Keith Van Sickle ⋅ Menlo Park, CA Tensilica ⋅ 25 years experience

Hi Lindsay,
One great way to get a sense of what different jobs are like is by conducting what are called informational interviews. You meet with someone in a field or job you are interested in to understand what the job is like, how the person got into that job/field, etc. (pro tip: people love to talk about themselves.) Here's a guide that will give you some more info:
https://career.unca.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Job_Search_PDFs/Informational%20Interview%20Guide.pdf
Best, Keith

Gail Baccetti ⋅ Lake Geneva, WI Retired ⋅ 42 years experience

Looks like you've had some good responses so far, but I'd be happy to chat with you, either by email or phone. I worked for 42 years, mostly in Fortune 500 companies, so I have an overview of business functions. Most of my specific experience was in sales and account management, so I can easily answer any questions about those fields. I was also in HR, with a Master's degree in that area, but that was quite a while ago. If my background would help you in any way, you can reach me at gbaccetti@hotmail.com.

Elizabeth Dodson ⋅ El Dorado Hills, CA HomeZada ⋅ 20 years experience

Lindsay,
You are getting great feedback and support. I have been in business and technology throughout my career. If you want to talk about roles and opportunities in the business world, I can give you some perspective. My husband and I actually gave some training to my nephews on the roles and types of companies to work for before they headed off to college to give them insight as to whether a business degree was important to them.
Send me an email at edodson@homezada.com and we can schedule time to connect and discuss options.
Enjoy your day
Elizabeth

Patricia Magerkurth ⋅ Evergreen, CO InVia Coaching and Consulting ⋅ 40 years experience

Hello Lindsay,

Either approach will work. I suggest you do the following to determine the best fit for you in the job market. Buy a notebook or journal and do some homework before you jump out into the private sector.
1. Inventory your interests and passions. What do you love to do? Do you love solving problems? Do you like working outside or indoors? Do you love finance, projects, etc.
2. Make a list of your actual skills and your education and decide which of those would benefit an employer. Start with what you have done in the military and think about how those skills might be useful in the private sector.
3. Go online and look at sites like LinkedIn and Indeed to find different industries that could use your skills and may be a good fit.
4. Decide where you want to live. And start searching companies in that area.
5. Conduct the informational interviews with those companies. Start by doing a search on LinkedIn for those companies, find someone whose job title is of interest, and then call the company. Write a script so you feel comfortable. It should include first an short introduction, i.e. "Good morning. My name is Lindsay Radisek and I am currently serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and will soon be transitioning to the private sector. I would love to take you to coffee or lunch to better understand what it is that you do and get information.... etc." Make it short, but specific. If they say no, then thank them and move on. Knocking on those doors will at first be a little uncomfortable, but you'll soon find many people who will gladly open up.
6. Write it all down, take notes, and when you find something that clicks, follow up with that to learn what actual education or skills you will need to succeed.

There are lots of organizations that could be helpful such as Chambers of Commerce and MeetUp groups of people with similar interests. Do your research and you sill soon narrow down your search.

Good Luck and contact me if you want to have a conversation about how I transitioned careers. www.inviaconsulting.com.

FRANCIS TEPEDINO, ESQ. ⋅ San Diego, CA THE CONDOR GROUP ⋅ 30 years experience

Seek a job in Purchasing. Set up your resume to reflect the job requirements. A begining position in Purchasing for a large company does not require special skills. You can start at the bottom and work your way up. Good luck

Nancy Quartey ⋅ Palo Alto, CA ⋅ 1 years experience

Hi Lindsay,
I am a Career Transition Coach who helps people who are interested in exploring business ownership. Franchise ownership happens to be a great way for veterans to transition into business while allowing them to use their leadership skills and maintain some control and flexibility in their career. I always encourage my clients to explore a business from the inside out. I think that falls in line with what many have already suggested as far as researching different roles within business.
I also work with clients to help them define their goals in terms of income and lifestyle and help them evaluate options based on those goals. If you'd like to talk about it, I'd be happy to hear from you! You can call me at 650-352-7578 or email me at nquartey@esourcecoach.com.

Charles E. Cabler ⋅ Florence, AL Wells Fargo ⋅ 43 years experience

Good morning Lindsay. You have already received a lot of good advice, but I let me share a technique I use in my Job Search Workshop which has been very beneficial for my students. Begin by doing a skills assessment of yourself: technical, administrative, personal and other skills ( s/a organizing community activities, coaching ball or teaching Sunday School). Don't focus just on your military skills, but look at your lifetime knowledge acquisition as well. Within all those skills, consider what your interests are or what you enjoy doing. You should begin to see a pattern develop which may serve as a beginning job search point. For example, if your skill set includes good interpersonal skills, being bilingual, some financial analysis understanding (s/a checking account reconciliation and/or budgeting), travel and selling, perhaps applying for a trainee position in a bank's International Department would be an option. This process may surprise you in establishing a good starting point, then you can concentrate your search in that direction. Hope this is helpful. All the best.

Stephanie Petrosini ⋅ Red Bank, NJ ⋅ 11 years experience

Hi Lindsay!!!
Nice to meet you! I think you have gotten some great advice from those above and I will add to it a bit if I may.... When talking with others looking for similar advice i try to get them to base it off their past experiences for a starting point.

Try to think about your life-throughout the course of your life and career both professionally and personally, what skills/tasks/experiences gave you the most satisfaction and joy? Also what skills do you feel you have that match up to these situations? What do you look back on and have that sense of pride and nostalgia that you would recreate if you could?

Does this help at all? I would be happy to talk with you further off-ACP chat if you'd like. feel free to email me Stephanie.petrosini@ms.com.

BEST OF LUCK!!
Steph

mike gordon ⋅ Tendon Mfg ⋅ 35 years experience

Lindsay, finally a vet that is located in my neck of the woods, my email is mike@tendon.com, phone 216-663-3200. When you talk about finding a job in the business sector there is a pretty wide range to pick from, If you have a strong passion towards one particular function I would say try to pursue that one 1st, if not I'd spend some time with some business professional and get an idea of all that's out there. Feel free to get a hold of me if you want. We're located right off 480, east side.

Henry ("Dr. Hank") Stevens ⋅ Fort Lauderdale, FL Human Resources Quality Assurance, LLC (Now Retired) ⋅ 50 years experience

Greetings! I will be very brief. It is all about doing what you want to do. And that is all about understanding, appreciating, and embracing your talents.

A wise Industrial psychologist said it best, "PEOPLE WILL DO WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO DO WHEN WHAT THEY DO IS WHAT THEY WANT TO DO." 'Nother words, what are your talents? Pursue careers that tap into same.

Here is a link to a free website that will help you identify and explore your talents: http://www.humanmetrics.com/personality

If you would like my opinion or take on the results (also free) please e-mail me at hlstevens42@gmail.com I have been a Vocational Counselor for many years and as a Vet, myself, have a warm spot for other Vets.

Hank

Gerald Mannikarote ⋅ Houston, TX dMann Training Technologies ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Lindsay,
Drew has provided some great insight already.
I'll go ahead give you my two cents.
I was trained as a medical doctor, but my heart has been in business. I found a way to combine the two by working on the business side of healthcare. I have found this has made me the happiest in the long term.
I would suggest you pursue what you believe you would like to do. You can try out different things and figure out what you really like to do. You will ultimately thank yourself for doing what you enjoy.
You can look at what your qualified for and see how that would connect with what you like. Doing a job that you're qualified for could be your stepping stone into seeing what all is available in that industry.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to message me if you have any specific questions on how I connected healthcare and business.
Warm regards and all the best,
Jerry

Drew Schildwächter ⋅ Wilmington, NC Salesforce ⋅ 8 years experience

Lindsay: I think your ideal career is at the intersection of your capabilities (not necessarily your qualifications) and your interests. It can be daunting, I know; I probably would have left the Marine Corps sooner if I had a clearer picture of where to go earlier on.

A good book with some practical steps to follow in that pursuit is "Reinventing You" by Dorie Clark (https://dorieclark.com/reinventingyou/). I met Dorie at a Deloitte-sponsored event when I was job hunting and had a lot of good use from her books and podcasts.