I'm interested in several positions in sales in various industries but I 'm lacking a way to define my experience working in Special Forces and meeting the needs of international customers by providing world class training support to foreign internal defense. Any suggestions?
Answers
Lex provides a great basis for translating your skills. Many organizations will bury their heads in the sand and only want sales experience, but do some networking in an industry that interests you and start getting your stories out, about how you were able to lobby for additional funding or convince someone that more staffing was required. If you look at your accommodations, there will be some of the best language about your abilities. Many times people are looking for someone they can "trust", break through that barrier and tell them your stories about how you improved things or garnered a larger % of staff due to successes etc. I would try some Information Interviewing, reach out to Sales Directors or Sales Managers, ask honest questions about your are looking at this career and are seeking advice. Make sure you emphasize you are looking for help in your transition, this will open a lot of doors, people love to help military, maybe not hire you, but help you yes. You take this information and learn the career inside and out, the more you know about the career the more you will learn learn their language and metrics, what they want to hear. Also join groups on LinkedIn and Facebook, for sales. Great way to network! Join in ask questions, give input etc. That is how folks see your name. Follow Michael Quinn, he does live programs on marketing your self on LinkedIn and other platforms. Thanks for your service and God Bless (p.s. ACP mentors are great, Hire Heroes USA does resume work) Lot of good NGO's helping service members, use them.
Jeffrey,
As a professional resume writer, I can tell you that you do have numbers to draw on, you're just not aware of them yet. When you were training foreign partners, how many did you train at any one time? Did your training enable your students to go from 0% to 100% in performing their new missions? Did you get any formal recognition for your work, such as medals or promotions? DId you operate in a multicultural setting, work through translators, explain U.S. culture and learn about the host nation's culture? Did you lobby for specific funds to support FMS programs or training programs? All of that speaks to your ability to interact effectively with others, manage programs and projects, deliver results, and show yourself to be multicultural. Lots of good things to show on your resume. Think about your experience as if you were explaining it to a civilian who doesn't know anything - make it clear, simple, and powerful, with strong results at the end. Hope this helps!
Lex
@Jerry,
Starting from the bottom, I use ACP and Hire Heroes for mentorship and resources. They are both outstanding. I appreciate the advice and I'm confident I can give several examples of what you described. I will continue to build my network and find people to gain advice from. Thank you very much Jerry!
Hi Jeffrey -
Happy to connect on this & talk through your experience to draw out some of those high level themes/key words & figures.
My email is Kiley.pontrelli@credit-suisse.com
Best,
Kiley
Thank you Lex. I have captured a lot of that in my current resume. I’ll look at some of your points and see if I can quantify further.
Hello Nancy,
My personality type is ideal for a customer facing role. It may not have to be sales per say. The banking and finance industry is big in Scottsdale and I plan on staying here.
Hi Jeffrey,
Lex has some great advice. But I need to ask, why you are drawn to sales and what industries would you like to target? DoD contractors?
Thanks for the clarification.
Nancy
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