Barron Evans ⋅ Ann Arbor, MI Customer Experience Change Management ⋅ 30 years experience

Diane... foremost, thank you for your service. In addition to Scott's counsel, I would suggest you think in terms of 'outcomes' -- which are supported by skills and capabilities (what you refer to as 'doing OSHA involved things, quality assurance tasks'). Like you, my career has been diverse, from telecom to change management consulting to pharmaceuticals to Hallmark Cards (!) … so I 'hear you' RE: tying the bow around what you want. Ultimately, coupled with purpose clarity that Scott references, try to get comfortable speaking/writing based on answering this model: 'What/So What/Now What?' For example: What=training /So What=the benefits a skilled trainer enables in people/Now What=building employee capabilities and confidence that enable personal growth and professional success. Then you can use your accrued skills to demonstrate 'how' you've achieved success in training, i.e., empathy, verbal communications, group facilitation, etc. Make sense? SUCCESS to you!

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

Please read these 2 articles, and then provide feedback, and ask questions, and we'll go from there. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasical/ .

http://www.businessinsider.com/no-such-thing-as-one-perfect-life-2017-1

http://www.businessinsider.com/before-changing-jobs-life-design-interviews-2016-10

Scott Vedder ⋅ Orlando, FL Signs of a Great Résumé: Veterans Edition ⋅ 21 years experience

Hi Diane,

The good news is, lots of veterans have expressed to me the same thing about varied experience and a less-than-clear next step, so you're not alone!

When discussing the path forward during a career transition, I always ask people to consider what about their work really leaves them with a sense of reward, accomplishment, and fulfillment. Try writing a "purpose" for your career. Mine is "I help others, particularly military veterans, find success in their careers." This succinct statement helps guide what kinds of jobs I've pursued. When a job could leave me feeling fulfilled based on my purpose, I knew it might be a match. I never really liked the idea of picking out a title then chasing opportunities with that position name. I always focused on what I could bring to the role and what I wanted to feel at the end of the workday. When I've helped others succeed in their careers, I've had a great day!

So what's your "purpose?" If you can articulate what you want out of a job and marry that to a few core skills you have (for example, a few of my core skills are strategy, communication, and influence), then you're probably on the right path to figuring out what may be next. Don't focus on tasks or titles first - there's a lot you CAN do... I recommend using this approach to figure out what you WANT to do.

I hope this helps!

-Scott!