The Dream Job that Wasn't Really

My retirement from the U.S. Air Force and transition into what we did then and do now call the real world. Not sure why that is; my real world for 22 years was the military. I wanted to find employment that was structured and organized and obviously fun to walk into everyday.

I started on my own with the paper. Jobs weren't so easy to skim through on the internet back in 1997. My first interview and selection for the job appeared to be an easy transition. I worked as a plant scheduler for a year and then was assigned to be a CSR as well.

This is when I felt the pressure of the real world workforce. I was expected to tell lies to contracted customers. To make this long story short. I left. I moved on to temporary work working under a reputable Temp Service. I continued to search on my own and landed a beautiful position in a large car dealership overseeing 3 stores. I was the Human Resource and Process Manager for all department in all three stores. What a dream come true.

The basic love of my position was centered around meetings with all departments and creating or changing process maps to ensure employees followed structured processes consistantly. Wow, this was what I wanted. Structure. It pulled me into every department of the company. I trained all employees and oriented any and all new employees into their new positions. This included managers of departments.

What a fantastic opportunity. It was a constant focus on process improvement to meet factory expectations on customer satisfaction levels. It worked. All of our stores were in the top 20 percent of the national scores. My secondary job (but first priority) was taking care of 102 people with benefits, monitoring schedules, attendance and basically resolving any employee need. I sat on the Corporate Board of Directors. This should have given me clout to enforce the responsibilities I had as Process Manager and Human Resource.

Now to make this story come to an end, I must say that over a 4-year period, it all started to fall apart. My owner did not support or endorse my attempts to correct a numerous amount of illegalities that were on going in this large company. I was expected to control (EOT) favoritism, harrassment, and discrimination. One of the top managers was guilty of many violations but went on working there for 9 years.

My dream of working in a structured, ethical workforce fell apart over a period of time. I did end up leaving this position as I could not walk into an environment every day that condoned racial name calling and sexual harrassment and ongoing discrimination.

When searching for your perfect working life after the military take some pertinent questions with you to the interview. You have the right to know if the company has a history of problems in any of these areas. Looking back, when I interviewed for the position, it took four interviews, and one month to finally get this position. This impressed me. I had a strong straightforward resume and excellant references.

Be prepared with a list of job references that can be contacted. With the military personell moving around it is helpful to try to find the civilian assistant or counterpart that will be available for contact about your background. Anyone can create their own resume. One page is most often the most viewed. Keep it short. The big business's don't have or take the time to read a lot of flair. Be ready to face a different work ethic.

Good luck and God Bless.

(Submitted by Mary A Boggs, MSgt USAF (ret.))

Discoveries in Networking

I am a person who loves to talk to people. Mom always tells me that no matter where we go we should always know someone or before we leave get to know at least one person. I just love sharing my thoughts with others as well as listening to them share theirs and believe that if we are going to meet people we need to first show ourselves friendly. I have had many life’s challenges come my way, however with the Grace of God I have been able to get over those hurdles. Quite frankly, I am still pressing my way through each and every day. I'm sure there are many others that are facing challenges, but know that we shall overcome them as well with perserverance.

I've tried almost every networking company you could possibly name, e.g. SMC, Prepaid Legal, YTB, EXCEL, Mary Kay, Amway and others I can’t even remember. I can recall when I was in YTB my sister called me to speak with one of her co-workers who was going through some tough times.  She wanted me to minister to her, which I did and then we became friends. After getting involved with YTB, I approached the young lady who worked with my sister one day about joining YTB. She stated that she had been through so much doing network marketing that she didn’t want to do that anymore. I moved and had misplaced her telephone number during the move but received a call from my sister telling me that she gave my new number to this young lady. Then one day in August of 2007 I received a call from this young lady telling me about TraVerus and told her that I would think about it and to call me back the next day and she did. I immediately signed up while still in YTB.

I found out that I was able to get more people in Traverus in less than 2 months than I was able to do in the 10 months I was in YTB. Traverus has been a total blessing for me and my family. I have never worked with a great group of people that not only care about themselves, but they care about others as well. This young lady’s name is Teresa and she has truly been a friend. Why, because I first showed myself friendly when she needed one. Our motto is: It takes Teamwork to make a Dream Work. For the first time with joining any networking company I have finally found a great team who cares about everyone who wants to succeed.

I was also a member of the United States Army for 15 plus years. I am now considered a disabled Veteran. My husband also was in the Army for 8 years. We served our country with pride. I am a mother of six children ranging from the age of 31 to 17 with 5 grandchildren. Only one of our children has served her country and was so excited to do so; unfortunately, she passed away while on active duty to brain cancer at the young age of 23 . She joined the Air Force in October 2000 and was diagnosed in 2001 with cancer. That was a challenge in its self. No parent expects to bury their child, but that their children bury them. My wonderufl daughter left a beautiful 4 year old daughter that looks exactly like her. So that in itself is a blessing.

(Submitted by G. Renay Lyons, 4Comfort Travel, 757-565-1779)

Fight Transition Anxiety

For many transitioning servicemembers, finding that first civilian job is both stressful and frustrating. The fear of the unknown has the potential to drive those leaving active duty to seek immediate safe harbor -- turning over their job search to a JMO recruiter or taking their first job offer. Neither are necessarily bad solutions, but it's important to ensure that transition anxiety isn't limiting your ability to find a job you love. The most sophisticated job seekers don't use any single method to find a job; they execute against a portfolio of straightforward strategies to increase their pipeline of opportunities. Although these "job search" tools are relatively obvious, it's surprising how few people actually take the time to use them effectively in combination.

Military Staffing Firms (A.K.A. JMO Recruiters). Companies like Bradley-Morris, Inc., Orion, Lucas, and Cameron-Brooks provide specialized services to help marketable transitioning personnel. Many provide "high-touch" career services like assessment, resume writing, interviewing skills, which often culminate in a job placement with one of their "client" companies.In most cases, these placements happen through hiring fairs -- rapid-fire, meet and interview conferences held throughout the county. The most significant advantage of JMO recruiters are that you often get personalized assistance and direct connections to employers actively seeking to hire military personnel. Some recruiting firms, however, represent a more limited set of employers and career fields -- be sure to ask to see their client list. In addition, a few of them may insist that you stop actively looking while they represent you -- a potentially option-limiting requirement. All in all, however, they provide a great service and have helped countless transitioning personnel find jobs.

Online Job Boards. There is absolutely no downside to uploading your resume and spending the time to browse a few of the hundreds of thousands of job postings. Scanning jobs online is a great way to get a feel for the breadth of available openings and a sense of careers that might peak your interest. Many of these career sites have automated "search agents" which automatically scan postings and will alert you for potential matches. In addition, the best boards have great content on dressing for success, negotiating a salary, and assessing your interests. Don't just use one job board -- use a few national and specialized career sites. Boards offer seekers choice, anonymity, and reach; but generally do not provide personalized career services.

Your Network. Not surprisingly, this is the single best vehicle for developing a set of career options. You almost certainly know someone who is in an interesting career field or works for a company you find appealing. Well prior to your transition, it will pay dividends to start networking early. Interestingly enough, companies often view their internal employee referral programs as one of their most consistently productive sources of great employees -- so they are looking for you, too.

Direct Applications. Almost every corporate website lists career opportunities under the "About Us" section of their site. Contrary to conventional wisdom, companies actually do evaluate direct applicants. Pay special attention to Government positions, as they are required by law to give preference to Veterans in the hiring process. For more information on "Veterans Preference" see http://www.dol.gov/elaws/vetspref.htm In addition, many government contractors are required to take affirmative action to employ Veterans.

Associations. Most military associations and service academies offer some type of career services. Often, they host career fairs and provide help with resume writing, networking, etc. Like military staffing firms, they tend to bring together a smaller, but highly focused network of employers who are actively seeking to hire Veterans. 

Executive Recruiters. Executive recruiters like Korn-Ferry, Heidrich & Struggles, and Spencer Stuart focus on helping companies recruit senior executives. Corporations are increasingly aware that having senior military personnel on their management team or on their Board of Directors is advantageous as they pursue military customers. Generally, executive recruiters are not interested in mid-level managers -- so, unless you are quite senior, they are probably not a viable option.

Consider Educational Options. For many people, leveraging their military benefits to get additional training or an advanced degree is a great post-military option. Taking your great military experience and coupling it with a degree can materially accelerate your civilian career.

An early start to your portfolio-driven job search will result in greater choice, increased confidence, and a better outcome. When you are finally piped ashore for the last time, you won't need to look back ... you'll be well on your way to a great second career.

(Submitted by Chris Michel)

When Veterans Retire

When a good Veteran leaves the 'job' and retires to a better life, many are jealous, some are pleased, and yet others, who may have already retired, wonder.  We wonder if he knows what he is leaving behind, because we already know.  We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that few experience, the longing will remain. We know in the Military life there is a fellowship which lasts long after the uniforms are hung up in the back of the closet.  We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him with every step and breath that remains in his life.  We also know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he was and in his heart he still is.

These are the burdens of the job. You will still look at people suspiciously, still see what others do not see or choose to ignore and always will look at the rest of the military world with a respect for what
they do; only grown in a lifetime of knowing.  Never think for one moment you are escaping from that life.  You are only escaping the 'job' and merely being allowed to leave 'active' duty.

So what I wish for you is that whenever you ease into retirement, in your heart you never forget for one moment that you are still a member of the greatest fraternity the world has ever known.

(Submitted by Tom Brown)