Hello everyone,
First I would just like to say how pleased I am to finally find this site. I am heartened by the community of shared experiences and genuine interest in mutual support. To that end I hope to be in a position to advise in the future. My question is this:
I was a chinese cryptologic linguist for 8 years for the AF. It was a complicated job and required collection and analysis skills as well as some technical background and knowledge. When I left the military I thought my chinese mandarin would pair well with business and so got my MBA in 2012. I did do some sporadic consulting work in Silicon Valley as well as through a consulting arm of the school (both great experiences) that had me draft everything from business plans, M&A reviews to market strategy products (though none involved Chinese). I have a good critical mind and can speak well with C level executives. I think if I stayed in the Valley I could have continued consulting work, but I am also a military spouse (my wife is a 14N intelligence officer) and we are moving to Germany.
However, to the point of the question... other than consulting, i have had a difficult time finding work because my MBA is not backed up with private sector experience. In hindsight, this has potentially put me at a disadvantage because my "story" isn't all that clear to a hiring manager (even though I find the analytical/critical thinking in my AF career lends itself well to business strategy/tactical decisions). Also, I'll be moving to Germany which may exacerbate this issue.
I don't like being idle and am currently pursuing a CS and IS degree (done in spring) because my business work has proven that knowledge of databases and technology is a great match with business principles. If I can't find work overseas I may continue my education in Data Science, to further ground my technical/statistical knowledge and ultimately end up in Business Intelligence. But I'm worried about the inevitable "overqualified with no experience" cliche when we return from our overseas assignment.
Am I doomed to be the one of the most highly educated yet unemployed military spouses to date?! (exaggeration for dramatic effect)
Just looking for some grounded advise outside of my analytical closed loop that may not be serving me well. I am willing to start at almost any level to get technical and BI experience. Should I leave my advanced degrees off my resume when applying? Does this hurt/help me when applying for mid/lower level positions?
I apologize for the long-winded question. Any help as we make this transition overseas would be helpful. (TMO is packing our stuff as I type).
Thanks again everyone.
Matt
Answers
It sounds like you would be an excellent candidate for Oil and Gas manufacturing companies. Probably in a Business Analyst or Mergers/Acquisitions role. Currently, there is a shift to purchase production facilities in China that are Tier I and II suppliers for or actual Rig Ship builders. Your IS and CS would come in handy for the challenges they face in the integration of the supply chain software and your knowledge of the culture and language would be a distinct advantage in the negotiations process.
My advice is forget the advanced degrees and go for certifications in the software systems used by the companies you are interested in and look into certifications for the supply chain process. Look for International Buyer roles and International Business Analyst Asia positions.
Feel free to email me your resume. Any interest in Houston or Oklahoma City? If so, I may have some leads. amy.goley@elwoodstaffing.com
Matt,
First of all, thank you for your service. You have received some very good advice, and I would like to take a slightly different tact. I think you have 2 challenges here: one is difficulty in telling your story in terms that the civilian world understands, and the second is an underlying one, mapping your skills, knowledge and abilities to potential professional career paths and/or work situations.
I highly recommend the book "Winning the Job Race, Pathways Through Transition". The book contains an excellent set of exercises to guide you through the process of organizing your information. I have used this book in a seminar for job seekers to perfect their elevator speech with great success.
Matt, I would be willing to work with you by phone or Skype, to "workshop" you through the book. If you would be interested please contact me at krcallahan@alumni.nd.edu.
Best regards,
Kevin
Hey Matt - transitioning from the military to the private sector is difficult. Transitioning with an advanced degree has its own unique set of pros and cons. I transition into the private sector last year after obtaining a master’s degree in international relations, which is not entirely relevant to my current work.
Provide specific advice is difficult without knowing more information. Do you know what you’d like to do in the private sector? This is a difficult question but essential for a targeted job search, which I’d recommend. Additionally, is there a specific industry you are interested in or technical area were you’d like to work? Having worked in consulting, are you interested in consulting?
In general, I’d recommend reaching out to your network for informational discussions and networking with people in companies/industries/technical areas that you’re interested in.
I am with PwC in their technology consulting practice. Feel free to reach out to me directly: grant.borgelt@us.pwc.com.
Grant
Hi Matthew,
Thank you for your service. Your desired career path is vague but it appears you are interested in Marketing. I would research international companies that have a global presence, then visit their websites to get an idea of the types of positions they have posted along with required education and experience levels. If you make it clear to potential employers that you understand the job's requirements and are looking to "get your foot in the door", they are less likely to label you "overqualified". Being bi-lingual, especially in Chinese, should open a lot of doors once you get a better feel for the types of positions posted. Also, I would not limit yourself to American companies. If you are moving to Germany, include European and international businesses with a presence there. I hope this helps. Good luck!
Hi Matthew,
Thank you for your service. Something you might consider is getting involved in an open source project on github.com. This would be a way for you to get experience and make connections that could lead to a paying gig. Teams on github can be global and not restricted by location.
Hello,
The company I work for, Verimatrix, is in the IPTV / encryption business.
They have an office in Ismaning. You should send your resume and see if there's an opening.
There should be a career section in there as well.
If you know precisely what you are looking for, you could start sharpening these particular skills with some personal projects.
Good luck. If you need more information or more help, let me know
Nico
Hi Mathew,
Thanks for your service. Your Chinese language skills should be a major advantage to multi-national companies which all plan to expand in Far East.
There are many MBAs and PHDs are searching for jobs so don’t get too discourage. Job market is still very tough and each job opening has more than 25 well qualified candidates applied…
Attached is a J&J job posting link. It updates daily and there are definitely opportunities in Far East or Europe. If you have questions, feel free to contact me through private message.
Good luck!
Thank you everyone again for your interest and help. Naydene, I think GitHub is a great idea! When I'm settled down a little, I'm definitely going to look into that! Thanks!
Matthew -- I came late to this thread, and it looks like you've gotten a lot of good feedback. I'll offer one other comment. I went from 6 years' active duty to B school, and then started interviewing for finance roles. It was certainly easier for me coming from a structured program with recruiting, but what I found (that might be relevant) is that the reception to my "story" depended largely on an institution's experience with and support of veterans. Some large companies specifically target vets, and really understand how to translate the leadership experience into civilian application. Others were just mystified. I spent over a decade at GE, which hires lots of vets, always focuses on the "best athlete" approach to recruiting (vs. prior experience) and even has a specific program geared to hiring vets. So one suggestion would be to focus on companies that are already receptive -- GE is certainly one, and one that has offices everywhere -- but there are many others.
Good luck with your move and next steps. Maria Klutey
Matthew,
We recently launched a new service to assist veterans in identifying career opportunities that the interest and requirements of veterans. The service is VetsBridge.com and is always free for veterans.
I would invite you and all other veterans searching for career opportunities to sign up and join VetsBridge.com we would be honored to serve you!
Al
Thanks everyone for your responses. Ultimately, my current track is that I'd like to be in business intelligence work (maybe initially databases and/or business analyst type work) and ultimately consult. The biggest complication is that I am a military spouse and moving to Germany in a week. We'll be there for 3 years and so my problem is what do I do in the meantime? I am looking at international companies in Frankfurt.. somewhat near where we'll be living but most require German and I haven't found a likely candidate yet. I will take your great suggestions into consideration though for the future. I'll be looking to give myself options with a CS and IS degree and maybe a Data Science masters, I'm just hoping at some point there will be less school and more actual "work"! :) Thanks again.
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