I’d like to highlight some of the best nuggets we heard this year from the more than 2,000 MOAA members we worked with to accelerate their professional transitions and the 100-plus military friendly employers who supported our career building events. I hope these lessons will get you to the top and help you stay there.

• Are you really a CEO? You might think the breadth of responsibility required to command a Navy ship or an Army brigade is similar to the skill set of a corporate CEO. Well, not so fast. Before adopting the title of CEO on your transition resume, know that leading a large military organization is not equivalent to serving as a private sector CEO, where shareholder relations, growing the stock price and answering to a board of directors are essential elements of success.

• Do you always want to negotiate? There’s at least a 5 percent chance that choosing to negotiate a reasonable offer will result in the offer being rescinded. If you receive an offer from a company you know and trust, be respectful of your future employer’s concerns. What is the range for this position? Where do I fall within this range based on my skills? Have I ever done this job or a similar job before? The answers to these questions will help you understand when to negotiate.

• Transitioning senior officers should be open to sales opportunities. Companies of all sizes are looking for people with some life experiences and gray hair to add gravitas to their customer-facing ranks. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald and Johnson and Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky are both former military officers who started their corporate careers as sales reps.

• The universe of companies willing to hire a transitioning military officer with no private sector experience for a six-figure salary is very narrow. Consider that the company that pays you a little less initially, but fits your experience, education and passion, may be the place where you’ll do some of your best work.

• As you prep for your first interview, remember your leave-behind documents. As a minimum these should include a copy of your updated resume. These documents may also include a portfolio containing highlights of some of your best work, including press articles, conference reports, peer reviewed articles and presentations. One caution: Make sure no intellectual property from previous employers is inadvertently disclosed.

• Continuing the interview theme, stress outcomes. Be prepared to discuss what would not have happened in your last role without your direct engagement. A great idea is only as strong as the follow-through. Nothing frustrates a line manager more than a lack of follow-through.

As you prepare to leave military service, understand that the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act fundamentally changed the value proposition of the traditional defined benefit military retirement plan for people entering service on or after Jan. 1, 2018. Service members with less than 12 years of service on that date may opt in to the new plan if they choose. For those future entrants and converters, defined benefits will be reduced by 20 percent, and military members under the new system who do not contribute sufficient funds to receive the full 4 percent government match will have much less financial security in retirement. These changes may not affect you, but they will affect many of those you will continue to mentor.

Finally, the best advice from 2015 is to join MOAA. Make it your resolution to go to www.moaa.org/join and add your voice to our 395,000 members working maintain a strong national defense. And, in the process, you will receive some of the best financial education and career management consulting advice available in the private sector.

About the Author: Jim Carman is a graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management and a retired Navy Captain. He writes, lectures, and coaches job candidates on interview skills and career building topics and leads the transition practice at the Military Officers Association of America.