U.S. Army, Military Police, Captain
Sales Representative, Aardvark Tactical
I left the Army with the rank of Captain nine years ago and initially went to work as a Financial Advisor in Scottsdale, AZ. After drudging through a painful and unforgiving market, I started thinking that I wanted to do something with my time that I enjoyed. I love cooking, and I saw a market for a catering service that provided healthy food. I made the decision to leave the firm, made my plan, then pulled the trigger and started my own catering business. After getting married a little over a year ago, though, I began looking to sell my business and seek a job that would provide more stability for my family.
While I was in the military, I served as a Military Police Officer and was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. At first, my transition into the civilian sector was painful. I was not only in the wrong job, but I was in the wrong job at one of the worst times in history. (I got my Series 7 two weeks before 9/11).
I do remember, though, getting to sit by the pool for the better part of a month while on terminal leave! But living the easy life came to an end when I began my financial advisor career and had to start work every day earlier than I ever had to show up for first formation.
I took the job as a Financial Advisor thinking that I could make a long and happy career out of it, not fully considering that I didn't have enough experience with it to make that determination. It didn't take me long to figure out that the lifestyle of a Financial Advisor was just not the right career path for me.
The experience, however, taught me quite a bit about what I did and did not want from my career and life.
With these lessons in mind, I went about making my latest transition in a very organized, systematic fashion. I decided that I would look for a career in the medical device or pharmaceutical sales industry, as that seemed like the best fit for me. I thought I was best suited for medical device sales because I am really interested in healthcare (I originally went to school to be a neurosurgeon), I have an aptitude for the technical aspects of the medical world, and my personality is well-suited for sales.
I spent tireless hours honing my resume to a razor's edge, filtering through company information, and developing a detailed contact matrix for all the companies I was interested in. To build this matrix, I started with referrals from my friends in the industry. Then I looked on the internet for companies that were strong, innovative, and carried products in areas that I was interested in. I generated a very long list and started hacking away at it.
I started making calls until I got the person I was after, usually a hiring manager or regional sales manager. I then tracked everything on a spreadsheet by company, contact, date, and status. I also utilized job sites like Monster, JobFox, and CareerBuilder. I included in this matrix no less than eight recruiters to help me along (never can be too sure, right?), one of which was Orion International.
In retrospect, it felt like I was fighting a battle on two fronts: On one, I was beginning to get a feel for how difficult it was going to be for me to find the right job. Of the 23 companies that I contacted directly, I heard back from just two, only to learn that one position "might" become available in several months, and the other would require relocation. Of the eight recruiters, I had sporadic communication (at best) with two; no response at all from three; one required "exclusivity"; and another wouldn't work with me because I was not transitioning directly out of the military.
On the other front, there was Orion. The most memorable conversation was the one in which I learned that no pharmaceutical or medical device companies were coming to the hiring conference I wanted to attend. I was crushed, to be honest, until my recruiter piqued my interest by saying, "I do have someone you might want to look at, though. Aardvark Tactical." "Tactical? Tell me more!" He had my attention. In fact, I would have missed this opportunity had I not listened to my recruiter’s recommendation. He was so right!
This company was looking for a Territory Sales Manager to represent tactical equipment to law enforcement agencies in my area. I wondered if I was being “punked”. The opportunity sounded too good to be true. I was an MP, and I have my B.S. in Criminology, so it sounded like I might already have some really good training to help me along.
The hiring conference was executed precisely as promised, and the interview went exactly as I expected. All the information I had was on point, and I knew the job was a fit. Thereafter, I had two more interviews with the company, which went just as well as the first. I was very prepared, and well-informed (knowing is half the battle, right?), and in an interview, that goes a long way.
I now sell tactical equipment for Aardvark to law enforcement and military agencies. Within my first 90 days, I received a promotion of sorts: they doubled my territory! In my job, I have found my military experience to be invaluable, particularly in regards to discipline, and a sense of duty to honor commitments, which I learned through my years in the military. My discipline taught me to do the job correctly and to completion, regardless of the time or effort it takes. And my sense of duty has made for outstanding business relationships. These skills aren’t particular to me either! I see the difference in all of our veteran employees.
I think that transitioning service members should use a military recruiting agency, especially if they don’t know exactly what type of career they are interested in. It helps to have someone on your team that knows and appreciates what you have to offer. In a tight job market, you can’t put a price on that.
As for employers - why hire veterans? Values. When you hire a soldier, you get leadership, discipline, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and courage. An employer couldn’t ask for more. If you haven’t ever hired a veteran, you should see the difference for yourself. A soldier is a different type of employee.
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