Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:

Responses of 100 or more words to following 3 forums seperatly on(share your experiences in landing a business or logistics job.  If you are currently in a military logistics billet, share your experiences.  How did your logistics work center bring the new member up to speed, and how long did it take?  If in business or logistics, what special training classes or on-the-job training have prepared you for the future?) Responses should be a minimum of 100 words and include direct questions.

1. After my military retirement I worked as a Quality and Safety Supervisor in the civilian sector waiting to get hired by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). A year after my retirement, I was finally hired for my current job. Overall, I feel my college degree, military experience and fuel related courses have prepared me for my current position.

While preparing to transition from the military, I realize my dream job which I had been preparing for over 15 years most likely not be hiring immediately.  I conducted the following strategy to get a local job until I could get hired with DLA:
Used the base transition office to research every local position and company they had access too.
Attended every job fair in the 60-mile radius one year away from retirement.
Started to use local and non-local contacts to network and search for hiring opportunities.
Conducted a search of every logistics, production, and transportation company in the 60-mile radius of my house. I looked at current openings, salaries, benefits and contacts for networking opportunities. 
Created 10-12 different resumes for different positions.
Lessons learned:
Networking works. My next-door neighbor, who worked at a manufacturing plant was looking for an assistant supervisor to help with operations. My official title was Quality and Safety Supervisor, but I assisted with the supervision of all shift employees including the drivers and mechanics. After my departure, the company decided to replace me with another Veteran due to our disciple and flexibility to adapt to different operations (supervision, maintenance, transportation, manufacturing, etc.).

Apply for multiple positions and interview as much as possible for the experience (even if you’re not sure you want the job).  I was really interested in a small group leader positions at a Target Distribution Center. Industries like target recruit Veterans for their leadership skills and offer a good starting salary. I went through the interview process but did not get selected. I also rejected a couple of other offers that required me to move. All the experiences improved my interview skills which prepared me for my current job.

Have at least one mentor. Mentors provide mentorship Advice, Support, Guidance, and help you network. My most influential mentor has been advising me since 2004. He first informed me about
opportunities with DLA and has help me shaped my career and training goals.


2. I am currently in a military logistics billet, but as a strategic logistics planner. Therefore the job I am in is very unique, and one that I was selected for amongst my peers. As stated in the lesson, my job is by far the most challenging position in my organization in that I am the solo representative from my organization, reporting as required, and working with a large team on a large scale project. When I left my previous job, I was responsible for sponsoring my replacement, and teaching him all of my duties and responsibilities to ensure the logistics operations did not stop or have any hiccups during our transition. The relief in place (RIP) process took two weeks, with the first week requiring me to be responsible for all operations with my replacement shadowing me, and then the second week with my replacement running operations, with my supervision.
When I moved into my new job, I was not fortunate enough to have someone to teach me the duties and responsibilities, since it’s a very unique job and one that was “created” for me by my senior commander. As a strategic logistics planner, there is a class that I could go to, however, the course is in Virginia, and my unit does not intend to send me to Virginia from Hawaii for the three week course since I’ve been doing the job for over a year and am reportedly doing a very good job of it. I have largely been learning through on the job training and deliverables such as executive summaries and quarterly briefs to my senior commander updating him on operational plans and other significant updates as required. Since the assignment is very unique, one of the most important things my senior commander and I have had discussions on is “how do we portray the significance of the job on paper?”
Oftentimes, as stated in the lesson readings, presenting skills and experience on a resume can be daunting. Therefore, having a leader who will also be a reference on future interviews is a substantial “follow through” to assist in landing the next job. Does this sound like a “due diligence” effort from a former boss?

3.I found the reading about the transportation and logistics management field this week very informative.  Currently, the company I work at now as a Manager is for general maintenance and project management, sharing a lot of the same traits in management task in comparison.  Looking at the salaries, a purchasing manager, logisticians, and industrial production managers salary in contrast to mine, is far more significant.  The lesson mentioned the need for networking, which is what I am currently doing by seeking employment and asking around to others in different industries trying to see what jobs are available.  Luckily I am in the Seattle area where companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Boeing, etc. have a significant corporate presence with high paying jobs.  My current position is unique, in which I formerly was employed just as a technician.  Once the management realized I had other qualifications, we discussed a future with the company, what I was capable of, and goals.  I knew I was overqualified for the position in which I applied for, just having a job after being laid-off I felt a job no matter what it was is better than nothing.  Before getting the job, I had applied for the position multiple times following up with management until given the opportunity. 
For a leader in the career field of a project, management position experience in areas such as framing, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc. is desired.  A Bachelor's degree is typically required, but most of the PMs usually hold no degrees for smaller companies.  Larger ones look for candidates but typically do not like to pay the money to retain them.  With so many tech jobs in the area, it is hard for smaller companies to afford the more expensive qualified candidates.  Being brought up to speed is challenging for me because of our tempo.  I have been at this company for a year now. We stay so busy; it is hard to get a chance to learn administrative tasks.
In comparison to logistics, I buy products and supplies, negotiate contracts, deal with customers minimizing risk and cost, make sure production stays on schedule, train and hire employees, etc.  With time my duties increase and responsibilities.  The training and experience I have is a combination of my life experience, in my opinion.  Taking advantage of classes and furthering my education, learning new trades, and volunteering to learn a new task.  My current job now is preparing me for future obtainable positions in management. I am now more qualified to take on.  With more significant projects in monetary value, it is helping me grow a portfolio for further career advancement in related and unrelated fields that deal with project management, production, etc.