Hello,
I am Kyle Nickel, a recently retired Marine Corps officer with 28 years experience in the Logistics/Supply Chain Management fields. I have moved back to my home state of Michigan and have limited contacts.
I am looking for assistance in finding logistics/supply chain or management recruiters in the Detroit area that are looking for a professional supply chain/logistics leader.
My professional summary:
I am an executive Director of Logistics and Supply Chain Management and Military Officer Veteran with a Top Secret Security Clearance and 28 years of proven experience in the United States Marine Corps. I have accomplished measurable results while leading teams of over 200 personnel while building cohesive teams through trust and unity of effort and cultivating innovation, resulting in the accomplishment of multiple strategic initiatives that created a fundamental change in sustainment processes across the Marine Corps. I possess a comprehensive background in leadership, logistics, and supply chain management derived from conducting domestic and global operations. I have managed risk across multiple product lines to protect assets, property, and equipment valued over $5.9B across 20 product work lines. I have supervised a $650M operational enterprise equipment rebuild/maintenance budget. I was the recipient of multiple awards for outstanding performance and professionalism. My career is supported by a Master of Science in Management, Leadership and Organizational Behavior from Troy University and a Bachelors degree from the University of Michigan.
Thanks for any assistance,
Kyle Nickel
Answers
Kyle,
Your entry made me feel nostalgic. I was born in the Lansing area, my first job was in Grand Rapids, Got married and move to Garden City, and my wife's family was all from Flint or Bay City area. Your carer summary is well written. You are obviously a person with excellent skills and, if marketed correctly, several good jobs in your area should bee available to you.
Mike Cottell has given you some excellent advice. You can not loose if you do as he suggested. I would like to add a few things to what he said. Approaching Executive Recruiters in the same way he advised you to approach individual companies should be a very productive activity for you. I worked as a recruiter and if someone with your credential come to my office, I would not let you out of the office without getting you to fill an application and find out when was the best time to call. I checked, the Detroit yellow pages has a list of over 130 recruiting firms listed by the type of candidates they place. It should not be difficult to contact the correct firms and set appointments as a candidate for executive contracts they are trying to fill.
However, before you follow his advice or mine please do two things.
1. Prepare what you will say to them before you approach them. Talking to a recruiter is a form of an interview and I am sure you would never go to an interview unprepared.
2. Create what I call a Networking Business Card. It is very effective for professionals. It is a business card with name, address, phone, and career objective or professional title. Recruiters and HR/Executives remember you if you use it as you any business card and that is the objective, to be remembered when it is time to schedule appointments for interviews.
Good luck, I am sure you will do well. Please feel free to contact me. I would love to help a fellow Michigan person succeed. My email is jespencer1@gmail.com.
Hi Kyle, another option for you to consider is identifying companies yourself that you would like to work for and approach them directly. Both your professional summary listed here and your LinkedIn profile are very well written and you have a lot of talent , skills and experience to offer.
1) Company websites are a wealth of knowledge to learn about the company, their strategies, vision etc. Go online and visit any and all businesses that are in your geographic range and study the information. Create a point of view of how you would like to work for that company , why and what value you would bring.
2) If there is a job posted on their career section that interest you, craft a cover letter with that point of view and send with your resume.
3) If there are no openings, don't stop there. Find the name of a senior executive, President, CEO, VP of HR etc. and send them a cover letter and resume as well. Your cover letter needs to be crafted differently from one applying for a posted job, but it still will identify why you want to work for this organization, what you bring to the table and that you would like to be considered for an opportunity to meet them for an interview for any current or potential future position. You'd be surprised, this works many times as jobs open are not always posted and sometimes meeting a great talent spurs ideas for a new position .
4) Also consider reaching out to elected officials and ask them for any support helping a military veteran network into civilian life with contacts. Be bold-go for the Governor, US and State Senators, Mayors etc. Hey, what do you have to lose?
5) Visit your local chapters of American Legion, VFW, etc. and see if any leads might be available.
Good Luck Kyle, thank you for your service and let me know if I can assist you in any way you might need.
Best Regards, Mike
Kyle,
Good advice from Lauren. I also encourage you to next work as diligently as possible. Though I don't know much of the Detroit area it is obvious you have a lot to bring to the table and thus will be entering at a mid - lower-senior level - then move up quickly. My one caution is to be someone choosey regarding groups you will join. Based on your level - one may be the Rotary - but again research which one. You would want to join a group with senior level decision makers, attorneys, CPA etc.
Hi Kyle,
Thank you for your service and for your question. The "Community" page on AdvisorNet is a really helpful tool for networking with both veterans and professionals from corporate America in your new location. You can put in your Detroit postal code and search for Advisors by industry, location and years of experience.
I encourage you cast your net widely and send direct messages to multiple people to network with. You may be able to setup informational interviews and begin building your network out that way.
If you have any questions about AdvisorNet or the "Community" page specifically, please let me know and I can provide you with a virtual tour. Best of luck in the job search!
Best,
Lauren
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