This chapter is devoted to finding a great job after leaving the military service because I know that former military people, especially those retiring, face unique problems in job hunting. I know this because I've been there. My father retired from the Air Force after 25 years of service and found a second career. I left the service after 11 years to pursue a special job assignment abroad.
Overcoming the First Major Problems
The first problems you will encounter are both psychological and practical. You may find that your service compensation bears little relationship to salaries on the "outside," and you have no way of knowing what you are actually worth. In addition, some PEs may feel you are overqualified for certain jobs or may not even consider your military service applicable to industry.
The key to overcoming these initial problems is to decide exactly what job you want. Learn everything you can about the job before you start your job hunt. You will need to spend much more time researching salary, position, and other matters than your civilian counterpart.
Many former military evaluate their job campaign totally in terms of experiences and accomplishments that brought them success in the military, rather than in terms of a specific job goal. They tell themselves: "With my background, qualifications, and education, there are any number of things I can do. Plenty of companies will immediately recognize my value and show me the options I have."
This is a mistake. It will only prolong your job campaign and reduce your chances of finding a job. Like your civilian counterpart, you Colleges and Universities
A college or university can be an excellent source of salary information. Your best bet is to contact the professional school in your specialty at the university you graduated from. If you don't get the information you need, try other schools. If you tell your problem to the right professor and furnish details on job title, function, and your own qualifications, chances are you will get help.
Search Firms and Employment Agencies
Many search firms and employment agencies have a specialist dealing in your function and industry. This individual may spend a good part of everyday talking with PEs and job candidates in your field. Needless to say, such a recruiter has a pretty good handle on your compensation. There are limitations to this source of information. Still, it is one of the most accurate and up-to-date sources of salary information available.
Personnel and Human Resource Departments of Large Companies
Personnel departments in large companies usually maintain good compensation records and frequently have formulas for "standard" salary offers. Until you receive an offer from the company, it is rather difficult to tap this particular source, but it is worth a try. Call a personnel manager in such a company and lay your problem on the line. Explain that you are not applying for a job, but because of your long career in the military you have no idea what level of compensation you should be looking for. Find out if the personnel manager can determine a "standard" salary if you supply such information as job title, years since degree, and experience. You may encounter someone willing to run your background through his company's formula.
Magazines and Professional Associations
Many professional associations and professional magazines maintain accurate salary data for your area and industry. For example, if you are interested in sales or marketing. Sales and Marketing Management Magazine conducts an annual survey. You can find these magazines and directories of magazine at your local library. Check your local telephone book and call professional associations. You can also locate directories of association at your library as well… It costs nothing to ask.
How to Emphasize Your Accomplishments and De-emphasize Your Military Experience
Note how the writers of all these letters de-emphasize their military experience, stating their accomplishments as much as possible in business terms. This does not mean that you should keep your military background a secret. However, you should not emphasize it, nor should you state in your sales letter that all your experience was obtained in the military.
Much of your military experience can be extremely valuable to an industrial PE. Unfortunately, many civilian PEs do not appreciate military experience per se. If you emphasize your military experience or indicate that all your experience has been in the military, you will have a much lower letter-to-interview ratio than your civilian counterpart. If you present your experience in terms that the PE can understand, you will be invited in for more interviews and will get a superior job much quicker, even if you tell your PE during the interview that you obtained all your experience in the service. Remember, in job hunting you are not obligated to volunteer information when it is not in your interest to do so. If you are asked over the phone about the companies you have worked for, put off your answer until the interview.
Should You Reveal Your Military Rank?
Normally, you should not state your military rank in your sales letter or volunteer your military rank during an interview. However, you can do so if you achieved a very high rank, or a high rank relative to the number of years served, or if military rank is of some importance to your PE. In short, state your military rank only if it appears as an advantage to your PE. If it is not, do not volunteer the information. State it only if specifically asked. It really is irrelevant. I once knew a senior NCO who got a job as vice president of a firm in an industry where his colonel, who was also retired, got a similar job with another company. He would never have received such an offer had he volunteered his service rank. Yet, he was uniquely qualified for the position he attained.
In order to find a great job in industry in the shortest possible time, you must overcome the initial hurdles by defining the exact civilian job goal you want. Use all the techniques described in this chapter to gain accurate salary information. Always state your military accomplishments in business terms (dollars, percentages). De-emphasize your military background and quote your effectiveness reports from the service in your sales letters and other communications. To find a superior job, you must get high-quality, face-to-face interviews. Be evasive if necessary, and do not volunteer information that will hurt your chances for an interview.
