Dr. Scena Webb ⋅ Auburn, WA Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) ⋅ 15 years experience

Hi Mike,

Congratulations on your transition. I transitioned after 21 years in the Navy in 2005. I joined NJROTC to help me as I made the transition. I wanted to put that organization out there just in case you were not familiar with them. I stayed with them for three years before returning to the federal government.

If you want to know more, please shoot me an email at webbusn@gmail.com.

Dr. Scena Webb
YNC(SW), Retired

Diane Lowe ⋅ Massapequa, NY ⋅ 25 years experience

Hi Mike,

My son just finished a life time career in the Air Force. I can appreciate the proactiveness.

First questions: Can you move anywhere in the country or are you staying in VA?
I'll assume you've started researching the types of corporate environments you will excel in.
In other words, what corporate environment would you be the most marketable in.
Once you've identified the corporations, you probably could find a careers button on the corporate website. Google is key for research, indeed.com could work, careerbuilder.com or monster.com, linkedin.com
Second question: Do you have a formal resume? Start with a generic resume and revise depending on the requirements of the position . If the position has certain key buzz words and you've parallelled the responsibility in your career, it goes in. Remember you're marketing a piece of paper into a company to get a phone conversation or a face to face interview.
If you do a cover letter, you'll want to highlight your experience that they're looking for.

** Linkedin.com is a business networking site. Extremely important to upload your resume here.
Also, for doing research. Everyone in the business world has a profile on linkedin. Also, you'll want to join groups on linkedin tto connect with professionals you can relate to.
After deciding on a position and company you'll want to do extensive research on the corporation to understand everything about the business, also linkedin research will help to see who the HR people or other employees are, if there is a name where the resume is going, that's even better. Check out the bios, you can just put the company name in and current employees will pop up.
The more you know about a company and its culture the more confident you will be during initial contact. You really have to totally understand the business, who they do business with. Private, Government both etc.
Logistics was a good career choice for transitioning.

I can go on forever, I'm a recruiter. Hope this advice helps. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Happy researching!!!

Email: darbycollinsgroup@gmail.com

Regards,

Diane Lowe
New York

Walt Overfield ⋅ Virginia Beach, VA U.S. Navy, Master Chief Petty Officer ⋅ 22 years served

Mike,
I retired from the Navy about 20 years ago. I changed jobs and careers about every 3 years just like I did in the Navy until I figured out how I wanted to be of service.
I started with consulting for a big DOD contractor because that was the easiest work to find. We worked on Test & Evaluation for a big Navy communications system. That lasted a few years until the contract ended and I needed a new job.
Then I tried working at NAS Oceana running the transition assistance programs helping military leave the service and get civilian jobs. Great job for a while but workplace culture wore me down. Next I tried running a welfare to work program for a large city under a contract with a large D.C consulting company. Consulting was good but all programs end.
Next I tried a large health insurer where I was able to apply my computer skills to identify overpayments. Within 6 years we were finding $100 million in overpayments per year. Again, corporate culture was challenging even though the job was satisfying.
Finally, I started working as an independent contractor for many large health insurers where I put together all the consulting and healthcare corporate skills and experience into a viable package that allows me to work remotely from home.
What I learned in my journey is:
- Find out what you love about the Navy. Look at every position you held and recall the experiences that brought you the most joy. For me, it was working on challenging technical problems that allowed me to use computer skills to help solve big problems.
- Find out what kind of people you want to work with. Every organization has a culture. You will be happiest when you are a good fit.
- Try lots jobs and careers. The civilian community is loaded with good people and great opportunities. One goal is to learn about yourself and what is really important to you.
- Figure out your mission. Mine is to help lower the cost of healthcare for all Americans. Choose a mission that you really believe in. Then find all the employment opportunities that support your mission. When you know where you're headed, you'll make the best decisions.
- Lastly, consider all your important people as you set a course. Your family and friends are your best supporters and should be cherished.

Good Luck!

Guinness Collins ⋅ Magnolia, TX Mayo Medical Laboratories ⋅ 20 years experience

Capt Cashman
Congratualtions on such an oustanding career. Are you looking for resume advice or networking? What new adventures are you wanting to pursue? I can be reached at collins.guinness@mayo.edu if you would like to discuss further.

Kindest regard
Guinness Collins

Craig Bush ⋅ Boston, MA IBM ⋅ 11 years experience

You might enjoy consulting. Someone with your level of experience would be a great asset to the consulting world.

And here's the thing: There are so many consulting companies all over the globe, that I'm sure something would suit your talents.

Message me if you'd like to know more.

Dennis Sajdak ⋅ Tempe, AZ Healthcare consultant ⋅ 30 years experience

Depending on your target job, focus your resume and responses on your accomplishment...quantify them if possible. That will get the attention of perspective employers.