Joe Paschall ⋅ Madison, AL nLogic, LLC ⋅ 26 years experience

Bennet,

I would recommend you join the Veteran Mentor Network on LI and introduce yourself with a post there. You will find many threads discussing PMP, Program Manager transition, and other issues. In general, I beleive you will find it very hard to transition to a Director role but I would not be deterred from trying. I had the same aspiration as I had gotten an MBA beforehand, but I found that the lack of Profit & Loss (Earned Value Management / EVM) experience will be a bar to most higher-level positions. I was fortunate to land just below director-level at Senior Program Manager, and then moved to a director position in a few years (and after getting PMP, PgMP and a host of other certs for my IT field). In retrospect, I now understand how much I had under-estimated EVM challenges. At the director level, you would be the responsible for holding all PMs accountable for EVM on their own programs - and it would be near impossible to do this well without having actually managed a program yourself (and without being PMP-certified). More discussion to follow if you join us on VMN.

Mark Downey ⋅ Garden City, NY Algodon Group ⋅ 27 years experience

Bennet,

All of these suggestions are very good. A few ideas I would strongly recommend. In LinkedIn, when you make a change to your profile, all of your contacts will be notified. Based on experience, very annoying and a quick way for people to ignore you going forward. I would recommend you go into the settings profile and turn this function off. Secondly, while in the Settings area, you can personalize your LinkedIn address. Look in Google how to do this. I would also recommend this as well. Third, if possible, go into LinkedIn at least once a week and if people have published an article, etc., click on Liked and add your own comment. This helps keep your name fresh with all contacts. Finally, have a nice picture added to your profile. Do Not have it with kids, events, actions, etc. Have a picture taken in a business suit.

Remember, it is a numbers game. The more people you reach out to, the greater the likelihood they will hear of an opportunity and let you know. Finally, the people you connect with, they may not know of something right now, but may in the future.

Best of luck, Bennet.

Mark

Drew Schildwächter ⋅ Wilmington, NC Salesforce ⋅ 8 years experience

Bennet: my recommendation would be to use your LinkedIn summary as you would a cover letter: pair the top needs for your desired job with your corresponding accomplishments or skills. Using your most desired job postings as a guide, develop a few bullets that highlight what they are looking for and keep it succinct.

LinkedIn is more and more becoming the preferred choice for recruiters and HR professionals. I would encourage you to read others' opinions on LinkedIn pulse about how best to use this powerful tool.

To Larry's point: Syracuse University has a military PMP cert program if you are not already working toward that certification. http://vets.syr.edu/employment/vctp-certification-paths/

Best of luck to you.

Larry Herring ⋅ Pomona, CA World Wide Technology ⋅ 32 years experience

Hi Bennet,

First off thank-you for your service. In order to land the role you are looking for P.M. at a Director role, my first suggestion is to get your PMP. I have led teams of Jr. PM's, PM's, Sr. PM's, Program Managers and PMO Managers. It sounds as if you want to get to the PMO Manager level. For me, I take experience over anything. I have hired many good engineers who do not have the book smarts/certs, however they have the street smarts, self taught, hard working people and I love those folks. That all being said, we are in a cert. world, especially in the PMO world.

Absolutely get your CV in shape and make it slick and use the buzzwords in the first half of your resume. Make sure you are using all the job boards out there as well. Dice, Career Builder, Indeed.com, Monster, etc.

I do not know what your compensation needs to be and if you want to stay in the same geographic area. This will also answer your questions about absolutely getting your PMP or at least say PMP - In Progress. Our company is very military family and we are rated the #28 best company to work for. We hire PM's all the time. However, the competition is hard. Stress your projects, was there any money saved, under budget, on-time, complex, leading a team, etc.

I wish you the best and if you want to reach out to me, I can be reached at Larry.Herring@WWT.com or LSHERRING@AOL.COM.

Larry Herring

Miklos Philips ⋅ Brooklyn, NY Mozgomedia ⋅ 22 years experience

Hello Bennet,

It's good but it could be better. From the way the summary is worded, it comes across as far too many clichéd generalizations. I believe you need to get more pointed, strong and specific. Too many of your stated skills are task-based and not results-based. A little too much of what you've done (the past) and skills (generalizations and again, with all due respect everybody says these things, the proof is in the pudding). This means that they tell what you did, instead of what you achieved. To be effective and create excitement, a great summary helps the hiring executive picture you delivering similar achievements at his or her company.

Employers want to know about your previous contributions and specifically how you’ve made a difference. More importantly, they want to know how you are going to make a significant difference at their company.

When I read your summary, I didn’t find compelling language that brings your work to life. I saw many passive words and non-action verbs. Strong action verbs, used with compelling language to outline exemplary achievements, are essential parts of a well- constructed summary.

Here’s a real life example. By changing the language, you can improve the perception of the value you can bring to an employer.

Passive language / Doing: Negotiated contracts with vendors

Action language / Achieving: Slashed payroll/benefits administration costs 30% by negotiating pricing and fees, while ensuring the continuation and enhancements of services.

A change like this makes a dramatic improvement. I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck.

Jim Schreier ⋅ Milwaukee, WI 212 Leadership/Career Coaching ⋅ 50 years experience

Some good points and recommendations from others. I'd like to amplify a point made by a couple. Your summary statement is too long and too general. You're listing a lot of "what you have" and nothing that indicates "what you've done." It's obvious from your summary that you must have "done" a lot -- but I'm not tempted by anything to want to learn more about you. I'll pick on just one as an example but it applies to 95% of your summary: "Outstanding problem-solving skills" -- that's the same as somebody stating they have "Microsoft Office Skills.' It tells me nothing about what you really have -- it will mean different things to different people and it tells me nothing about what you can do with those skills.

There's another possible problem I've seen frequently with very experienced veterans -- by listing everything in your summary, it may appear to some that you're claiming to be Superman. Articles I've posted on this site address some of these concerns, particularly https://acp-advisornet.org/articles/201/major-resume-error-ms-office-skills

Blake Burns ⋅ Austin, TX www.Harris.com ⋅ 30 years experience

When it comes to finding a job, and they only thing you have is your LinkedIn profile and resume (no relationships or contacts at the hiring company), you need to do everything you can to stand out. You need to differentiate yourself.

Assuming you follow the advice of the others regarding LinkedIn profile development/creation, the only other suggestion I have is to link your profile to your own website. Then, when connecting on LinkedIn and sending out your profile, you can direct the reader to your website with the click of a button. Your website could then include a lot more detail about your skills and experience, but also photos and images that will help personalize your "unique position".

Go to godaddy.com or similar, and buy a web domain that resembles your full name, such as www.bennettgoff.com. This will cost under $15 and you get a 5 page website free. There are many standard templates you can choose from, and it is very easy to do. If you have problems you can call Godaddy and get help at no extra cost. Alternately, I can find time to help you as well (email me at blakehb@gmail.com).

Creating a website and linking it to your LinkedIn profile and electronic resume will provide a good one-two punch and help separate you from the others. When I was searching for a job I had many recruiters and hiring managers comment on my website and how it set me apart from the competition. Trust me, it works! Good luck!

Steve Sendele ⋅ Rockford, IL GridSense Inc. ⋅ 25 years experience

Bennet

Thank you for the service. Keep using LinkedIn and look for the companies you might want to work for and try to connect with current employees. Once connected via LinkedIn tell them your story and ask for contacts inside or ask for help getting a position. Most people are happy to help when asked or will at least point you in the right direction. Good luck.

Bora Chang ⋅ Katy, TX Walmart ⋅ 10 years experience

Hello Bennet,

HR/recruiters now use social media, google, and LI 90% of the time to sort out candidates. LI profile and bg remained the same, but my intro was developed differently to cater to the audience/industry I was targeting. For example, my intro when entering Administrations displayed low key yet organized attitude whereas my intro when entering Supply Chain management displayed structural and stronger attributes in my LI. When entering an industry of non-profit, however, I was more personal with my intro. From one industry to the next, it had worked and the personal approach seems to draw attention even now. Entering an industry you aren't aware of will be difficult at first, but your LI should be up to date to your growth and reflect the best you to think of yourself as a brand.

Larry Herring ⋅ Pomona, CA World Wide Technology ⋅ 32 years experience

Bennet,

I have a friend who works for United Health Care and he told me that they were hiring and they are all over and have some telecommute roles as well. This is just one link for you. Think about other industries as PM's/PMO's are in many industries. Financial Services does hire many PM's but the reason why is churn and burn. It is a rough sector to work in. Politics are massive. Again, good luck to you.

https://careers.unitedhealthgroup.com/search-jobs?kw=&tc=0&lc=CA&tr=0&sh=0&sch=0&pd=0&jf=20&jl=0&bs=0&so=0&sf=0&utm_source=emod&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=network_with_us&utm_term=&utm_content=na_itc_functional_northamer&Taleo_ID=DM-16380&&&&&page=2

Louis Schwarz ⋅ Somerville, NJ AIG ⋅ 43 years experience

Hi Bennet, a 28 year commitment is outstanding!! Thanks. The PMP is a good way to start your transition. PMP provides a framework that is very inclusive, but in reality, it is not followed by everyone. Each organization or project use the portions of the PMP that best fit in the organization. I found it difficult when moving to new opportunities, just because I was not use to the processes at the new organization. It took me 6 months to feel confident I knew how things worked. 1 year was even better. Try to identify where your accomplishments in the Navy match challenges in the corporate sector. Articulate them in your resume. Contact me if you have any questions, good luck.

David Daugerdas ⋅ Palatine, IL IBM ⋅ 36 years experience

Thank you for your service. I agree with the recommendations to secure your PMP certification. Also, your resume/CV should include documented, quantifiable results of your experience, not just the experience itself.

Jerry Welsh ⋅ Middleville, MI Master Military Transition Advisor/HPS GPO ⋅ 30 years experience

Bennet,
While those who understand the military will understand and respect the retirement after 28 years, keep in mind only 0.5% will serve our country and the chance of the 28 years being a hindrance with over experienced may be more common. I would conduct some heavy job posting downloads and research into the positions that meet your needs and you qualify for, and determine what the number of years of experience run. For instance if the average wants 8 or 9 years of experience, then you have 9+. Many civilians see 28 and think big $$, do not let them define you by your experience. Understand the pace, tempo and amount of responsibility many times is at a slower and less than a field grade officer is used to, but then again you may wish to see your family more now. Thanks for your service and sacrifice. God Bless

Howard La Kier ⋅ Atlanta, GA IBM ⋅ 18 years experience

Bennet, Great start! Your LinkedIn summary should be compelling, action oriented, and descriptive of your skills and industries you have experience in. Highlight what you are known for. Is it taking difficult projects and exceeding expected results in terms of completion below budget, below staffing plan, before the deadline? How is it that you have achieved success? What do your peers, managers, and team members reporting to you say about you (endorsements are a great)?

Your LinkedIn summary or at least your CV (really throughout it) should have quantitative data on achievements and experience. How many people have you managed? How many different work streams or projects did you manage? What was the revenue you managed? Gross profit exceeded?

In what field do you want to pursue project management opportunities? Do you have a target industry? Regardless, PMP certification is a big help, but real-world experience is also key.

Your headed in the right direction. If I can be of assistance for further advice, please reach out to me. Best of luck!

Joyce Stein ⋅ Santa Clarita, CA Bank of America ⋅ 25 years experience

You have received some good advice already. The only additional suggestions I would add is:
1. Put the words Project Or Program management in the summary statement. You don't have any action words in that paragraph. I know the idea is to be as broad as possible to pull in more interest but the opposite occurs. If a recruiter can't figure out what you can do as it applies to their job opening--they will toss your resume in the trash. The same is true for online profiles. Search engines are looking for key words. Even if you don't have the PMP. Put the words in the profile. I have put in "studying for the PMP. Taught PMP classes. Just the words PMP will get a lot of online hits as well as project management, organizational effectiveness, accounting, TQM / Six Sigma, etc.

2. Someone suggested turning off the notification setting - I agree while your profile is still changing. However, I suggest you turn the notification setting back on after you have your LinkedIn profile finalized. I wouldn't recommend keeping it off all the time.

3. Specificity will help a lot. Check other profiles of people who have a job similar to the one you want and that might help you get the skills and language you need to use to get noticed.

Good luck to you.
Joyce Stein. (http://www.linkedin.com/in/jdrs1818)

Bob Stinchcum ⋅ Americus, GA Stinchcum and Associates, LLC ⋅ 25 years experience

Your CV sounds detached--no actual results. Also the words you use are becoming stereotype on CV's. What are you specifically good at and give an example.

Cully Cavness ⋅ Denver, CO ⋅ 8 years experience

Same comment applies to "Adaptable and Creative," but "Decisive" can remain capitalized as it is the first word on the line.

Cully Cavness ⋅ Denver, CO ⋅ 8 years experience

This is a great start! Just a typographical comment, which is that you should not typically capitalize words in a list. For example, "Cross-Functional Leadership, Strategic Planning..." would not usually be capitalized. Good luck!

Peter Billard ⋅ Glastonbury, CT Peter Billard Photographer ⋅ 34 years experience

Bennet,

I add this:
Get a profile portrait supportive of your excellent qualifications. Scrutinize photographers in your area. Look over their work. Get one with a good command of lighting, setting, and good people skills. They should have as their priority the goal of making you look your best. A good portrait represents you when you can be there in person. Aim for capturing those intangible character qualities that matter: integrity, responsibility, assertiveness, strength, confidence, mastery, and so forth. My guess is you photograph very well provided you have the right practitioner. Go get 'em! –Peter

Jennifer Polhemus ⋅ Santa Monica, CA Precision Research (self-employed) ⋅ 25 years experience

Highlight the fact that you have been tested under difficult circumstances, and maybe shorten it a bit. Seems like your adjectives are used by everyone else?
Getting your own website (maybe with a short video?) is a great idea. LinkedIn is good to have, but it can't be the core of your job search strategy. Keep on ....

Bennet Goff ⋅ Coronado, CA U.S. Navy, Commander ⋅ 28 years served

Thank you everyone for the valuable feedback. I am working at incorporating your transition tips into my plan. It seems like a job in program management at the director level is shooting for the stars, and if actually landed, may put me in over my head. I will look for an opportunities with growth potential as I continue my transition. Happy Holidays.

Bennet

Lorraine Milton ⋅ Missouri City, TX U.S. Navy, Lieutenant ⋅ 21 years served

Congrats on your retirement. I retired from the U.S. Navy over 20 years ago. My disabilities preclude me from doing many things, however, I decided to do what I LOVE - sing, songwriting, writing books and inventing.

My dau-in-law obtained a management position thru an executive recruiter. Here is her answer: Here are a few to start. These are some of the top agencies that recruit for professional positions. I have listed 5 websites below:

https://www.burnettspecialists.com

http://www.aerotek.com

http://www.murrayresources.com

https://www.roberthalf.com

http://www.manpower.us

Christopher Ahlberg ⋅ Holtsville, NY Recorded Future, Inc. ⋅ 15 years experience

Great input from the others. Some other points

- Be super crisp. Few words - and focus on the stuff you're particularly proud of.
- Linkedin has had some serious content inflation - you can now end up with these just massive profiles. I would avoid that. Ignore the Linkedin mantra of "filling in every damn detail".
- Love that you've served for 28 years. That said - focus on what you've done last
2-4 years - and especially those high impact points that will break through the clutter!

Good luck!

Bennet Goff ⋅ Coronado, CA U.S. Navy, Commander ⋅ 28 years served

Larry and Drew, thank you for the feedback. I intend to pursue my PMP through Syracuse University when the program opens up again in 2016 (The independent studies program is currently unavailable). I will work to stress previous accomplishments and continue to polish my LinkedIn profile. I believe you when you say the competition is hard, and with the help of great people like you, I am confident I can find a great position to contribute in the corporate sector.