How do I navigate from active military to earning a MBA at Texas A&M, and then into the corporate world for a supplychain role? This was the question I was asked yesterday evening during an Evisor chat with Daniel, but this could apply to all of those amazing folks serving in the military as they earn a higher education and then position themselves into the civilian world or corporate America.
***First of all, thank you to everyone currently serving or having served our military. We owe our freedom to you.***
MBA’s are a dime a dozen – everyone has one, so you have to first start with understanding the VALUE that you get from it and how to leverage that with your military background.
When I think of military, I think of discipline, honor, courage, teamwork, etc.
I. Provide concrete examples of each (exemplifying courage, creating synergistic teamwork, bolstering honor) and demonstrate how those transfer to the specific roles you will be applying for – operations manager, buyer, supply chain analyst, etc. Note, it helps to truly know the direction of the industry/job you want to be a part of.
II. Next, break apart the MBA…. accounting, finance, strategy, economics, marketing, etc. yet understand how they all work together in the business world.
III. Create a box on paper for each. Then, list out past accomplishments (growth, results) in each category of the MBA. Can you show demonstrated growth of P&L accountability? Can you demonstrate how 5 P’s of marketing drove sales? etc.
What would you add for Daniel or other members of our military who need assistance in navigating their careers?
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The next Evisors call was with a guy from Saudi Arabia living in England who wanted to better understand fundraising to grow his new business. This business was somewhat focused on technical talent being outsourced to India.
I encouraged him to check out the book Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff, as well as subscribe to Oren’s video channel as it contains a ton of great content. He’s even been known to give out free pitch decks. It’s worth it’s weight in gold for those who need to raise capital, whether it be from angel investors, crowdfunding or venture capitalists.
If you need career or business help, feel free to reach out to me on Evisors. Majority of major universities and colleges now cover the consultation costs, so the call is absolutely FREE for you.