Laid Off and Looking

In the blog so ably named The Wall Street Journal follows eight out-of-work M.B.A.s as they search for jobs in a post-meltdown world. One of the contributors, Mr. Murphy, 35, writes, about the difficulty he has translating his military experience into applicable skills for their potential employer.

"One of the challenges I face as a career switcher who spent almost a decade in the service is trying to translate my prior military work experience to potential employers. I also have to dispel any preconceived notions that the interviewer harbors regarding my strengths and weaknesses; it seems that since I've spent such a significant amount of time in uniform, some interviewers question my ability to operate in a corporate environment, as well as my willingness to take on a lower-level position again," Murphy wrote. "Still, I realize that my background as a Marine officer and pilot is what differentiates me; the tough part is being able to convey that to someone during a typical 30-minute interview. I almost always stress that I posses a significant amount of leadership and general management experience, which is uncommon to find in a recent M.B.A. grad."

It's a feeling parroted in dozens of posts after the blog entry.

One of the best responses was from DennyTheTech because it was relevant to so many of our service members looking for jobs.

"Mr. Murphy, when an interviewer gets around to pointing out my lack of experience in their field, I like pull out my favorite interview line. I tell them "I have never gotten a job with prior experience in a company's core business." It throws the interviewer off a little, and gives me a chance to explain that I have a very deep background and can pick up new technologies quickly.This applies to nearly everyone all of the time, but it is an unusual point of view, and it gets you noticed. This line gives you a good opening to explain situations where you used your background to resolve a new problem. One example might be your experience in night landings. I bet you didn't become a Marine aviator based on your experience landing at night.Before you use this line, you ought to have a little script ready and rehearsed. Keep it brief and add details as necessary."

Another good response was from ExNavy Finance Rep. His advice was more specific, however, extremely useful for service members in finance.

"I made the transition in 2001 following the dot-com bubble and struggled for 6-12 months before landing with my current employer. My most fruitful efforts were working with my ex-military network and a JMO recruiter.In terms of translating skills in a Finance interview, when screening JMO's for Finance positions I listen for them to communicate two things: 1 - How they intend to lead in a corporate role, and how their experiences have helped them develop this leadership breadth. More specifically the increasing role of influence and consensus building as opposed to just direct authority. 2 - how they have processed vast amounts of data quickly and efficiently. Any conflict situation requires the skill, but many JMO interviewees don't realize it's value which tells me they don't really know what their career choice entails."

While not all the comments are positive there are nuggets of gold to be had. Many people offered encouragement and wrote that as employers they would hire a qualified applicant with military experience over one who did not.