Kathleen Dunn-Knudsen ⋅ Brooklyn, NY ioby ⋅ 8 years experience

Hi Craig,

Thank you very much for your service and for using ACP AdvisorNet. Have you taken a look at our Community page? That section of the site can be very helpful as it allows you to search for Advisors by industry, experience and geographic location. As you search for a career in project management and change management, you might find it beneficial to search for Advisors in these fields and privately message them for career coaching.

ACP also has another program, our formal mentoring program, which is open to those who have served at least 180 days on Active Duty orders since September 11th, 2001. ACP's Veteran Mentoring Program is a free, yearlong, one-on-one mentorship with a corporate professional in your area of interest. If you meet this requirement and would like to discuss this program in greater detail, please send me a private message.

If you'd like a tour of ACP AdvisorNet, please let me know and I would be happy to arrange one for you.

Thank you again for your service and for using ACP AdvisorNet. I hope you have a joyous holiday season!

Best,
Kathleen
ACP AdvisorNet Staff

Lisa Duda ⋅ Warwick, RI Schneider Electric ⋅ 18 years experience

Hi Craig,
Thank you sincerely for your service.

For a career in Org Change Management (OCM), as well as for Project Management, there are standards and methodologies in place that you can get training on, and certifications available if you chose, that may help to strengthen your experience and credentials for gaining employment and a career track in these areas.

If you love projects and love to drive change, then OCM and project management will go hand-in-hand for you - and your experience in the military can certainly highlight and support both areas.

You may want to work with a professional resume writer to pull out and highlight your project management, training and OCM experiences from your military service.

Also, I recommend a few of the following actions;
-Research a good-fit for training online for OCM certifications / courses
-Attend a local Project Management Institute (PMI) Chapter meeting and explore resources they may offer. You will find people with similar challenges and professional interests - and the networking is valuable too!
-Find out if trainings or certifications can be reimbursed through current employer or benefits as a Vet.

-Here are a few links to get you started;
OCM Training
https://www.lce.com/Change-Management-Certification-Program-263.html
http://acuityinstitute.com/change-management/

Project Management Institute
http://www.pmi.org/
Have many local chapters across the US where project management professionals meet on a regular basis to cover a variety of topics, including OCM, Agile, Risk Management, Software Development and Technology management...

Good luck!
Lisa D.

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

Hi Craig, Happy Holidays and thank you for your many years of service!! As a quick word of advice, it is generally wise to stay away from acronyms in your communications, unless you are using them more than once in the communication (written or oral), when addressing a general audience. I assume pmp is Project Mgt. Professional but not sure about OCM (Org. Change Mgt.??) Regardless, your degree in Org. Leadership, together with your operational management work, should lead to a great position for you!! Review your work experience for anything that led to improvements in processes or important measures of those processes, and emphasize those in your resume, cover letters, profiles, etc. Best to you!! Leslie

Timothy Donahue ⋅ Fleetwood, NC manufacturing ⋅ 35 years experience

Craig. You have a great background for project management. Start with the large contractors but there are plenty of businesses that could use your experience Best of luck. Tim

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

Hi Craig-
Thanks for your service!
If you would like to send me your resume in a private message then I would be glad to take a look at it and offer specific suggestions on how to translate military change management experience to civilian terms. Start thinking about some of the policy changes, or even doctrinal changes, that occurred during your 22 year career. As a military leader, how did you help manage those to implement change? For example, during OIF and OEF, we shifted from fighting conventional threats to counter asymmetric threats. There were many recent personnel policy changes during SECDEF Carter's tenure. Hope this helps.
Thanks again!
Deb

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

First I concur with the above answers for the long run fix. Short term, let's get rid of 22 years, it overqualifies and some folks may think you are riding high and a cushy government pension. Look at your NCOer's and pull all of the STARS that are related to OCM. Next use a combination resume, Work History 2006-2016 US Army- Next heading Accomplishments- now by order of the job posting tell them your accomplishments, so if they want OCM first, give them 3-4 very good STARS, with good numbers. If they want organizational communication-again go pull some STARS that relate to this. If they then list project management, again go pull some STARS that relate to that.
If you are having trouble DE-militarizing them first draft them in NCOer format and then substitute civilian terms and then find a civilian you trust and get their opinion on how clear it was.
Another where you will find great accomplishments will be your commendations and awards. Civilians will not understand anything under the Medal of Honor, and if you had that you would not be here! So go through and do the same as NCOer quantifiable statements.
I honestly believe you will have enough to qualify. Another tip, learn the OCM civilian world. Join groups on LinkedIn or Facebook of OCM professionals, set up a news search for Organizational Change Management on Google or Bing and download news every day. You spend a couple of weeks reading their language you will see what applies. Thanks for your service and sacrifice for the US. God Bless.

Jeremy Hancock ⋅ Salt Lake City, UT Goldman Sachs & Co ⋅ 5 years experience

Craig,

If I could just concur with Kathleen. 2 years ago I began the ACP Mentorship program and it provided me with so much guidance. Mostly when it came time to convert military experience to civilian jargon. My mentor walked me through my resume and helped me tell my story in civilian terms. He also prepped me for interviews with mock questions and plenty of feedback. You'd be missing a great opportunity not to take advantage of the program. Keep in mind it's not a job placement program, it's designed to guide you as you transition.

Secondly, to your question, I wouldn't consider the job postings as absolute disqualifiers. Reach out to the recruitment team and ask if they offer veteran preference or if they would be willing to provide feedback on your resume. You probably exceed the experience requirement.

Lastly... network, network, network. Find somebody who is already employed with the firm you have your eye set on and ask to put some time on their calendar. Pick their brain and ask if they would recommend you or refer you.

I hope this helps. Best of luck.