How did you finish out your last couple years of service before you retired?

I'd suggest looking for the most civilian job possible in whatever unit you are assigned too.
Contrary the military mindset, when your out in the civilian world, the emphasis is often not on the toughest most dangerous jobs. I watched our logistics guys sort through more job offers than combat commanders who had proven themselves under fire and through the Army combat arms fields. Think of it from the perspective of, "What can this guy do for our company."

SFC Kevin Childers - I believe the thought in your last sentence sums up the issue - What qualities does this individual possess that makes them the best choice for the position or organization?

I would offer different advice than your suggestion though. The problem that many individuals who don't have a direct civilian counterpart to their military roles is that often they don't 'demilitarize' their resume and/or target the information to the position/organization they are applying for.

For example, a decorated platoon sergeant who was responsible for training his troops in combat operations, and personally led multiple combat missions, has many applicable elements that can be 'translated' from greenspeak. For example, if they were applying for an Emergency Management Director position, some of the attributes that immediately come to mind would be:
• Designed and implemented a departmental training program that focused on survival skills and emergency training in highly hazardous conditions.
• Personally recognized for my leadership and ability to adapt during crisis situations.
etc.

Servicemembers transitioning today have many different tools and resources available to them that weren't available to someone separating just 10 years ago (O*Net OnLine, CareerOneStop, MILGear, etc.). This is why it's so important to start your transition early and go through DoD TAP when you should, instead of 'fitting it in' during the last few months before your separation date.

COL Randall C. - I am in a training environment now. I am working on getting my Master Instructor Badge and I am also working on my master in training development at Troy University in AL. I think I am working toward my civilian credentials now at this point. I have had two full breaks in the military were I had civilian jobs. I definitely don't want to blunder this transition.

It's all on IPPSA now so you can track it.

SFC Kelly Fuerhoff My IPPSA was completely jacked up. I do mean completely. I was told it was due to my length in service but I took that with a healthy dose of suspicion. When I requested IPPSA be corrected, I was told it didn’t matter as S1 had the paperwork they needed. They had all the required paperwork, provided by me, but didn’t use a good deal of it. Everything from promotion dates, PEBD, retirement points count and time in service were incorrect in IPPSA.

A very frustrating experience.

IPPSA is more or less going to be great for all those soldiers that come in NEW and use ISPPA from DAY ONE, and make sure nothing slips buy through IPPSA. Meanwhile, all of us in the system prior still have all that PRE IPPSA stuff that needs to be migrated and sorted out.

I am starting my retirement brief in about a month. Now you can start 24 months out. I want to take this time to get my ducks in a row. I am getting seen for every medical issue now to make sure that all of my issues are recorded. I downloaded my med file before the transition. I am glad I did. Not everything made the transition to genesis.