A Sure Fire Way To Validate Your Military Experience To Civilians

Get The PMP®!

Civilians have a ‘field manual’ they use to manage projects with. It’s called the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, or PMBOK® for short. It’s published by one of the profession’s global governing bodies, the Project Management Institute (PMI).

It does key things for Veterans like: define projects as ‘temporary endeavors that produce unique results’; depict the five process groups used to produce a project management plan used to manage a project with (initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, and close); and lay down a repeatable, manageable process and tools for managing project risk and communications.

As you can see from just these four primary things contained in the PMBOK® (and there are tons more!), if you have any time at all in uniform planning, leading, communicating about, and closing out missions, you have credible project management experience!

If you achieved E-4 or above in the Marine Corp’s infantry or the Navy's SEABEES, or E-6 or above in all other services, you probably have experience receiving and planning missions to deliver a unique commander’s intent, using a five-paragraph operations order, under a prescribed deadline, and all while managing risk and uncertainty.

To validate this military experience, you can apply for, train to pass, and secure the Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential by passing an intense, 4-hour long, situationally- and computer-based exam. When a civilian employer sees a resume full of project management experience with a PMP after the candidate’s name, they know PMI looked at thousands of hours of project management experience just to allow you to sit for the exam!

BOOM!

You’re a project manager in their minds! They check the block; they get to move you to the ‘interview’ pile of resumes now.

Impact.

Once they’ve made this base connection that you’re a project manager, you’re instantly familiar to them. They know exactly what PMs do, how much they make, where they sit in the organization, how to develop them, and how much and what kinds of value they bring to the organization. The only piece of information left on your resume that will be alien to them now is “Wow, I didn’t know the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard [insert your Service] did projects!” They’ll want to interview you to find out how.

Summary.

Civilians know exactly what a project manager is; the role is familiar to them. Your military service provided you with the knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience to successfully fill and execute the project management role. This means that once you learn to talk like one using the PMBOK® and validate your experience and speech with the PMP®, civilians will be able to correctly identify you and place you; as a project management professional! It’s A Sure Fire Way To Validate Your Military Experience To Civilians!

Professional piece of transition solved.

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Please 'Like' and ‘Share’ this post liberally if you are a transitioning military Service Member or Veteran, military transition assistance professional, a Veteran Employment/Retraining Organization or Recruiter, or if you found it helpful. Additionally, please email any questions or inquiries you may have to me at eric@vets2pm.com. I'm here to help, and I thank you! Warmest regards, Eric.

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Eric Wright is a two-service, two-era Military Veteran; Co-Founder and CEO of Vets2PM; an experienced, credentialed project manager and mentor; and an entertaining instructor/public speaker on project management, PMI’s PMP and CAPM exams, and on project manager development. He helps Military Veterans become Project Managers through inspiration, training, preparation, and presentation to the PM hiring community.