Your Two-Year Map for Public to Private Career Transitions

So, you want to leave public service? Everyone’s public service eventually ends. Whether one decides to leave, or it is decided for you determines how long that transition runway is.

How you prepare for that day will determine your success in what lies ahead. The civilian security profession is a common second career option for those serving in the military or law enforcement. Taking important steps today will prepare you to take the necessary strides tomorrow towards your future.

Take Stock

Deciding if corporate security is the right path for you requires introspection on personality, family, and goals. Before moving forward, take stock of these factors to ensure that your next career phase is fulfilling and aligned with your overall life plan. This exploration is vital, whether you lean towards corporate security or another path.

Assess your personality. Many thrive in corporate security, but for those accustomed to high-adrenaline roles—such as Special Forces, Marine Intelligence Officers, or SWAT—the transition can be challenging. The lack of a clear mission and the adrenaline of frontline duties can leave a void. Take personality tests such as the Myers-Briggs Assessment or the DiSC Profile to understand if your traits will align with corporate security’s more subdued environment.

Consult your support network. Personal support structures, such as family and friends, can play a crucial role in career decisions. Discussing future aspirations with your support network, such as your partner and children, ensures that career moves benefit everyone, not just the individual changing roles. Acknowledge the sacrifices your family has made for your career and involve them in your decision-making process.

Set clear goals. Setting clear goals for your post-military or law enforcement career is crucial. Whether it's financial security, fulfilling a lifelong dream, or simply staying active, understanding your “why” can guide you towards or away from corporate security.

Everyone’s goals are different, and they will change throughout a person’s life. Sometimes we accomplish them, sometimes we don’t, and sometimes we decide they weren’t accurate goals for us in the first place.

Ask yourself some key questions to help determine and clarify your goals for the next phase of your career:

• Have you already accomplished everything you wanted to achieve in life? If not, what is still on your list?
  
  
• Was your first career enough for you to retire and enjoy your family and hobbies?
  
  
• Did you always have a goal to work for a major corporation?
  
  
• Is your goal financial, emotional, or simply because you need to stay busy?
  
  
• Did you ever want to start your own company instead of working for others?
  
  

Life goals are enormous things you have always dreamed of achieving—including non-career dreams and ambitions. Will continuing to work at a corporation stop or delay you from doing that? Or will this second career enable you to grow and reach those goals?

Preparation is essential before transitioning from military, law enforcement, emergency services, or federal positions, regardless of origin. Many face struggles with corporate education, networking, and interviewing skills, all of which underscore the need for a structured approach to transition.

Craft Your Career Transition Strategy

Consider the powerful statement from U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower: “Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”

If veterans and law enforcement professionals all heeded the general’s advice, we would certainly all land on softer ground during career transitions. Strive to understand the integral contents of the mission you’re planning for but remain adaptable and aggressive to build and execute the career transition plan that’s appropriate for you.

Career transitions can indeed happen overnight, but the preparation should never be anything but planned and deliberate. A three- to five-year roadmap is reasonable, especially if you are pursuing additional higher education.

The lack of a clear mission and the adrenaline of frontline duties can leave a void.

Before beginning your transition, determine exactly what you want to do and who you want to be in your new professional chapter. The answer to these two questions comes into play in several dynamics throughout the process. The career specialty or position held during military or law enforcement service does not have to dictate the next phase in your life.

Per Aristotle, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” And the best way to do this is to participate in a formal self-assessment process. Tests like CliftonStrengths and Myers-Briggs help you discover what you naturally do best. Armed with that knowledge, you can learn how to develop your greatest talents into strengths and use those results to maximize your potential. Self-assessment tools can help to identify opportunities and directions that you were not previously aware of or did not capitalize on.

Professional career coaches can also help with these processes. They are experts in career planning, résumé building, negotiation, and interviewing. Having a career coach is like having a brand awareness team. They understand how to pinpoint the best aspects in your professional experience and market it in the most attractive way possible to potential employers. A coach will get to know your skills and aptitude, and then provide unbiased, objective feedback tailored to your search and career goals.

If that feedback includes a recommendation to pursue additional education, consider it carefully. Most military and law enforcement professionals who successfully transitioned to a civilian security career agree that bolstering their civilian education was paramount to their success. Much can be debated about the topic of experience versus education, but there’s no debate that formal education is highly sought after in the civilian workforce and is a predominant disqualifier for esteemed opportunities. Formal education proves to the hiring organization that the applicant has prevailed over the challenges of attaining a senior level of institutional knowledge and exhibits the drive and ambition to achieve higher goals without inhibition.

Military and law enforcement professionals must consider that the civilian counterparts they are competing against for positions in their next chapter most often hold formal education degrees and professional certifications.

A commonly overlooked exercise in early career transitions is conducting labor market research. This form of research is an invaluable tool in the decision-making process during a job search and is critical in understanding if employers are seeking the identified skills you hold in the geographical market of your choice.

There are various websites and sources to find labor market information regarding a chosen profession. Start with the government agency in charge of labor and statistics most applicable to your state, country, or region.

36-24 Months Prior to Transition

Once you truly know yourself and have a clear vision of where you want to be, it’s time to start building the bedrock foundations to a successful transition.

Networking. Your professional network needs to focus on tomorrow. Most military and law enforcement personnel have a professional network of fellow members and partners. But to maximize the opportunity for a successful—and painless—transition, your professional network must be primarily composed of the professional community you aspire to join. Every aspect of career transition must be future thinking. It’s time to get out of your comfort zone.

Begin by developing relationships with human resources and talent acquisition professionals. Focus on building partnerships in the business sectors you wish to pursue and identify those experts who self-identify or are employed by an organization known to be supportive of veterans or law enforcement. Start asking any and all questions from for-profit and non-profit organizations, academia, certification organizations, and veteran organizations. Leverage veteran mentoring platforms such as ACP, Veterati, and Vets2Industry to broaden your pool of contacts and gain additional transition guidance.

Networking is based on developing relationships. Relationships take time and will build trust and knowledge. Most importantly, always remember that a professional network is about quality, not quantity. This is where precision targeting begins to play an integral role. After you researched what industries are of interest to you and align with your passion and strengths, review the Fortune 500 list and identify at least 20 companies. Then, go to LinkedIn and follow them. Next, identify people in roles of interest and veterans or former law enforcement personnel at those companies and send them a personal invitation asking for a few minutes of their time.

During those few minutes, your goal is to formally turn a virtual interaction into a more human one. Once you form that connection and become more than a name on a screen, the likelihood of genuine assistance down the line is much higher.

Setting clear goals for your post-military or law enforcement career is crucial.

LinkedIn. During this pre-transition phase, build your LinkedIn page and acquire a professional photo. Like a résumé or cover letter, a photo may prove crucial to getting hired. The good news is that unlike a cover letter, a different headshot is not needed for every role you apply to. It can serve as a single version that truly represents your best professional self.

Don’t wait until you’re in the private sector to get a professional picture. Your headshot is the centerpiece of your LinkedIn profile, which will be indispensable in your job search, since photos often make a strong first impression. Typically, in public service, we have a no-nonsense photo, but your visual presence in the corporate world may need to differ. You don't need to break the bank, but having someone take a headshot of you against a white wall with a dress shirt and tie or a professional blouse is a simple yet effective way to curate your image. Dress for the job you want, and definitely smile.

If you want to take your headshot a step further, consider that many professional events include a professional headshot lounge (including at GSX). You can also try digital options like Headshots which will take a photo and digitally enhance it for you for around $50. Regardless of which option you choose, remember that first impressions matter.

Your LinkedIn profile should be as complete as possible. Include volunteer work, recommendations, and interests pertinent to your career aspirations. LinkedIn profiles should emulate, but not mirror, a résumé. These profiles are meant to portray a professional representation of your experience and skills, providing enough detail to confirm assumptions but not give away the secret sauce. Résumés, on the other hand, are specific to targeted opportunities and provide tangible details related to that single job.

Your LinkedIn account should be active and curated. Develop a rhythm for posting relevant and meaningful posts that others in your intended profession would be interested in reading, so they ultimately connect and follow you. Postings should always remain professional and apolitical. All wording and images should be appropriate for a professional civilian atmosphere.

For example, a military or law enforcement professional posts to LinkedIn about a recent training exercise where she participated in a meth lab takedown and her unit was celebrated for breaking down the most doors. While this feels worthy of praise in military and law enforcement circles, it would make most corporate recruiters run for the hills. Changing language to reframe successes in business terms (participated in a high-pressure training exercise where the team functioned smoothly and cohesively, for example) would be more relatable for recruiters and future colleagues.

Ensure everything listed, said, and done is professional and objective. Keep opinions to other forums, but remember that all social media platforms will be researched and scrutinized during the hiring process. Post thoughtfully.

18-12 Months Prior to Transition

Personal branding. Building out your LinkedIn profile and contributing insightful content to online conversations is the start of building your personal brand, but it’s time to go further.

Personal branding is no different than a professional brand. Consider what you associate with any given brand—whether it’s a clothing label, author, or Marvel superhero—and why you connect that impression with the brand. What you do, what you say, what you wear, what you write, what you post, and who you associate with all make up your brand.

Many military or law enforcement individuals make the mistake of centering their personal brand around their service, branch, or force—this is a mistake. Your service is part of your story, but not your whole identity. People and organizations want to experience you and your brand, including your talent, your personal interests, and your ability to flex and change.

Association membership. The next step is to engage in something bigger than yourself, and something the professionals you want to be a part of are doing. This can be both a benefit for you and a signal to future employers that you’re invested in your new industry.

Explore professional associations who focus on the career field you want to be in and engage with those organizations. In addition to providing information about your chosen field, professional organizations can enhance your personal and professional development while providing networking opportunities.

Membership helps expand your network and opens doors to other opportunities, such as education, a support system through its chapters and affiliates, and chances to obtain industry certifications.

While each association has its own advantages, most offer some common benefits, including exclusive online resources, networking opportunities, professional development, discounted or free publications, and priority registration to conferences or seminars. Some go beyond the basics and offer other advantages, like résumé reviews, job boards, mentorship programs, and the ability to develop or influence industry standards.

Professional associations like ASIS International enable members to volunteer their time and expertise while simultaneously gaining valuable breadth and depth of experience. Associations give you an opportunity to develop your skills as a leader, and this is important not only for your personal growth, but also for your growth in your current or future organization.

ASIS International provides a number of options for a range of security professionals, from those just starting out in the field to the seasoned veteran with more experience—especially in leadership roles. (Editor’s note: ASIS International publishes Security Management.)

Always remember that a professional network is about quality, not quantity.

Certification. Many professional associations also offer accredited board certifications. One or more certifications may be a prerequisite for certain positions within a particular career field, and the security profession is the same. The certification acronyms after a security professional’s name can open doors to different roles and opportunities, and they denote the individual’s expertise and dedication.

This can be a culture shock for former military or law enforcement professionals. It’s relatively easy to get a quick sense of someone’s experience and qualifications while serving in the military or law enforcement. Their résumé is spelled out by the symbols of rank and achievement on their uniform. It’s quite different for a civilian professional.

Transitioning military and law enforcement will need to take this into account and strategize how to effectively translate and communicate their experiences. Military and law enforcement skills translate well to security-related sectors such as emergency management, business continuity, and disaster recovery. This existing knowledge base provides a great start to the preparation process.

Skill set updates. It may be time to relearn some key skills or programs. In today's digital era, technology underpins virtually every aspect of our lives, making it imperative for job seekers to possess a solid understanding of essential software and platforms.

Familiarity with Microsoft Word or Google Docs is practically a prerequisite in the modern workplace, with skills in one often transferable to the other. Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel is indispensable for daily business operations. Misrepresenting your abilities on your résumé is a pitfall to avoid.

Fortunately, if you’re looking to enhance your skills, a wealth of resources—from formal classes offering certifications to informal tutorials on YouTube—is available.

Beyond technical skills, writing and communication abilities are increasingly valued in the corporate landscape. The autonomy in writing tasks extends across all levels, necessitating a polished aptitude for crafting reports and summaries, even for top executives. Tools like Grammarly can be invaluable in refining these skills. Presentation and speaking skills are equally crucial, demanding a departure from the rigid formats typical in military or government briefings in favor of a more engaging, dynamic approach. Inspirational resources such as TED Talks can provide a template for effective corporate communication.

Embracing a learning mindset is essential, recognizing that even seasoned professionals can benefit from new knowledge. The rapid pace of innovation in corporate and technological fields means staying informed through tutorials, podcasts, and other learning mediums is key. Openness to learning ensures you remain adaptable and capable of mastering new skills, regardless of your career stage and next chapter.

Eight Months Prior to Transition

Now that the foundation has been built—and is being maintained—it’s time to roll up your sleeves and make serious decisions. Casting a wide net is a less productive technique than many believe. Precision can be helpful in your job search, especially if you’re investing in a new long-term career.

Start by asking yourself the first—and often the most important—question: geography versus profession, which is most important to you? Is it the location of the job or is it the specificity of the position or career opportunity? There are vast differences in the decision-making process between a first-term military member or law enforcement professional (four to five years of service, likely an early-career professional with limited secondary or family obligations) versus a career person (20+ years).

Personal support networks and family dynamics often play a key role in this decision. Where do you want to be in five, 10, or 15 years down the road? Remember: your family should get an equal vote in this question. They supported you during your service; you owe the same to them in your next chapter.

Once that all-important question is answered, it’s time to focus efforts and begin the precision targeting process. Formulate methods to focus efforts and maximize research efficiency. It is important to tighten your career search aperture with some essential questions:

• What sector is most interesting?
  
  
• What sector is most appropriate?
  
  
• Do you prefer to serve in a federal/national or state/provincial government role, or do you prefer to work in the private sector?
  
  
• Do you prefer domestic or international work?
  
  
• Are you interested in academia?
  
  
• Are you an aspiring entrepreneur?
  
  
• Have you done the necessary research to ensure success in this career path and have you connected and sought mentorship from successful entrepreneurs?
  
  
• How much money do you want to make?
  
  
• How much money do you need to make to reach your short, medium, and long-term financial goals?
  
  

These are questions that need to be answered for a successful precision targeting process to occur. The answers will help you identify exactly where to spend the maximum effort in researching organizations of interest and positional opportunities, connecting with and growing relationships with professionals inside those organizations, meeting people who hold those positions, and tailoring basic résumés to suit your end game.

Four Months Prior to Transition

It’s “Go!” time now, and if you’ve done everything you should have done thus far, this phase will fall into place. Assuming you have prepared appropriately, you should be identifying appropriate opportunities within your skill set in the circumstances you’re targeting. It’s time to let those organizations know that you are the absolute best decision they can make (and they already know that from the past 24+ months you’ve been courting them). This is where the tangibles of employment become reality.

Career transitions can indeed happen overnight, but the preparation should never be anything but planned and deliberate.

Better résumés. Do you have a résumé and cover letter prepared by an AI-generated online tool or an overworked, underpaid government employee? If so, you’re destined to fail. There’s no nice way to put it—you’re in for a world of misery, disappointment, and unemployment. But you can take tangible steps to improve your prospects.

Résumés should be concise; they are not dissertations. Find someone who knows nothing about the military or law enforcement professions and ask them to critique your résumé. They will pick out jargon that you didn’t realize was uncommon or unknown outside the military or law enforcement.

Length is vitally important. Build a master résumé that you can cherry pick from to build each résumé for specific opportunities. Résumés should focus on accomplishments, not regurgitated duty descriptions. Consider reframing past public-sector accomplishments in private-sector business terms—display organizational impact, statistics, and measurable standards regarding money, safety, and efficiencies gained whenever possible.

Complementary cover letters. Why is a cover letter important? A cover letter accompanies your résumé, and it’s an extra opportunity to sell why you’re a good hire. It should complement and personalize your résumé. Connect with an ASIS International Military or Law Enforcement Liaison Community member to learn how to turn a cover letter into a 30-second snapshot that compels a hiring manager or talent acquisition professional to want to speak with you immediately.

Elevator pitch. You’ve done all the right things so far, so now it’s time to see if your elevator pitch makes the mark. An elevator pitch—thus named because a great pitch helps you seal the deal in the time it takes to ride an elevator with an executive, approximately 30 seconds—is the preamble to the inevitable “tell us about yourself” question.

There are multiple reasons to have an elevator pitch ready to deploy, such as open community networking opportunities, talent acquisition professionals, and interviews. Adopt a technique that works and test it out with your network. You can practice during informational interviews that provide amazing feedback and coaching for free.

Build and memorize stories to answer four primary questions, relating your stories as best you can to the values and principles of your future employer:

• How do you enable the safety and security of a population?
  
  
• How do you prove your effectiveness with tangible numbers?
  
  
• What tangible results did you achieve that impacted the organization’s mission?
  
  
• What impact did your actions have on the overall culture of the organization or community?
  
  

If this seems challenging or impossible to do in 30 seconds, rely on the STAR technique: answering behavioral interview questions in a structured manner by describing a specific situation, task, action, and result (STAR) of the situation you are discussing. Most private hiring managers or executives expect you to use this technique when answering a complex question, so embrace it.

Interview preparation. So, you’ve been offered an interview? Fantastic! But are you ready for digital interviews? Research the techniques for virtual and phone screening interviews—have notes available, a silent room, good lighting, and water. Ensure you are dressed for success. This is the civilian world you’re interviewing for, so look the part.

Ensure you conduct your technical pre-combat inspections—check your video, microphone, and audio capabilities in multiple video conferencing platforms. Don’t let your future employer think that you are from the Stone Age because you cannot navigate the platforms they use.

Don’t forget to practice. You’ve built a network over the last three years that is there for you and rooting for your success. Everything you’ve done in your current career has prepared you for the next one. It’s up to you to transmit the relevance of what you’ve done as it parlays where you’re intending to go.

Always remember, military or law enforcement service does not directly translate to equivalent performance as a civilian security professional. It is up to you to ascribe to what your civilian counterparts are doing and to maintain connections and relevance throughout your service if you expect to successfully transition to a career as a civilian security professional.

Carlos Francisco, CPP, CSSP, served as a police officer for nine years and is an accomplished security customer-centric executive who has led the security teams of some of the largest corporations in the world, including Walt Disney World, Amazon, and Meta (Facebook). He also has had the tremendous responsibility of leading security teams during major international events such as Super Bowl 50, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, world-class Marathons, and many more. Francisco was a prior deputy sheriff and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He is also a podcaster and has the Amazon #1 Release So, You Want to Get into Corporate Security?. Francisco created the moniker, “The Corporate Security Translator," which he uses to go out into the world and share his security knowledge.

Eric Kready, CPP, served more than 20 years in the United States Army before transitioning to a civilian security professional career in the private sector. Maximizing the power of his network, he successfully navigated the challenges of transition through sound advice and mentorship, following a methodical plan, and engaging with ASIS International where he earned the designation of Certified Protection Professional (CPPⓇ). Kready continues to mentor countless veterans and law enforcement personnel in their transition to a career in public and private sector security, and he is currently leading a robust global project assisting active-duty military and law enforcement personnel transition to a career as a civilian security professional.

Eric Vento, CPP, served 10 years in local and state law enforcement before transitioning to the corporate world in 2017. Since then, he has led global programs in crisis management, supply chain security, business continuity, and cyber exercises for some of the most recognizable companies in the world. The government to private transition is a deeply personal topic for him, and he has helped more than 500 professionals transition successfully over the past five years, starting his own business called Government to Private. Vento believes strongly in the power of networking and further believes that relationships are the core of everything we do.