Leslie Masuzzo ⋅ Montclair, NJ Montclair Public Schools ⋅ 15 years experience

Dear Shelton, These are all excellent responses and I hope you are now able to provide some good examples of your P&L-related experience. I just have one more thing to add. You can often compensate for a slight deficit of skill with an abundance of will. In addition to mining your own experience for the related P&L experience required, you should add to it, by stating how you would go about learning any new skills quickly (such as the P&L skills, especially if they are related to technology, such as a software program, etc.), how, perhaps, you have already started researching the topic or taken a tutorial online, etc. I think you get the idea. Prospective employers always look for a combination of skill and will (enthusiasm, willingness to work hard, go above and beyond, etc.) and will can sometimes compensate for skill. I'm sure your "will" will come through naturally, as a long-serving serviceman, but you can also apply it to specific skills that you want to emphasize (like the P&L). I see by your original question date that your interview has probably already taken place but this is good general advice. Best wishes and thank you!!

James Bishop ⋅ Columbus, OH Morgan Stanley ⋅ 8 years experience

If this is a first or early interview and you are asked the question I believe you need to be able to answer with YES. If you do not there will be a checkbox that is not filled in and this opportunity will be closed. P&L management can include working inside a budget and effective use of available resources, usually it means making decisions about focusing improvement efforts based on impact (as measured by the % of expense on the P&L) opportunity and the expectation of the impact that can be made. So you need to explain how you made the biggest possible impact to improve the areas of your responsibility, but if your area was to keep jets in the air (just an example) you would have needed to look at maintenance as well as repair. In your explanation you may need to explain it wasn't cash you managed but labor hours and resources and you made decisions about how to allocate them to maximize jets in the air hours as an operations manager manages cash to maximize bottom line profits.

Sorry that this rambles. Also as Tom said, highlight the millions or billions of taxpayer assets you managed successfully.

Bob Schaefer ⋅ Garland, TX Raytheon ⋅ 9 years experience

Shelton,
First, thanks for your service!
Lots of great suggestions already provided but I would say don't sell yourself short when it comes to you leadership experience and the "assets" that you've been managing for two decades.
Managing dollars or equipment or personnel, tell about how you've managed these assets daily and kept track and supported them. Many accounting firms prefer not to bring in someone that has past experience in a different system since they often want to change processes over to what they are experienced with.
You come in with fresh ideas from a different "industry" and just stress that you are great at following processes and have a passion in succeeding.
Bob

Wayne White ⋅ New York, NY U.S. Navy, Seaman ⋅ 4 years served

Hello, what you may do is look up the job description that you are applying for and compare the duties with what you did in the military, then highlight your experience, especially under pressure and your leadership and you should do find. One thing, in the civilian world there are certain things an interviewer may not understand, but take the time and give details so they may see the importance of hiring a person with your background, good luck and get the job you deserve.

Deb Yeagle ⋅ Tampa, FL Plan To Win, Inc. ⋅ 39 years experience

Shelton-
Thanks for your service!
If you managed a budget and billets as part of your Army experience then I would cite that.
Other examples might include asset management, such as equipment inventory, and the costs for any operations and maintenance of the equipment. Cite any cost savings or any other accomplishments related to assets and resources you achieved as well as examples of staying within budget, operating at decreased manning levels, etc.
Good luck!
Deb

William Orr ⋅ Greenwood, IN Edward Jones Investments ⋅ 4 years experience

Here's an example of an S-3 profit and loss statement area you might consider:

"Last fiscal year, as Training Manager, I was faced with a 10% budgetary cut which would adversely affect the amount of ammunition and fuel we could allocate to our critical training. To offset this cost, I created a multi-modal transportation strategy that moved our equipment to the training site via rail and convoy, at a cost savings of over 15%. This resulted in our ability to buy 1,000 additional missiles, which enabled my organization to qualify over 800 personnel to a satisfactory level in their critical job skills."

Brainstorm challenges you faced and how they affected your unit. Talk about what you did to overcome the challenge. Show the result of your actions in real terms; preferably numbers.

Drew Schildwächter ⋅ Wilmington, NC Salesforce ⋅ 8 years experience

Shelton: I believe that varies between industries, but the common factor is that the burden is on you to explain the correlation.

In my own case, I spoke with professionals in my chosen industry with a military background first in order to improve my examples. I then spoke with professionals in my chosen industry without a military background in order to see if they understood my examples.

Clearly communicating the point is key. For example, most people think that all military leadership is easy because people follow orders, right? You can then explain how you not only managed and motivated subordinates, but managed peers and superiors in your roles at the S-3 and G-3. That's pretty meaningful because it shows that you can communicate and cooperate (good things in general - but sometimes things civilians do not expect from veterans).

Cheryl Crowsey ⋅ San Antonio, TX Allstate Insurance Company ⋅ 10 years experience

Almost any analytical experience would apply. In the military world, I'm sure you have to make decision about what action will drive a desired result and at what cost. It could be regarding building out facilities, changing the way you train, or even analyzing the cost (in terms of harm to human life) of taking military action against what gains you hope to achieve with that action. Think back on your experience and focus on the times you had to make a decision and weighed out costs against gains. You no doubt have exposure at multiple levels.

Tom Murray ⋅ The Vill, FL Northrop Grumman ⋅ 20 years experience

Emphasize your 20 years of leadership experience. Few civilians ever get a chance to lead/manage or have the responsibilities for the number of people that you have led or the equipment you have had under your auspices. Have ready some examples of your Army successes where your actions led directly to the result. These example will , of course, not be quantified in dollar and cents but rather in the success of you and your organization.