Veteran Reality Check #1: It is All About Profit?

COL Mikel J. Burroughs — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 15:17:15 -0400

Veteran Reality Check #1: It is All About Profit?

It doesn’t matter what you have done in your past; employers only care about what they believe you can do for them in the future…with profit as the key metric.

So, what do you do with this knowledge and how does it help you get employed?

By Tim Dalhouse, MBA, PMP
Co-Founder of Vets2PM: We help Military Veterans become Project Managers

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/veteran-reality-check-1-its-all-profit-tim-dalhouse-mba-pmp?trk=hp-feed-article-title-like

Are you a Military Veteran attempting to transition to a civilian career? You need to get one thing straight in your mind – For civilian employers, the hiring decision is all about profit. That’s the harsh reality, and the quicker you grasp that, the quicker you will find employment.

That may sound like a broad generalization, because a hiring decision is definitely a multi-criteria decision analysis with the goal of finding the exactly correct round peg to fit in the round hole the employer needs to fill. While there are many factors that influence the employer’s decision, the fundamental underlying motivation is how much profit potential does each candidate represent to the organization. Think about it – why would an employer pay you $75,000 per year, plus benefits, if the work you do for them is not going to generate more than $75,000 per year?

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Oct 12 at 2015 3:25 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 15:25:23 -0400

Yes COL Mikel J. Burroughs I do believe that potential employers are more focused on future potential than past performance.
Veteran should arm them selves with as much significant information about the company they are interviewing with including goals, major clients, frequent partnering organizations, etc.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 12 at 2015 3:29 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 15:29:53 -0400

True

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Oct 12 at 2015 3:47 PM

Cpl Jeff N. — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 15:47:29 -0400

This might be an over simplification. Many jobs are looked at as "costs of doing business", "overheads" or SG&A type costs (sales/general administrative) . These types of costs are generally measured as a percentage of gross profit/cost of goods/revenue etc. and as long as the company is generating the right ratio, generally speaking the staff jobs are relatively secure. Companies that are growing are far more comfortable places to work than those that struggle to grow or are in a declining state. You could look at staff roles as budgetary expense items. You need to manage them and keep them to certain ratios.

Jobs such as project managers are typically viewed as a cost center and not as a profit generator per see. Everything is ultimately about the profitability of the company but few positions have a direct tie to profitability. By the way, generating $75,000 in revenue will generate <$5,000 in net profit (assuming a healthy 6.6 ROS). In order to pay for yourself at the bottom line, if you make $75,000 per year, you need to generate $1,500,000 in revenue/sales at a 5% ROS level ($75,000 in earnings)and that only pays for you.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 13 at 2015 8:08 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 08:08:52 -0400

Sir-Harsh...but true.

The military gives us the idea that there is a period of intense "qualification", after which, it's largely about developing personnel into their best potential-"weeding out" those incapable, or unwilling to progress.

When we hit the private sector, we're bringing a lot of that development with us-They couldn't care less. Civilian employers may sincerely want to help vets, but as this article points out-it's an investment; first and foremost. If your military accomplishments easily (and quickly) translate to more efficiency, less individuality, and higher potential for revenue...great. If not, then they've little interest in "second chances".

I've found that if one learns fast that the "chain of command" out here is less easily defined...less a meritocracy ...one can use their prior skills to great advantage. Vets are more ready to commit, less fearful of responsibility, and manage risk/stress infinitely better. Couple that with the technical skills gained in service, and it's a slam dunk. Those are the traits the guys in the corner offices are looking for when they look to us.

Response by Anna Molosky made Nov 5 at 2015 1:22 PM

Anna Molosky — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 13:22:50 -0500

Jxind

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Mar 19 at 2022 10:50 AM

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 10:50:58 -0400

Thanks for sharing.