Remember when you were a kid and someone asked you what you wanted to do when you grew up? Sure you do. Back then the answers were simple, Cowboy, Astronaut, Nurse, Movie Star…..whatever. Some of us got there, most didn’t. For the vast majority of us it wasn’t because we weren’t talented or hard working, it was because either the job wasn’t realistic or our ideas changed. If you have either transitioned from the military or are getting ready to, there is a very real “Good News- Bad News” scenario coming up here….. Wait for it………….. OK, here it is!

The “good news” is that you are facing the same question again and that for the most part you get to answer it anyway you want to. The “Bad News”? Well, this time if you choose Cowboy, Astronaut, or Movie Star you are probably going to starve!

For those of us who have left the military, regardless of branch, this was one of the hardest questions to answer. Even for those who knew what they wanted, they still had to decide where and for whom they wanted to work. A few thoughts on the subject: (Otherwise……. why would I Blog?)

• Be Realistic. I’m not saying don’t dream, but if you are a separating E5 and you decide you want to start your new career as CEO of General Motors, then you might as well go with “Cowboy!” However, if you are willing to start at the bottom, work hard, and learn, there may be a path for you to get pretty close, if not there. Whatever your role is as you depart, you didn’t start there and you should expect to start a little lower in your new organization too.
• Assess your talents and your “others” (I would say “weaknesses”, but that is so negative.) Accentuate your strengths and figure out how to fix the “others.” Look for educational programs that can get you what you need. They can be costly, so be very careful with an eye to what you can afford, what is their accreditation, does it meet the hoop? If you want to be a welder, you don’t need an MBA, conversely welding school won’t get you a job in Finance.
• Translate your resume’. This is so important, I’ll say it again, Translate your resume’. There is a great cartoon floating around, where a man is standing in a shirt and tie in front of a desk at attention. The man seated at the desk, reading a paper says, “Killed bad guys; 1982-2012, just a  wild guess, but is this your first resume’ Mr. Clark?” There are many, many resources on the internet (which I REALLY believe is going to catch on!) that you can use to translate what your MOS or NEC or designator means in “real life”. Many companies will assist you free of charge as well, Incepture being one of them. Believe it or not, most people won’t realize that “Killed bad guys for 20 years” really means that you were a mid-level manager responsible for over XX number of people. That you planned and executed the training that ensured they were ready for the tasks that they were assigned.  That you were responsible for all aspects of administration, supply, and the maintenance of all assigned equipment. Etc. Etc. ………
• Buy some clothes, look the part, don’t mix old uniform items with your new “outfits.” The new suit will look goofy with your old Corfam uniform shoes. While technically they meet the hoop of being a “black plain toe oxford suitable for wear with a gray, black or blue suit”…..everyone will know that you got close, but not close enough. And the Fashion Police will come and take you away in their dark colored van at midnight!

There is so much more on this subject that you could write a book. In fact many people, much more articulate than I, have written books on the subject. So go to the library and check out a few and see what they have inside. Quite often free advice is worth what you pay for it, so pick and choose what you see in multiple places. If a book tells you that you can interview in flip flops….find another book!

Until next time comment or follow me on twitter, at @KHCO00 (That’s KHCO zero zero)

Matt

Wow, what a couple of weeks it has been! It’s Matt again and this time I have a great story to tell. Not that my previous blogs haven’t been fabulous, and future blogs won’t be brilliant, but this time I get to talk about some of my favorite people: America’s Veterans!

It has been said, “It is amazing what you can get done when you don’t care who gets the credit.” It was in this spirit that the leader of the Jacksonville based Deutsche Bank Operation brought together a group of companies to form the Jacksonville Military Veterans Coalition (JMVC) last summer.  As a retired General Officer in the National Guard, he wanted to pattern the JMVC on the successful Veterans on Wall Street (VOW) Program that Deutsche Bank founded in New York. So a group of companies, Incepture included, started to create something where nothing had existed before. We wanted to give Veterans a “one stop starting place” to either stay in or come to settle in Northeast Florida. Companies who are normally competitors, joined together to build a web presence and make plans to increase the opportunities for Veterans in our community. Late last month the program was given, at no cost, to the City of Jacksonville. It is now the latest in Mayor Brown’s Public- Private Partnerships: the “Jobs for Vets” program (www.coj.net/jobsforvets).

The first official event for this new partnership was “The Military Veterans Job Fair at THE PLAYERS” which took place this past Monday at the Patriots Outpost tent on the 18^th fairway at THE PLAYERS Championship at Sawgrass. From the very beginning, Incepture took the lead and acted as the Event Coordinator for what was described by the Tournament Executive Director as a “Raging success!” In addition to being the very first Job Fair at any PGA Tour Tournament, it was unique in a couple of other important ways.

First, all 20 companies that participated including Incepture, Deutsche Bank, CSX, CITI, Ring Power, EverBank, Prudential, COJ, PGA Tour, SAFT, Brumos, Sea Star and, of course, Florida Blue, are actively hiring and have jobs to give! The second aspect that was unique was the Career Advising Area, manned primarily by Incepture Recruiters and Account Managers and augmented by the other participating companies. This career advising service provided free counseling with the individual veterans. The personal attention to their career goals married with the review and constructive criticism of their resumes provided the Veterans a step up on their quest to find the perfect next job.

In all, over 350 veterans were given wristbands.  Add to that the 100 or so people actively working the fair, the Press and however many escaped the wristband table on their way in, and we had an electric atmosphere fueled by 500 people in the tent at any one time. Next year will be even bigger and better!

As I write this 3 days later, Incepture already has prospects we met at the fair scheduled for interviews this week for requisitions we are trying to fill. So, “it really is amazing what can happen!”

Many thanks go out to everyone that made the event a success. Once you start naming people, you run the risk of forgetting someone, but in this case I have to single out BG Mike Fleming from Deutsche Bank, RADM Vic Guillory and Ken Johnson from the City. Matt Rapp and Cathie Hurlburt from THE PLAYERS, and Bill Hickey and Laura Tuck from Incepture.  Special thanks go to our CEO, Earnie Franklin for allowing us the freedom of action to put on a first class event!

Thanks for taking the time to read about this great event, and never forget what the Veterans have done to safeguard our way of life. They have given so much; we REALLY need to give them a viable path to success in return.

If you'd like to see more about the event check out: Channel 4- News4Jax and the St. Augustine Record

Until next time comment or follow me on twitter, at @KHCO00 (That’s KHCO zero zero)

Matt