5 Things that military retirees and veterans get to decide about their career now
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No more military uniforms, no more commanders in charge or sergeants telling you what to do or where to live or what your current MOS will be (job duties). Now do let your local ACAP office guide you and direct you, but other than that, it’s now your time to decide. It’s a choice that you get to make. What is your ideal targeted job? And by the way, thank you for your service Now decide among these 5 things about your next career:


1. Decide on 3 to 5 jobs that you would like to do in your first civilian position. For now, just look for jobs that mimic those things that you would enjoy doing at work. Make no mind to location right now. Look for jobs of interest.


2. Decide which industries you’d like to work in. Keep in mind that this can be an exciting decision. Are you interested in the trucking industry, education, community/non-profit, transportation, power plant companies, logistics or airport? Now take time to dream? Have you admired a certain company for their stand on a particular issue? Decide on about ten companies or organizations that you’d like to work with. You get to decide. Is it Johnson & Johnson, OWN Network, Coca-Cola, Nike, Proctor and Gamble, Halliburton, or the New York Stock Exchange? The more you take the time to indulge your senses and develop your career aspirations, the more focused your job search will become.


3. Decide where you’d like to live? At this point, you are in the planning stages. All bets are off and you can bet on yourself. If you plan your job search diligently and understand your best job and career areas, your targeted industries and your ideal locations, you can develop and enhance your job search and win!


4. Decide what salary you’d like to earn. Now, now, this is not really what we mean at face value. We mean decide if your skills warrant a range for your salary in your career field. You can pick a salary of choice out of the sky, but certainly you will have to make sure that your talents are worthy of your ideal salary range. This is the ideal time to determine if you need to obtain a specific certification, a degree or an externship. Learning your value as a professional and understand the range that companies may offer you to work with them is a valuable tool to help you in your overall job search. When your skills are evident and clearly communicated, companies have no problem offering you a competitive salary. It is also recommended that you learn how to negotiate your salary.


5. Decide what organizational values and culture you’d like to have in your next company. We have all heard that Google is a great place to work because of their flexible hours and support of childcare. Most recently, we heard that the manager of Yahoo built a daycare in her office. So you get to decide in this step if you value family, innovations, fun, teamwork, diversity, compassion, religious conviction, flexibility, service to community. Once you understand the values that you’d like to have in your next company, you are now equipped as a more well prepared job seeker and career changer.


As you decide what you’d like to do for a living in your next job, the type of company that you’d like to work for and the location and salary that your skills can warrant, you have made a start in answering some very important questions for your career outside of the military. You are a capable, confident and interested career changer. Companies are dying to have former military persons on their team. It is incumbent on you to decode your military experiences into readable, understandable skills that can be appreciated by the civilian human resources representatives. As you begin to merge through, keep in mind that your job seeking materials (resume, cover letter, bio, web resume, LinkedIn profile, association membership and networking) is a tool that you will use to network to locate the hidden job market. These are jobs that are not advertised but are certainly waiting to be offered to you build relationships and demonstrate your skills, accomplishments and values to your network.