If you are "X" without your rank, how would you describe your experience/value proposition to a civilian employer without discussing rank?

2016-04-15T09:57:17-04:00

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2016 9:58 AM

2016-04-15T09:58:32-04:00

I am a dynamic leader, with multifaceted problem solving skills as demonstrated by the opinions of those who I have supervised and managed.

Response by SPC Rosina Thomas made Apr 15 at 2016 10:10 AM

2016-04-15T10:10:59-04:00

What was the task before you and how effectively you completed it and you can say it as a leader. You took charge and got a team together to go lay barriers outside the wire, you met some resistance however as a team we completed the mission efficiently and we did it to a level of great standards. We you encouraged them to work hard and to do the best at their jobs while we are completing the mission. So there is no rank there just what you did as your part to complete the mission. This is how I view leadership as a person who is accountable for it but not usually recognized as the person who is the Leader. So you communicate and walk the walk of accountable person who is a team motivator this will show your success. Leaders are ones who enhance the team and guidance as well as appreciation for how we accomplish a task.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Apr 15 at 2016 10:14 AM

2016-04-15T10:14:09-04:00

My military experience has never applied to any job to which I applied, so other than to mention that I was a veteran, the subject never came up.

Response by MAJ Michael Pauling made Apr 15 at 2016 10:22 AM

2016-04-15T10:22:34-04:00

My strength lies in my humility and experience. I know the value of team effort and the importance of individual attempts to achieve goals. I understand that I may never know how many trees constitute a forest but I also know how to take care of my responsibilities to the forest as a tree in it.

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Apr 15 at 2016 10:26 AM

2016-04-15T10:26:24-04:00

Rank, in itself, has nothing to offer to a prospective employer, it is all about making the business or agency more profitable/successful. If you can't put your experience into something that reflects your management/leadership and technical expertise in words that the employer understands, you lose.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2016 10:42 AM

2016-04-15T10:42:07-04:00

"I am an experienced leader, responsible for small units of 4 personnel and all subtasks including medical/dental readiness, professional development, combat readiness and accountable for $XXX,000 of equipment. I filled in other roles which allowed me the opportunity to supervisor XX number of subordinate supervisors, each accountable for 3-4 people and all subtasks previously descrbied."

Response by SPC David S. made Apr 15 at 2016 10:59 AM

2016-04-15T10:59:33-04:00

Even while low ranking I was tasked with some serious responsibilities. I think the civilian world lacks in this understanding of the level of responsibility placed on the young men and women in the military. I also think its important to understand how this is translated depends on the organization's needs and the role. Are they looking for leadership (management), task managers (supervisors), or grunt (worker bee). Personally I've never used the word 'military' in any of my interviews unless its brought up by the interviewee. I've always tried to translate my skill set to how it would be applied in the role and how it would be a positive for the organization. I can see how this could be a problem with a longer service careers - hard to act civilian when ingrained to speak and act military for so many years. The dichotomy of ROI vs OP tempo.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2016 11:01 AM

2016-04-15T11:01:22-04:00

My profile on LinkedIn is much different than my profile on RallyPoint. I have translated all of my military experience to management positions which would make sense. An example is from my time as a Brigade Executive Officer for a Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan:

"Executive Officer, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Chief of Staff for a 5000 person corporation with a primary mission of large scale demolitions, civil construction projects and humanitarian assistance. A portion of this time was spent in Afghanistan, responsible for an area roughly the size of Virginia. Responsible for the planning of annual and 5 year strategy resulting in the accomplishment of local and national strategic goals. Primary representative in charge of civil affairs and construction projects in order to restore the agriculture and small business ventures in a high risk area of the economy. Responsible for the maintenance, logistics and sustainment of over $500 million in property, real property, and inventory, including vehicle stocks, ammunition, explosives, food, construction material and cash on hand."

Everything can relate. You just have to understand what it is that your unit does and how you play a part in it. Then it's a simple matter of translating what you have done to someone in a way they can understand.

Response by PO2 Jeffrey Sheibels made Apr 15 at 2016 11:23 AM

2016-04-15T11:23:25-04:00

While in the Coast Guard I learned how to work in very stressful environments and situations. I also learned how to be flexible and accepting of change. I managed up to 40 people at one point in my career and am able to work with people who come from all walks of life.

That is usually my answer. I have never mentioned actual rank when talking about my time in the Coast Guard. Most civilians won't understand the terminology unless they served too. You have to translate it into civilian terms that they understand.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2016 11:32 AM

2016-04-15T11:32:27-04:00

good question, my employer, doesn't know what i did in my 31+ years or what rank i achieved, i see things daily on the job that make me cringe, civi sector is definately different, they know nothing about training, accountabillity, my supervisor tells me he's not a babysitter on a daily basis, but you know as well as i he's wrong

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Apr 15 at 2016 11:49 AM

2016-04-15T11:49:07-04:00

Ah yes, the old "Translation" challenge!
Certainly rank and all that comes with different ranks play into this, but I think that when discussing relevant military experience to a civilian employer, its more a matter of a service member's MOS and less the rank held.

Some MOS jobs lend themselves to civilian equivalency better than others do. A military fireman, air traffic controller, mechanic, medic/nurse/doctor will have an easier time relating their military education and experience if transitioning into a similar field than someone who is jumping into a whole new line of work or was working a unique military MOS like Infantry for example. The more combat specific military jobs--ironically I think--require more generalized descriptives in order for an applicant to convey attributes that will benefit a civilian employer. To that end, I have gone with personal examples of leadership training and opportunities; the ability to work effectively in a stressful environment; and strong work ethic, reflective of a desire to "complete the mission"; etc.

Again, while one's rank does factor into what a service member did and the responsibilities they had while in the military, translating relating relevant experience, education and attributes to civilians (so long as applicants remember to skip the military acronyms and jargon) seems more a matter of what you did than what rank you held.

Response by MSgt Ken "Airsoldier" Collins-Hardy made Apr 15 at 2016 1:57 PM

2016-04-15T13:57:12-04:00

CW3 Raymond, PHR, request your leadership in providing RP an example of how you would personally describe your experience/value proposition to a civilian employer w/o discussing rank. My example: 30-yr Global Command & Control expert managing decision-support systems in U.S. National Security space. Implement Risk Management solutions via Business Activity Monitoring such as Command Posts and Emergency Operation Centers, delivering time-sensitive Operational Intelligence and Situational Awareness. Execute National Incident Management Systems, Command Critical Information Requirements and Alert Notifications that target Defense Asset Management.

Response by CPL Richard Becerra made Apr 15 at 2016 2:09 PM

2016-04-15T14:09:55-04:00

THIS SUBJECT IS RETARDED DUE TO THE FACT THAT THESE LITTLE PU****S THAT DO OFFICE JOBS OR COOKS THESE DAYS , DONT KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO WORK HARD TO GET THIS PATCH ON THE OTHER ARM. WHY??? WOULD THE BIG DOGS HIGHER UP MAKE A RULE LIKE THIS? IS IT BECAUSE THEY THEMSELVES ARE PUSSIES??! I THINK SO. MAN THE F*K UP AND JUST REALIZE THAT MAYB E SOME DAY YOU CRY BABIES, ON PROFILE, WILL BECOME REAL MEN TOO!! IF YOU WORK HARD FOR IT. SUCK IT UP B UTTERCUP.

Response by CW3 Dylan E. Raymond, PHR made Apr 15 at 2016 2:29 PM

2016-04-15T14:29:53-04:00

This is great engagement and very much needed. This is some of the question that servicemembers should be asked and spend some time on in the SFL, MFL, TAP, FFSC transition class because it was a real struggle for me and I know other service members struggle. So here is Dylan Raymond perspective and what I learned to help me share my value add to the organization based on my experience. So here is my "X"

I am:

a husband, father, christian, leader, drill sergeant, warrant officer, recruiter, teacher, Soldier, veteran, passionate, problem solver, trainer, thought leader.

These are all great in my opinion and all intersect in some way because the things listed above are in my DNA, However when communicating to a civilian employer it will be impossible for them to understand all of the above. It is overwhelming even with the absence of rank. Again here is the secret that I learned when communicating to a civilian employer its about them. Everything that I listed about Dylan thats all about me...hopefully I am making sense so far. So what I am a Drill Sergeant, a recruiter, a father....dont get me wrong all those things are great but only to me.

Employers do not want the President of Jack of all trades, INC, CEO of I can do whatever it is that you want me to do, LLC, CFO of Anything, Corp. So here the secret that I learned and help me to be successful. Ask questions to find out what the Hiring Manager needs are and then you package your experience to meet their needs.

SM-What are some of the challenges you have faced in the last 3-6 months?

Employer- I have been unsuccessful in increasing my production on this assembly line.

SM- Great....tell a story. Well I am good at looking at process identifying way to continuously improve them. I look for redundancy, evaluate the staff and make recommendation to improve the process. i monitor after I implement to validate its success and tweak as necessary. If fact I recently had to make some change in a process while serving as a ______________ the project was 6 months and we increased production and revenue by 30%. This is just one example. The purpose of the question is to help you to focus on maybe 3-things that you like to do and good at to help the organization. But make sure you understand what their needs are. For example

I love solving:

Complex problem
Managing stakeholders
managing projects

the list can go on and on. The beauty of it I am still a husband, father, christian, leader, drill sergeant, warrant officer, recruiter, teacher, Soldier, veteran, passionate, problem solver, trainer, thought leader.

In closing identify your 3 top things that you can immediately add value to the organization. If the door opens for you to talk about some of the other "X's" that represent you by all means take it out of the park. Sorry for the long response I am just passionate working in this space.

Response by CPT Pedro Meza made Apr 15 at 2016 4:51 PM

2016-04-15T16:51:07-04:00

You mention the military work experience that matches the work that you are applying for, because an employer is looking for an employee that can do the work for which they will be hired to do. Also rank sometimes implies that you did not do the work, but took credit for it.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Apr 15 at 2016 11:58 PM

2016-04-15T23:58:31-04:00

OK forget about rank because it doesn't translate at the job fairs anyways. However, task size, scope, responsibility, authorities, and span are always translatable to firms that are worthwhile. If not, you likely don't want to work for them. I saw one post mentioning "humility". I've yet to see that work on hiring outside of social programs. However humility plays as a strength later on.

The other problem with rank is the higher it goes so does the size of the Entitlement Dragon. I typically seen about 1/2 the O-5/6 types flame out, bounce from place to place etc. Sadly the Civil Service is hamstrung with those who will never do well but don't do bad enough to get fired. They're all over the place.

The big thing is to demonstrate how you are essential to making the company successful and taking it to the next level. Superior skill, knowledge, capability, and a passion for making everyone around you successful too are the ticket punchers. A number of companies want Vets because they typically don't need baby sitters and are trainable, quick on the uptake, etc. You just have to demonstrate you're a real human later so they feel OK about letting you in the management club. Work on skills that create corporate comfort within your perimeter wire. It won't go unnoticed.

Response by SGT Maggie Hosket made Apr 16 at 2016 4:40 AM

2016-04-16T04:40:50-04:00

This is a great topic/ question of discusson. I have given a lot of thought over the last year or so, asking myself this same question. I have made multiple revisions to my resume, just in the last year alone (still not done). What was and has been most surprising to me were all the additional duties I was appointed/ held during my 7 years of AD. Four of them I held for 4+ years. I am currently in the process of obtaining my PMP ( Professional Project Management) certification and a big part of that I owe to simply looking at the "positions/ duties" I held while on AD from a different angle. Suddenly it didn't seem so tough conveying my worth and experience all while trying to incorporate rank somewhere in the description. Being able to compartmentalize each duty/ position as its own seperate project has made highlighting my talents/ experience that much easier. I may have rambled on a bunch but hopefully this will help any other of my fellow vets out there who has also hit a snafu during this particular portion of their resume writing.

Response by LT Erik Frederick made Apr 16 at 2016 7:15 AM

2016-04-16T07:15:10-04:00

You shouldn't use your rank: 1) There is decent chance it won't mean anything to them or they will misunderstand it. 2) It won't describe what you bring to them, e.g, a civilian wouldn't introduce himself as a "Senior Director" 3) It will compel you to develop a short and sweet way of translating your skills to their needs. We call this an elevator pitch. Need help with your elevator pitch? RallyPoint is the perfect place to ask for help. Post it and ask for feedback then refine it until you have it nailed!

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Apr 16 at 2016 9:02 AM

2016-04-16T09:02:25-04:00

Hmmm Interesting, 26 Years of Telecommunications Experience, 5 Years in Fiber Optics, 36 years in Security, Internationally Posted Communications Security Specialist with the National Security Agency for 21 years. 7 years of experience as a Courier of Sensitive Government Documents. Ceremonial Coordinator in Washington DC for 3 years. Court Bailiff for 3 years. Work Center Supervisor for the Maintenance of Fire Fighting Equipment.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Apr 18 at 2016 9:32 AM

2016-04-18T09:32:35-04:00

CW3 Dylan E. Raymond, PHR Sir does your posed question include the non mentioning of military service? or just rank?
I've seen such a thing suggested many time and I've never been comfortable with a written or verbal response to THAT question minus my service.. it was 28 years of 50 years of my life, from young adult to older guy.. Kind of hard to present who you are, what your capable of, what you have accomplished leaving out ...all of the same.
That's not to say you have to do that with service specific terms.. ...just that I find I have to include that time in service to have a complete picture of , well , me.

Response by PO3 Sherry Thornburg made Apr 19 at 2016 12:25 AM

2016-04-19T00:25:34-04:00

Tell them the civilian equivalent career field, or trainer/supervisor. Odd, it never came up for me, but my father and husband were always interviewed by a former military interviewer so they could talk military rank, ratings and schools without a problem.

Response by CMSgt Lloyd French made May 5 at 2016 1:47 PM

2016-05-05T13:47:07-04:00

You ARE something without your military rank...you are a professional. You epitomize the traits of respect, loyalty, leadership, followership, change manager, budget manager, and HR generalist...all wrapped in a comprehensive training package. You're adaptable, cool under pressure, and experienced in working with diverse nationalities, intellects, genders, and locations. If at least ONE of those qualities doesn't fit in with a civilian job, then it's not really a job, is it? I guarantee that you (as a whole person with bundled experience and success) have much to offer a civilian workforce with your infusion of talent and potential.

Response by SSG Eric Blue made Oct 29 at 2022 2:32 PM

2022-10-29T14:32:22-04:00

I would describe myself as a man who has experienced various environments journeying from boyhood to manhood, experiencing even more environments as a man, and having successfully led individuals, groups, and families to accomplish missions that most of my peers would have denied or chickened out on, partially because of the lack of courage to face the unknown and/or partially because their prior life experiences didn't properly prepare them to face the unknown and be successful.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 29 at 2022 5:39 PM

2022-10-29T17:39:21-04:00

"I have a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you."