How to figure out what you’d make as a civilian - Second Military Careers - Military Times

How to figure out what you’d make as a civilian

During your years in uniform, Uncle Sam always has been the one to decide the amount of your paycheck. But now that you are planning to leave the military, determining what you are worth can be as much up to you as it is any boss.

Don't let your military training, education and experience go to waste. With careful planning and a little research, you can ensure that you get the civilian salary you deserve.

Just how much are you worth in the private sector?

The answer, experts said, isn't as difficult to find as you might think. Whether your aim is to enter a hot career field like technology, health care or the defense industry, or to concentrate your efforts on a narrower niche, there are simple steps you can take to get started on the path to determining your earning potential.

According to Carl Savino, founder and president of the Fairfax Station, Va.-based Competitive Edge Services -- a free career transition service for service members -- and co-author of the "Corporate Gray" book series, a number of Web sites provide salary information. Savino, who also is a West Point graduate and retired Army Reserve major, recommends consulting the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Web site at www.bls.gov/oes/ for a list of salary ranges by occupational area. Other sites, such as Salary.com, also show what different occupations make by industry and geographic location, he said.

Still not sure you've covered all your salary bases? Get a little more personal. For example, Savino recommends joining a professional association in your chosen field. These associations often conduct salary surveys among members, and the findings are shared with the membership. Savino also recommends setting up informational interviews with others working in the same civilian field in which you are interested.

"You don't have to ask them specifically what they make," he said. Instead, ask them for a salary range, or a reasonable figure on what you might expect to make based on factors such as the job you are seeking, your education level and years of experience.

"The bottom line is, there are many different resources to tap into," Savino said.

One important caveat, said West Point graduate and former Army Capt. Mike McGovern: "Companies are not going to pay for experience they can't use."

In other words, if you are planning to use your recent military background and go to work for a company that supports the military or the government, you are going to be using your military expertise and thus should be able to make at least as much as you made in uniform. Go to work for a company that can't tap into your direct military experiences, and you may be surprised to learn that you won't necessarily make as much as you did in the service.

"[People] have to realize that in some cases they haven't done [a] particular job before, and they are being hired for potential ... instead of experience," said McGovern, who is a partner at the Alexandria, Va.-based junior military officer placement company Career Development Corp.

"I think it's a disappointment to people who think they should make at least what they were making in the military, and that is not always the case," McGovern said.

Former service members should be conscious of the strengths they have attained from being in the military, he said. Whatever the position you plan to seek, potential employers likely will be impressed by traits shared by most men and women with some military service under their belts, among them maturity; the ability to multitask and take on large responsibilities; and experience working with groups of people from diverse backgrounds.

In fact, these very characteristics can sometimes help land you the job even if your resume lacks the experience or education, Savino said.

"There is an advantage to having a four-year degree," Savino said of the civilian job search. However, he said the companies with which he works look favorably on the good work ethic, skills, training and leadership experience of service members who may not have college under their belts.

It's also important to remember that success is not always measured in a four-year degree. In the health care industry, for example, positions such as medical assistant, health care technician and home health aide may require only on-the-job training or a two-year degree. Savino said there also is a significant added value given to civilian credentials. Planning on being a truck driver when you get out of uniform, for example? Savino said your branch of service may not pay for you to get your CDL, but if you are interested in going into that field, it would make sense for you to make that investment on your own before embarking on the job search. Earning the right credentials may require some costs to you up front, but long term they can land you the job you desire more quickly and at a higher salary.

Even though you should do your homework and know what you want in terms of pay heading into a job interview, both McGovern and Savino caution against discussing salary during the interview itself.

"Defer salary questions until you have a firm handle on the position, its scope and what's expected of you," Savino said.

If you are directly questioned about salary, he suggests referring the matter back to the interviewer, with a response such as, "Certainly you have more experience with this than I do. What would you pay a person in this position?"

And if you do put out a salary range -- say $60,000 to $80,000 -- Savino said to be forewarned that, while you are thinking toward the $80,000 end, they are thinking $60,000. A safe bet in such a situation, McGovern said, may be to tell them what you were making in the military and state that you hope to maintain that quality of life in the civilian world.

One difficult thing about salary, he said, is that, until you go further down the interviewing line with a company, you may not have a good idea of how your pay might improve as you advance in that company. One of the benefits of using an agency such as his is that it is familiar with the salary ranges for the companies it represents. For example, one of Career Development Corp.'s clients pays the lowest starting salaries of any company the agency represents. But look five years down the road from an initial hire, and he said people there are making more than their counterparts at other companies whose offers for starting salaries were higher. "They bring people in at less than [their] competitors do," McGovern said. "But they reward their major players.

"Obviously, your starting salary is important, but of equal importance, get an idea how you are going to be able to advance salary- and responsibility-wise in five years."

Make sure the career-path you have chosen for life after the military is truly what you want to do. Talk to your family to make sure everyone is on the same page about an ideal post-military life. Consider geography -- not just in terms of where you might want to live, but also where jobs in your chosen profession are available and command the salary you desire.

Tech salary snapshot: Computer Systems

As an example, these are the salaries that can be gotten in computer systems design and related fields, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Occupation Hourly pay Annual pay

General and operations managers $53.64 $111,571

Computer and information systems managers $45.31 $94,245

Computer software engineers, systems software $35.32 $73,466

Computer software engineers, applications $34.56 $71,885

Computer systems analysts $32.54 $67,683

Management analysts $31.79 $66,123

Computer programmers $31.56 $65,645

Network and computer systems administrators $28.27 $58,802

Computer support specialists $19.76 $41,101

Customer service representatives $14.01 $29,141

Tagline: Jessica Lawson covers career-transition issues for Decision Times. Reach her at Jlawson@atpco.com