Career Change: From The Military Into The Business World

by Angela Loëb

Found an excellent blog, Militarytobusinessmentor.com, which is authored by Tom Pappas, a West Point graduate and former Army officer (Captain, Field Artillery) who personally went through the difficult transition from a military career to a business career.

In his article, “3 Major Differences Between the Military and the Business World,” Tom makes some eye-opening distinctions in three important areas:

#1 Different missions and ultimate purpose. Business strives for “Stakeholder Value.” The military’s focus is “Security.”

#2 Organizational structure. The military has a “Command & Control” structure that is more vertical “with more exact rules of conduct, more consistency across units and defined roles and ranks” while the business world has a “Collaborative/Matrix Model.”

#3 Career progression. “The Ladder” is more clearly defined in the military. In the business sector, your career path is “Self Managed” - your future is in your own hands.

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Another great resource I found on the topic of military men and women transitioning to the civilian workforce is from Bradley-Morris, Inc. (BMI). They describe themselves as “the nation’s premier career placement firm specializing in veteran job placement.” This article on their website has some insightful tips: “10 Tips for a Successful Military to Civilian Transition in Corporate America.”

My favorite on the list is tip #5:

Civilianize. Civilianize your resume, experience and verbiage during your interview. Be aware that most hiring managers in corporate America will not understand military lingo. Don’t expect them to be able to translate - you must do that for them.

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If this is a topic that really interests you, then you’ll want to tune in for The Job Search Boot Camp Show tomorrow (Saturday, 12/18/10) at 10am Central. We’ll be interviewing Rhonda Moncibais of Synergy First & Associates, a woman who is truly passionate about helping military leaders transition their leadership skills successfully into the civilian workplace. Rhonda is familiar with the issues and challenges faced by these individuals as they transition. She is also familiar with the challenges and benefits that occur for the employer hiring former military leaders directly into leadership roles. If you are a job seeker leaving the military to join the civilian workforce or you have a friend or family member going through such a transition, you won’t want to miss this show!

Note: click here to listen to the free recording starting a 1/2 hour after the live broadcast.

Angela Loëb is an author, speaker and co-owner of Great Occupations. She and her partner, Jay Markunas, help people make successful career transitions through workshops, “pajama learning” webclasses, personalized consulting sessions, as well as through The Job Search Boot Camp Show. Find out more at www.greatoccupations.com.

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