoted into management. We're living in the first house we have ever owned, and I like it. If you think I'm packing up and moving to San Francisco or some other place, you're crazy."
The sergeant major soon found that it wasn't position that was going to direct his job-search efforts, but location. Many senior people who have held positions of great responsibility in the service have indicated that they would like to find something to do that would provide as little stress as possible. After many years of meeting deadlines, solving people problems, satisfying senior commanders, and coping with the related stresses of critical positions, it seems like a good idea to find a job with little or no pressure. That kind of goal is great.
But don't expect one of those laid back jobs to pay you $40,000 per year. Employers don't pay people a lot of money and expect them to produce little. Low stress means low salary. If that is your real goal, then go for it. On the other hand, if you seek a high-paying position, you should expect to look in some major metropolitan area such as Boston, New York, Chicago, Dallas, or Los Angeles. Of course, you should also remember that areas paying high salaries generally carry a high cost of living as well.
Ask Yourself Some Questions
The real question you have to ask yourself is what you are willing to give up. Will you sacrifice that perfect job in order to live in a hospitable climate? Will you accept a little less money for just the right job? Only you, with some discussion from the family, can make a final decision. Here are some questions that should help you reach that decision.
- Do you want to work in your current specialty?
- Do you own a home that you will remain in?
- Are your children still living at home and still in school?
- How much money do you need?
- How much money would you like to make?
- Do you have the qualifications to make that much money?
- Do you want to supervise people?
- Would you move to another part of the country for the right offer?
- Could you live in a small town?
- Could you live in a big city?
- Do you plan on continuing your education?
- Does your spouse have a good job?
- Would your spouse quit and move?
- Can you stand another high-stress job?
- Can you subject yourself to a subordinate position after being in charge for so many years?
- Do you know where you want to be professionally in five years?
