Thank you very much. I have a very extensive resume if you would like me to send you one and you would be willing to pass it on I would be very grateful. If not that’s fine I thank you all the same for checking for me. It has been very difficult. since I got off active duty in 2008 I have only been able to find one job that did not work out after 7 months due to personal reasons. I have been going to college and using my gi-bill but my college makes you pay upfront for tuition and wait 3 months to get your money back, and unfortunately its not enough to go to college on. I need a job quick, but no one is hiring I cant even get a job at a gas station or Wendy’s or anywhere. I am far over qualified for many jobs but civilians don’t know what my resume means. Its pretty pathetic when an ex-special forces (Green Beret) cant get a minimum wage job. If anyone can help you would be doing me a huge favor. Thank you

Chris

I passed your request to a few friends who live in that neck of the woods. No promises, but hopefully something will come of it. I’ll let you know if anyone gets back to me.

Nice article!

Our company recently polled a number of sales industry discussion forums and posted the question: “Do people with military backgrounds make good sales people?”

The question received tremendous response and as such, became the subject of a blog article written by one of my colleagues. It was posted on various groups in LinkedIn and stirred up lots of interesting dialog.

I thought you and or your readers might find it interesting, so I took the liberty of forwarding it along. I hope it finds you well.

Best regards,
Charles Quimby

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If They Serve, Can They Sell?

Few would argue that military experience teaches leadership skills valuable in the corporate world. But is military experience an asset for someone who chooses a sales career?

I posted the question on several sales-focused Linkedin groups. Not surprisingly, a large majority of responders (80%) believe the ex-military make good sales people. Citing attributes such as tenacity, discipline, work ethic, and ability to work under pressure, most would not hesitate to hire these folks – assuming they possessed the right personality type.
What I found most interesting was the anecdotal comments made by those cautious of hiring ex-military:

“Are trained by the numbers. May struggle if the job requires out-of-the-box thinking.”
“Reluctant to call on senior executives. Might be a result of the rank system”
“Struggle in sales manager roles. Expect sales people to follow orders and do what they are told. People don’t behave that way in the civilian world.”

In my opinion, military experience can be a real asset for sales, especially in challenging times. Like any other candidate, they must be fully vetted during the hiring process to make sure they possess the appropriate skills / mindset for the mission at hand.

With that said, I made one of my worst mistakes as a sales leader by hiring an ex-officer from a very elite group. Needing someone to “pioneer” a new territory, I felt he was perfect for this difficult assignment. I was so enamored with his background that I ignored red flags raised during the hiring process. As it turned out, he was severely deficient in mental toughness. How he made it through his unit’s notoriously rigorous training still remains a mystery to me……

The lady in question even told the CWO that she was dissapointed they hadn’t ordered beer!