What was the most important thing to you when you transitioned to a civilian job?

2018-06-05T10:20:49-04:00

Spectrum – America’s fastest-growing TV, Internet, and Voice company – is here to help you succeed. From our apprenticeship program to our military partnerships and veteran employee network, we’re committed to successful transitions. Learn about our Field Technician jobs in Southern California.

Response by SFC Mamerto Perez made Jun 8 at 2018 2:34 PM

2018-06-08T14:34:19-04:00

My Family.

Response by 1SG James Matthews made Jun 10 at 2018 12:40 PM

2018-06-10T12:40:40-04:00

Retired in 81--haven't learned how to transition to civilian way of thinking yet- opened my own business.

Response by SMSgt Sheila Berg made Jun 14 at 2018 3:04 PM

2018-06-14T15:04:50-04:00

Don't try to explain your military job. They don't get it.

Response by SSgt Boyd Herrst made Jun 17 at 2018 10:18 AM

2018-06-17T10:18:57-04:00

Our base had a transition group come in and what we had to do is write up our idea of our job description .. what we did.. take it and give it to them . They translated it to “civilianese” In my job as a Cook / Baker Supervisor I think with a little more creative thinking I could of done it on my own. At the time I had other items on my mind.. ; my place off-base(getting out of the lease.. actually They had understood
What confronts us in that department.. so I was concerned over not much) I wanted to make my transition easy as possible..
another counselor laid out ideas like letting my hair grow some.. touch my ears.. break out of the Military “starchy”
Bearing.. it can make people uncomfortable she said.. I suppose I could relax a bit... but not much.. <-that might give a negative idea, I might of had a negative attitude while I was in...
Wearing uniform parts.. a negative(I mean like the light blue shirts worn under the Class A’s blouse (not the recent double pocketed shirt with epaulets.. I still had the one pocketed shirts, some in very good shape.. get some with a little color.. my idea was a medium blue, a little more blue than our blue Military shirts..
So I took my translated job description resume and went out and got a job at a medium-high end restaurant as an Assistant Chef.. there were 4 others that came in after me by about 20 or so minutes.. We were all early.. by 45 minutes or so. The restaurant had cameras on the building and poles..
so they would know who arrived first
(Me).... Well, I didn’t get to go first..
I had submitted it day before to their employment service(They’d utilized
MiWorks. The contracted Employment service(actually some former just retired state employment agents opened it)... The clerk/admin Assistant Faxed it right there in front of me..The soon to be employer called me within a few hours and said hey’d see me that next morning at 9 o’clock..!now fast- forward to that next morning.. I went there slightly civilianized(i couldn’t shake the Military bearing enough.. still stand as straight as my 5’-9” would let me.. I’d read what clothes would supposedly make me appear taller.. and that’s what I wore.. i’d
also brought along a Chef Jacket I had ..
From my days at my part-time NCO&Officer Open Mess job.... and my personal Chef tool kit.. just in case.. Some say that would not happen because of liability concerns.. better to have and not need... Those remained locked in the car... I went in and gave their H-R clerk my card.. she motioned me to a chair and there I waited.. the others came in.. One other appeared to have some “Military bearing”.... “what were my chances ?....
just wait and see I thought another came in with a dread-locks look.. it had been trimmed some.. actually looked good on him.. another 2 came in and one of them looked around at us and walked back out..
maybe he just had to go make use of the
Rest room.. he did not come back.. The HR clerk called that guy’s name first... she was going alphabetical... my letter was last(H)... I sat and waited.. read a food equipment mag.. another got up and walked out.. would he come back? ...
he didn’t appear to be.. The other Chef
applicant and I were last.. the other few
Didn’t last 5 minutes.. Hmm.. finally the
Other applicant was called in.. 35 minutes!... He came out with a frown and then it changed to a smile .. The HR clerk called my name.. went in and we talked for about 20 minutes.. “We’ll give you a call,
Chef and let you know when you start.. if you do.. He didn’t me back the copy of the resume.. I got up, we bumped fists..
and I went to the door.. before I got to the door, he asked if 8 in the morning would work for me.. that’ll be fine Mr. C______,
He was Restaurant/Catering Director..
it looked like to me from seeing the other Chef .. (his smile?) he hired both of us. .
We were both there at 7:30 that morn’g...
The Chef came out and motioned both of US to come in... He handed both of us a production book that explained the product and how it’s to be completed snd how much time we had approximately we had to do it in..and he explained where in the coolers we could find our products...
we got our product and completed our projects in good time.. as fast as possible but being safe at the same time.. Clean-up time for the area is part of the prep completion time ... head Chef came by and brought the pages back.. with new projects written in greasepaint.. and thanked us for our timely completion ..
These products would take some more time.. it involved cutting off the bone and cutting filets and pound’g out, seasoning and breading some...of them.. he had pork and I had the beef or veal... again.. we did our projects in good time.. and it was time for lunch.. There was a tray with meats, cheeses, fruit.. breads.. We took what we wanted and went and sat in our lunch room... The Chefs had their own break room.. I kind liked and kinda did not.. it smelled of ‘elitism’... what I liked is we could discuss some things we could feel free to discuss without unintended overhearing by the kitchen assistants.. They had that same assurance of semi privacy.. in their break-room.. I think in some instances it’s good to have some interaction at break time between the Chefs, Cooks and food service assistants .. I hadn’t looked in our ethics code if this discrimination(?) was a violation.. Skme employees in the past had complained and said the separate rooms were discriminatory.... Ours had
Nice pics work-related and not-related..
State and Federal laws were framed and
In 9 x 11” frames.. theirs were in obnoxious over-bearing poster size(framed)... no scenery pics..
light gray paint on the walls vs a light blue green on our walls with a border print going around of Culinary goings-on..
nice tables(they had a plywood board with linoleum tacked on and a border board sitting on saw-horses with benches (padded bolted to saw-horses.. )
They submitted that to the state bureau
For worker equal employment.. Their complaint at that time was still sitting in a fikebox folder.. for 2 years..it appeared it would not be broached in a timely manner.. that all cases before the state should be reviewed and acted upon with equal treatment, It appeared the state practiced discrimination in reviewing and acting upon cases before it.., those plaintiffs took the state in a related case..
they lost that.. the admin judge ruled that their initial case was not aimed at actual. Work discrimination but on ‘creature comforts’. and those had a low priority as compared to actual job discrimination cases.. Thoss employeees were not terminated.. just reduced hours..
yes the squeaky wheels got the grease..
to slide out the door faster .. those that kept their mouth shut got the others job positions with better hours.. They seemed to had forgotten to include the Chef’s locker room with decent chairs and semi private showers(with half walls.. even the women chefs had their own semi private locker room and showers that were maintained for them and furnished with nice hotel towels, chairs, shampoo and rinse and Liquid soap dispenser ..
Full length mirrors (one angled each side off the center mirror and a mirror positioned at the back.. ). To let them seee their uniform looked right.. food services assistantS only had a few non private showers in a large tiled area.. a bolted bench in the center of aisle.
They could of included that and maybe..
Their case would of had a bare chance..
I’d stayed there a few years and transferred to a Restaurant atttached to a hotel closer go home.... just as nice worker accommodations .. but more equal.. Rules of Ethics in the Culinary group is a bit tighter .. Why the ‘discrimination’ in creature comforts for employees was allowed .. maybe it’s because the assistants were not aware of
The ethics the Chefs and some other Food Service professionals followed<- catering wait persons, servers.. (even they got to use the nicer facilities .. I only included the part about the assistsnts to show what goes on within the hotel Restaurant Industry ..

Response by SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM made Jun 18 at 2018 8:32 AM

2018-06-18T08:32:35-04:00

RESUME/NETWORKING IS THE KEY

Response by SFC Christopher Taggart made Jun 19 at 2018 8:41 PM

2018-06-19T20:41:04-04:00

Let those that are "in charge" BE in charge...relax and ride the wave! You are no longer an Officer or NCO!