Advice for Enlisted Veterans Leaving the Service With No Career Direction

2015-11-17T22:35:40-05:00

As a recruiter, I’ve tried to help fellow Vets when they have MOS’s that don’t translate well into 1st Civ Div. Enlisted seemingly have no real direction. Just a pile of money from a war zone, if we didn’t get sucked into those high interest car payments. Several people I knew started pumping gas when they got out, or work at convenience stores, because they simply didn’t know what to do.

The first thing you need to recognize is that most companies say they require a 2-4 years degree for an entry level job that, in fact, does not require any special skills whatsoever. So don’t be afraid to apply to those positions. The only reason that they say a position needs a 2-4 year degree is because college degrees are in such abundance, that it becomes more of a concept of the fact that they ‘stuck it out’ for 2-4 years. Your Resume has to be geared proving you’re a very hard worker. Try to tone down anything that can be perceived as acts of violence. It used to be a joke in my Unit that you aren’t a Marine unless you used your E-tool to fend off your enemy.... Not in Corporate America..... You used your ingenuity to maximize the functionality of the tools you posessed, to achieve the desired successful outcome.

Look at that. You went from Hard Charger, to Corporate Blue in one long and mostly meaning sentence. But it looks good. I know it sounds funny. But I see sentences like this on just about every resume I read. It’s just churching up a very basic thought.

Next, you should aim your sights at positions that the average person is unable/unwilling to do, because of fear. They pay well. Personally, I chose sales. You are rejected several times on a daily basis, and you sweat all summer in a suit going from office to office. It’s a thankless profession, and your past success doesn’t matter because your manager will say “That’s nice, but what did you do for me today”. But the harder you work, the more financially successful you can be. $70k-$90k at sales plan, is the normal entry positions, depending on what you sell. Unfortunately/Fortunately the way society is going, we are extremely well suited for these positions, because a lot of Americans have become thin skinned, so they can’t handle the constant rejection. So through your single mindedness to achieving success, despite your consistent failures (in the beginning), you are able to learn a valuable career skill. Additionally, you have respect for rank, and the chain of command. Managers like that because they feel like they are good leaders when their subordinates don’t talk back, or challenge them, but instead just do what they’re told.

Smile. The biggest problem I immediately had when I got out, was that I needed to loosen up. No one wants to buy anything from someone who doesn’t smile, because people buy from people.

And Finally:

If you do get into sales, the types of companies you want to work for offer a Base Salary ($25k-$50k) PLUS commission. Don’t work for companies that are 100% commission. They have an extremely high turnover and they rely on the fact that you offer them cheap leads because they aren’t paying you, and expect you will quit (more often than not). But they still have those leads. Ask about their training program. If the company is going to invest 1-2 weeks in an in-depth training program, you can be assured they are INVESTING IN YOU and your success.

Personally, I believe heavily in B2B. Which is Business to Business, you’re selling to businesses. Selling to consumers almost always offers low commissions, and the training is often bad. It teaches you bad mannerisms and it becomes more difficult to transition from B2C (Business 2 Consumer) to B2B.

HOW YOU GET A JOB WITH THESE COMPANIES

I’ll give you an anecdotal situation first:

When I moved to Manhattan I knew I wanted to work for 1 of 3 companies (Canon, Xerox, Konica Minolta). The only problem is that as a new guy, I was a dime a dozen. So for Canon, I walked in and gave the Secretary my Resume. I got the interview, but they weren’t particularly blown away by me, so I never got a job offer. For Konica Minolta and Xerox, I called up acting like an irate businesses owner so I could get patched through to a Manager. When I got the Voicemail of a Manager, I said this “Hi ______, This is Robert Masi. I’m your newest hire, and I’d like to get an interview with you in the next few days so we can make this happen”. I got a call back from both. And an immediate hire after 1 interview with KM, with a 2nd interview call back from Xerox.

If you’re looking to get hired by a sales organization, you have to figure out how to be bold. Getting yourself in the door for an interview is the most difficult part. It’s easier to sell yourself than it is for a resume to sell you. So make sure your resume is solid, remember it’s who you are when you are absent, but if you make an impression while you’re there, as a salesperson, that’s even more powerful.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Nov 17 at 2015 11:32 PM

2015-11-17T23:32:53-05:00

Great advice, but sales isn't for everyone!

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Nov 18 at 2015 1:43 AM

2015-11-18T01:43:05-05:00

Great post.

Response by PO1 Kenneth Cardwell made Nov 18 at 2015 6:41 AM

2015-11-18T06:41:32-05:00

Sad but yes. Some careers need to get a degree before getting out as many jobs in the Military do not add up in the civilian field! The military need to give these Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airman time to get a degree outside their jobs to help them transition better! I have heard so many ex Enlisted say they regret joining vs. going to college!

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Nov 18 at 2015 12:53 PM

2015-11-18T12:53:55-05:00

What do you want to be when you grow up? I bet you heard that question countless times, haven't you? Who knows? Maybe you wanted to be a soldier, a sailor, an airman, or a Marine. Sadly, for whatever reason, that choice is being extinguished in your life and you're back where we all started. What do you want to do now? It's hard to choose when you don't know the choices, isn't it?

Once upon a time, when I was a computer consultant and teaching desktop applications between gigs, there was a young woman (a very attractive and well dressed young woman) who took classes in just about everything. She even repeated a few. I learned that she came from a wealthy family and her daddy could have bought her way into any college or university, but didn't have to. She was bright and successful as a student and could have earned her way into any one she wanted. One day I had lunch with her and asked what her plan was. She answered honestly that she didn't know. She didn't yet know what her choices were. So, figuring that whatever she did she would need computer skills, she started there. She then was going to work for a Temp Agency so that she could work in many different environments, to see what different organizations did, and what types of jobs people did there.

Basically, she pissed me off. How the hell did she get it all. Beauty, intelligence, wealth, and wisdom and not yet out of her teens?

Sadly, I lost track of her and can't tell you how well she fared, but I'm willing to bet the ranch that she did very well...

Response by LTC Curtis Madsen made Apr 29 at 2018 7:59 PM

2018-04-29T19:59:22-04:00

I've always told Enlisted Soldiers that they have more skills than they give themselves credit for. You were a manager or people, disciplined, mission focused, and details oriented. These skills are only the few that popped in my head while writing, but I could write an article on "why" I would hire an enlisted person to be an operations supervisor/manager. Agreed, sales positions are not for everyone, but peel back the onion and look at the skills gained over a short to long career of military service.

Response by Lt Col Leslie Bryant made Jan 19 at 2020 11:56 PM

2020-01-19T23:56:19-05:00

Use any money you set aside for school or furthering you’d education! Don’t let it go to waste like some do with their GI Bill. Think about taking an aptitude test after service to see what you might be good at. Think about community college classes if you don’t know whether you can write papers or to develop your study skills before going to a 4 yr college. Retiring as a Lt Col, I hadn’t been to school in 10 yrs and worried about my writing ability for a Master of Public Health in International Health and Development and whether I had the skill for a new subject. I went to my local community college and took a year to study Business which I knew nothing about and wrote business papers and took tests in business before applying to a 4 yr college for my masters degree. It really helped me write all the papers I had to write; the skills for test taking insuring I got the 3.0 GPA required for graduation; helped me get into the International Health Honor Society for 3.8 GPA for 80% of my coursework my 3rd semester of work which came with cool medals and sashes for my graduation gown that other students didn’t have and special international courses and trips for Honors Students and the confidence to get my masters and better yet, speak up and always volunteer answers and always debate with professors! If you lack skills, go back to school! Remember, you are never too old to get an education! My grandmother taught in Kansas City MO schools, some of the poorest in the country for 40 yrs on a teaching certificate and was told she had to get a Bachelor of Education to continue teaching; she went for that degree at age 67 and graduated at age 70, the oldest in her class and taught for another 5 yrs!! If a 4 yr degree isn’t your thing, get a vocational or tech degree! Above all though, research what will make you marketable! Don’t waste your money on a school whose classes cost a zillion dollars but don’t help you get hired on graduation and there are a lot of those out there! There’s nothing like getting a $100,000 education and being over qualified or unemployable!