I am an Air Force Captain with five years of management experience in a technical/complex career field and I will be separating in February, 2014 and I am looking to relocate to the Twin Cities area. My experiences best translate to the supply/logistics, production/manufacturing, and operations areas.
I am looking to make contacts in the Twin Cities area with the hope of pursuing career opportunities and general transition guidance. I have begun to apply for different positions but coming from a unique career field (Nuclear ICBMs), it is difficult to translate that into the civilian sector.
I am open to any suggestions or questions.
Thank you for your time,
Nathan Johnson
Answers
Hi, Nathan,
Thanks for your service.
A few suggestions to set you up for success in the Twin Cities: Join ACP's mentoring program and request a mentor from a Minnesota-based company (if you have not already done so); leverage LinkedIn (great suggestions from Ginna & Tom) - let's connect through that and we can explore opportunities with General Mills in your areas of interest (https://careers.generalmills.com/) and I can connect you with colleagues to build your network.
Thanks,
Jeff
Nathan,
Supply/logistics, production/manufacturing, and operations experience is valuable to many companies. Sometimes the specifics of the field you applied these is less important. Happy to connect you with colleagues in Cargill in that space. Linkedin is a great place to start.
Hello Nathan,
The advice provided above is a great place to start. Feel free to reach out to me through Linkedin or direct email ericbknode@gmail.com and we can discuss some of the opportunities here at Infor (http://www.infor.com/company/careers/).
Eric
Nathan,
Please come back and let us know what is helpful and what is not. I like hearing suggestions and ideas, and even constructive criticism.
* Learn about VCTP Syracuse. You might be a good candidate for the Project Management Professional certification. The next deadline for guided-track is Nov. 25, 2013. Request a time with one of VCTP's professional guidance counselors soon.
* see this discussion for a wealth of information re: the PMP certification:
https://acp-advisornet.org/question/927/a-checklist-for-veterans-how-to-learn-more-about-the-project-management-professional-pmp-cert./p1
* LinkedIn is a great networking tool. Join the "Veteran Mentor Network" on Linked In, and search its 14,000 members for folks that meet various criteria, including keywords, title and geographic location. The "Veteran Mentor Network" group on LinkedIn is where I first learned about the VCTP Syracuse program, and because it is an independent group, it is willing to freely and openly provide information on a wide variety of constructive program, non-profits and other organizations.
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Veteran-Mentor-Network-4466143
* add your LinkedIn profile to you acp-advisornet profile
* You may also want to research the certifications that APICS offers. see apics.org
* Learn more about other professional organization related to your field, industry and roles in which you are interested. Reach out to local chapters, attend meetings, volunteer, request a mentor, get involved. Professional organizations are force multipliers and a great way to network, learn and teach.
e.g. http://www.pmi.org/Get-Involved/Chapters-PMI-Chapters.aspx
http://www.apics.org/community/partners/chapters
* also see:
Manufacturing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APICS_The_Association_for_Operations_Management
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_for_Manufacturing_Excellence
http://www.ame.org/events/72
Supply Chain, Logistics Transportation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_chain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APICS_The_Association_for_Operations_Management
Project-Management
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management
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