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		<title>Jetcareers - Blogs - The Search for Something Else by Ian J</title>
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			<title>Jetcareers - Blogs - The Search for Something Else by Ian J</title>
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			<title><![CDATA[The "A" job goes away.]]></title>
			<link>http://forums.jetcareers.com/blogs/ian-j/41-job-goes-away.html</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:04:48 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Just got a call from my recruiter this afternoon. My "A" job was for a project management position with Sikorsky. I would have been responsible for getting Blackhawk helicopters to the Army. They interviewed 6 candidates from my recruiting firm and were going to hire us all. However, they just...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>Just got a call from my recruiter this afternoon. My &quot;A&quot; job was for a project management position with Sikorsky. I would have been responsible for getting Blackhawk helicopters to the Army. They interviewed 6 candidates from my recruiting firm and were going to hire us all. However, they just enacted a company-wide hiring freeze. No idea why. <br />
<br />
This was a pretty big blow to me. They were my sure thing. I was completely qualified for the job, the money and benefits were unbelievable, and they really seemed to want me. <br />
<br />
Crap.<br />
<br />
Good news is this week I had two great interviews with good companies. Hoping those work out.</div>

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			<dc:creator>Ian J</dc:creator>
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			<title>Still going... and a possible crossroad.</title>
			<link>http://forums.jetcareers.com/blogs/ian-j/35-still-going-possible-crossroad.html</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:24:28 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>It’s been almost two months since I started job searching and while the hunt is still going very well, still no offers.  
    
  Company A is holding off on making offers until they complete a block of interviews with a bunch of people. They intend on making all the offers at one time. Easier for...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div align="left">  It’s been almost two months since I started job searching and while the hunt is still going very well, still no offers. <br />
   <br />
  Company A is holding off on making offers until they complete a block of interviews with a bunch of people. They intend on making all the offers at one time. Easier for them I suppose, but it’s tough to just wait around for them to make their decisions.<br />
   <br />
  Company B – the possible business development position fell through. They decided not to hire for the position period, and only want a project engineer. Since I’m no engineer I’m out. <br />
   <br />
  So I was down to just one company by the end of last week. This week though, some things started happening. On Monday and Tuesday it seems like my resume was suddenly released into some big nation-wide database or something because I suddenly started getting a bunch of calls. <br />
   <br />
  One particularly interesting one was from an Executive Management Search firm. At first I thought they just wanted to represent me, but it turns out they found my resume and decided they wanted me to interview with them as a recruiter. This is the first time I’ve been cold-called by a company wanting to interview me. An executive recruiting position sounds very interesting – its sales oriented, commission-based, and has the possibility of very high returns. The company seems very solid, has a fantastic training program, and has shown tremendous growth over the years, even through tough economic times. <br />
   <br />
  I’ve already had two interviews with them, and they both went so well I’m convinced they’ll make an offer. The problem is the first-year expected earnings are <u>significantly</u> lower and the benefits are far less robust than any other job I’m looking at. It’s sales – by the second year and certainly the third year you’d have developed a network and figured out a system that works. The <u>potential</u> earnings are huge.<br />
   <br />
  But it’s a risk. Though I’m confident I would do well at sales, I suppose I could suck at it. And to be honest, I was getting used to the idea of making a lot more money this year. The other opportunities I have are with very stable Fortune 50 companies with plenty of room to grow and earn more money. Those positions would be relatively safe and stable with a guaranteed yearly salary. I don’t know – it’s a tough decision. Sales appeal to me – I like the idea of being rewarded financially for my direct efforts. I like the idea of unlimited earning potential. I like the idea of essentially working on my own and trying to figure out how to be successful. <br />
   <br />
  Anyways, in the midst of all that, I just received an offer to interview with yet another fortune 50 company. It’s a great position – great salary and benefits. Sort of a “in the field” project management position. <br />
   <br />
  So I’m torn. Executive recruiting is really tempting, but I’m just not sure if I’d be better off taking one of those other positions. <br />
  </div></div>

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			<dc:creator>Ian J</dc:creator>
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			<title>A new development.</title>
			<link>http://forums.jetcareers.com/blogs/ian-j/32-new-development.html</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:40:06 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>So I had my search narrowed down to Company A and Company B. Company A is who I wrote about in the last blog (the one where I blurted out my salary requirements). Both were Project Management Positions.  
 
Company A was my top choice as it deals with the military and helicopters. 
 
Company B is...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>So I had my search narrowed down to Company A and Company B. Company A is who I wrote about in the last blog (the one where I blurted out my salary requirements). Both were Project Management Positions. <br />
<br />
Company A was my top choice as it deals with the military and helicopters.<br />
<br />
Company B is aviation related too, but their PM job was very engineering focused. I'm no engineer, and I got the feeling they were trying to fit me, a square peg, into an engineering round hole. (Or is that the other way around? ;))<br />
<br />
But I kept up with them and had a positive attitude about it, and did my THIRD interview with them today, this time with the President of the company. (Seriously - THREE interviews! This civilian non-flying job search is exhausting!)<br />
<br />
His VPs briefed him up pretty well on my qualifications and experience and we both agreed pretty early in the meeting I wasn't a good fit for the job. Fine. I tried, right?<br />
<br />
But then he tells me the company is expanding. It seems in the past and up to now, all their business came from previously known customers and word of mouth. They never, ever, actively searched for new business. While I wasn't a good fit for project engineering, maybe I'd be a fit for business development? <br />
<br />
Hell yeah! Essentially I would spearhead a non-existent facet of the company. I'd build new accounts from scratch. I would write the book for the company for business to business sales. I would create what is essentially the future of the company. <br />
<br />
Holy crap. While certainly a scary proposition (can I really do this!?), it would be a tremendous opportunity. To hitch my wagon to a growing company and help lead it to the top sounds like a heck of a thing. In my mind, company B has moved into the A slot.<br />
<br />
The meeting closed with the president deciding I'd be good at it, me deciding I want to do it, and him telling me the company had a strategy meeting early next week, and then it would be decided if this is the direction the company wants to take. He also asked me that if I received any other offers to please call him before accepting. <br />
<br />
I'm stoked - and man I hope it works out. If so, I'm gonna be bugging any of you sales guys on JC here pretty shortly. ;)</div>

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			<dc:creator>Ian J</dc:creator>
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			<title>Negotiations</title>
			<link>http://forums.jetcareers.com/blogs/ian-j/31-negotiations.html</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:52:36 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[I'm an idiot.  
 
So I'm in one of those all-day marathon interviews yesterday with a large company and one of them brings up the subject of salary. This is where I'm most uncomfortable. In the Army and in the Airlines the pay is set and published. No negotiations needed. Not so in the business...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>I'm an idiot. <br />
<br />
So I'm in one of those all-day marathon interviews yesterday with a large company and one of them brings up the subject of salary. This is where I'm most uncomfortable. In the Army and in the Airlines the pay is set and published. No negotiations needed. Not so in the business world.<br />
<br />
My dad gave me some great salary negotiation advice he learned as one who transitioned from the military to business, and in the moment I forgot it all. <br />
<br />
His main point was this: <i><b><br />
<br />
<u>The golden rule</u></b><b> is......who ever speaks first about salary level  ..looses...that is , you always force the potential employer to raise the issue and the proposed salary numbers first..... you never do.</b></i><br />
<br />
So I'm in this conference room all afternoon essentially doing the exact same interview with 5 different people. Towards the end of the day one of them asked what salary I wanted. I tried to follow my Dad's advice, but she wasn't playing it, so I blurted out some numbers she seemed satisfied with. Damn! If she was satisfied, I was probably too low!<br />
<br />
Then the kicker. She asked if I &quot;required any bonuses or stock options.&quot;<br />
<br />
Yes please! Lots of them!<br />
<br />
That was in my head. What I actually did was freeze up because I was quite unprepared for that question. I told her I hadn't thought about it. <br />
<br />
Argh!<br />
<br />
I have another interview today - the third with this particular company, so I'm guessing I get an offer today as long as I don't eff it up from interview fatigue. Hopefully I can grab my sack and negotiate a little better with them. <br />
<br />
So it's down to two companies now. I interviewed with both about a month ago along with a bunch of others and have it narrowed down to these two. I think I want the first company I talked about about more than today's, but I think today's will give me my first offer. I'm told it's appropriate to not accept an offer right away and to delay a week or so, but it'll feel bad to do. I don't want them to get the impression they are my &quot;safety&quot; company, but that's what they are. ;)</div>

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			<dc:creator>Ian J</dc:creator>
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			<title>So far, so bad.</title>
			<link>http://forums.jetcareers.com/blogs/ian-j/17-so-far-so-bad.html</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:41:39 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Okay, "bad" is over dramatic. Let's call it - "so far, so nothing." ;) 
 
People say in a job search to be prepared for rejection, and I certainly am. What I wasn't prepared for was getting no calls, no emails, no interest whatsoever.  
 
Correction - I did get one interview offer for a GREAT job...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>Okay, &quot;bad&quot; is over dramatic. Let's call it - &quot;so far, so nothing.&quot; ;)<br />
<br />
People say in a job search to be prepared for rejection, and I certainly am. What I wasn't prepared for was getting no calls, no emails, no interest whatsoever. <br />
<br />
Correction - I did get one interview offer for a GREAT job with GREAT money and benes. I turned them down because the work was done at night. Not again. <br />
<br />
So far I've applied to more more jobs than I can keep track of with zero results. It's a frustrating process because of all the time an application takes. There is absolutely no standardization out there. All companies only accept website applications these days, but how you do it is different from place to place and is very time consuming. <br />
<br />
Some websites force you to build your resume from scratch in a web form. This type of system annoys me to no end. I already have a resume!!! (He whined.)<br />
<br />
Some websites allow you to copy your entire resume, but in text only. (Goodbye cool formating!)<br />
<br />
Some websites allow you to upload your Word based resume only to royally screw it up in the process.<br />
<br />
Some allow for cover letters, some don't. <br />
<br />
If the company has multiple positions I'm interested in, some don't allow one-click applications. Some actually make you go through the ENTIRE PROCESS for each job you want to apply for. Argh!<br />
<br />
I know the process takes time - I realize that. I know most jobs are gained through networking - and I've been networking like crazy (for me, anyways.) Next week is the job fair for ex-military officers, so I'm putting a lot of hope into that. I mean, the employers are there looking for guys like me so I should have a good shot, right? <br />
<br />
Oh, and my resume got torn apart again. I joined ladders.com and their resume writers ripped me a new one. Sigh, back to the drawing board. <br />
<br />
Maybe I should design a flawless hiring application for company websites based on my frustrations so far?</div>

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			<dc:creator>Ian J</dc:creator>
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			<title>The What</title>
			<link>http://forums.jetcareers.com/blogs/ian-j/3-what.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 25 May 2008 20:36:04 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[It was so easy figuring out what to do when I got out of the Army. I wanted to fly, plain and simple. The good people of JC steered me towards freight, and towards Airnet, and I had a job offer before I even separated from the service. 
 
Now my job search isn't so simple. I have no idea what sort...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>It was so easy figuring out what to do when I got out of the Army. I wanted to fly, plain and simple. The good people of JC steered me towards freight, and towards Airnet, and I had a job offer before I even separated from the service.<br />
<br />
Now my job search isn't so simple. I have no idea what sort of job are out there and more importantly, what jobs are right for me. <br />
<br />
I started with my experience and skills. Leadership and management are no-brainers. That's pretty much the overall job description of an Army Officer. I've managed large budgets, I've managed logistics, I've been involved in tactical and strategic planning, and I've managed personnel. I've been tossed into jobs I didn't know how to do and learned on the job. <br />
<br />
So... what civilian job does that equate to? No clue.<br />
<br />
One of my first steps was to contact a military head-hunting agency. Because of their size and that they are well known, I went with Bradley Morris. They specialize in matching military officers with civilian businesses and have an impressive track record of success. <br />
<br />
I also started the more typical job search on Monster.com. <br />
<br />
I also &quot;contacted my network&quot; and let them know I was hunting for a job. Sadly, my network consists of mostly family who are in the civilian business world. Recently I've also contacted some JC members not in aviation proving that JC is a resource for more than just flying jobs. The people here are simply fantastic and it amazes me the lengths people will go to help you having never met you face to face. <br />
<br />
My results so far? Well, I've learned I'd be a match for project management, general management, communications and PR (which I have a degree in) and sales. My head hunter is pushing the sales route because he says Infantryman and Aviators are traditionally very successful in that field. I was both. <br />
<br />
I have a pretty decent resume written. This was a challenge because my old resume was aviation-centric and relatively easy to create. Flight times and flying positions is all they really care about. I had to start from scratch using my old Officer Evaluation Reports as a guide. I sent the draft to my father (a retired Army Officer and current VP of a big company) who pretty much tore it up. I re-wrote it, and send it to my head hunter who in turn tore it up and sent it to a professional resume service (for free!) who refined it. I feel I have a pretty good product now. <br />
<br />
I have two job fairs set up by the head hunter. These job fairs are exclusively for ex-military, and the companies attending are looking for ex-military. It's a two-day event where the first day is all prep work which includes briefings about the companies and interview prep. The second day is the job fair itself. (Did I mention the service is FREE!)<br />
<br />
And I have had ZERO responses from monster.com resume submissions. (Well, some MLM type companies spammed me, but that doesn't count.) What will be interesting is that some of the companies I applied to will be at the job fairs. I'm wondering if I'll be seen in a different light in that environment. <br />
<br />
Another challenge is that I work 12 hours a day, 5 days a week with little time to job hunt. I'm considering quitting so I can dedicate myself to job hunting, but don't know if I want to take that risk. If it takes a few months to find a job it'll mean a good chunk of my savings goes to living expenses. I don't know yet - we'll see.</div>

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			<dc:creator>Ian J</dc:creator>
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			<title>The Why.</title>
			<link>http://forums.jetcareers.com/blogs/ian-j/2-why.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 25 May 2008 19:57:29 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[I'm getting out of flying for a living. 
 
There, I said it. 
 
It's something I've been thinking about for a while. In the last few weeks I finally admitted to myself this career wasn't for me, and have decided to move on.  
 
There's a lot of reasons to get out of aviation - everyone knows the...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>I'm getting out of flying for a living.<br />
<br />
There, I said it.<br />
<br />
It's something I've been thinking about for a while. In the last few weeks I finally admitted to myself this career wasn't for me, and have decided to move on. <br />
<br />
There's a lot of reasons to get out of aviation - everyone knows the industry isn't one of the most stable out there; everyone knows the starting pay isn't that hot; everyone knows you have to jump through a lot of personal and financial hoops to move up. None of those are the reasons I'm getting out.<br />
<br />
I simply don't like flying for a living. <br />
<br />
When I was in the Army I was a Commissioned Officer and a Helicopter pilot. Flying was a pretty minimal part of the over all job. 90% of my job involved managing large, complex organizations, coordinating logistics, and leading 100+ soldiers. When I was considering leaving the military to pursue flying one of my senior leaders commented that flying wouldn't be enough for me. He said I would be bored in under a year.<br />
<br />
I took his advice to heart, but after doing so much complex work I imagined the simple life of flying would be calming, soothing, and a relief from the responsibilities I grew accustomed to. Turns out, he was right. It's been just under a year now since I started flying professionally, and I long for more. I can't shake the feeling as I'm sitting in my plane at cruise that there is so much more I could be doing.<br />
<br />
I fly freight in small twin engine planes. In most areas it is a fantastic job. I fly alone, I'm in charge, I don't have a boss hovering nearby asking for the latest reports, the flying was relatively challenging at first, but I'm bored as hell with it. <br />
<br />
Something else that influenced my decision to leave was my ability to jumpseat on airline flights. I'm not sure what it was I imagined when I thought of flying a jet (passenger, cargo, or otherwise), but a jet of some sort is the next inevitable step in this career. The pay and schedules get better the more you move up, so unless I was content flying the exact same route for less than $40k a year I would have to &quot;move up&quot; one day.<br />
<br />
I've sat in the cockpit of major airline jets, regional jets, and even my own company's jets. What I learned was that those jobs are no different than mine. Though they might get paid more (well, not those regional FOs), the job is just as boring and unfulfilling (to me) as my current job. So that really cancels out the hope that moving up would solve my career concerns.<br />
<br />
Sadly, I want a &quot;boring&quot; life. I love my wife more than anyone could love anyone else and I want to see her all the time. It's not that I dislike traveling, I just want to travel with her. I want a house, and I don't want to move around all the time anymore. I don't want to work nights. I don't want to go on &quot;four days.&quot; <br />
<br />
I've realized that a &quot;passion&quot; can change - and that doing your passion for a job takes away the joy you had for the passion to begin with. I loved to fly and now I couldn't care less about it. I would absolutely love to enjoy flying again, and hope that after some time out of the profession I can get that back. Before I flew full time I enjoyed calling aviation my hobby. Once you do it full time it's not a hobby anymore, and I wouldn't mind getting that hobby back. Heck, I haven't loaded MS Flight Sim on my computer in years. Might be cool to be able to enjoy that simple pleasure again. <br />
<br />
Lastly, and hard to admit, is I feel silly doing what is essentially an entry-level job that is populated by 18-22 year-olds. I honestly thought I'd be okay with it, but it feels bad that all the experience I have doesn't mean much in this field. Ironically, I've really enjoyed meeting and befriending a lot of these kids, but that doesn't change the fact that I <i>could</i> be doing so much more. I'm qualified for so much more. And it's not the money so much as it's the level of responsibility. After commanding an Army unit in two wars it's not easy to let all that responsibility go. It wouldn't be easy to be an FO for a 24 year old Captain. All this might sound arrogant, but it's not. It's just honest. <br />
<br />
So now the question of course is what is it I plan to do with my life. As I get it figured out I plan to blog about it now that JC has this nifty blogging option. <br />
<br />
And if you read this far into my boring diatribe of personal musings, get a life! :D</div>

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			<dc:creator>Ian J</dc:creator>
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