Five important decisions For Service Officers in Making a new Career

(An old article of 2010 published by self in Band of Brothers group). 

Five important decisions For Service Officers in Making a New career

by brando

May 31, 2010

‘When to quit’, ‘What one should expect in a new Job’, ‘Career Transition’

and ‘How to find a job’ and ‘Is it worth it’?

1. When to quit:   We in Armed Forces have a very comfortable and safe life style. It is a big dilemma when to quit as everybody has to retire one day, but issue is PMR. Today, career change is becoming the norm rather than the exception, with many studies showing that the average person will change careers (not just jobs) several times over the course of their working . So be prepared even to do job hopping after leaving Defence service till one finds the perfect job. What is exactly is the perfect job, I will explain in subsequent paras

(a) Age Factor :  My first recommendation to anybody who is above age of 50 years is not to quit as there are hardly any jobs at that age. The retirement age in corporate world is also 55 to 60, though the owners and entrepreneurs continue till 75. Now if one is below 50 years the job opportunities are proportion to decreasing age factor.

(b) Reasons for leaving:

(i) Superscession :     My recommendation is on superscession, quit immediately if one has got his pensionable age service.  Why do we crib if we get supers ceded in any rank? It is because we feel we did not get our due? So instead of just harboring own pain and watching course mates rise with jealousy, finding fault as how he got next rank…….move on in life to another career by accepting the inevitable.

Remember superscession, old age retirement and finally death are permanent phases of our living being, it will come to everybody . But barring death and old age, we can still overcome superscession and retirement issue by little bit of courage and planning. Go and venture in another career. We all started in a career journey to become the top man, along the way our train gets derailed as rail line was cut and we got superseded . So best is change tracks and continue the journey.

In corporate , one has an opportunity to cover up all lost years of missed opportunities and be at par with own mates in professional and financial rise and in fact more .

(ii) Family compulsion: Reasons could be like old parents or medical issues of any family member also forces us to leave. Take a call as family is also important. You can get a job that allows you to give time to family after earning pensions service and serving the country for 20 odd years . 

(iii) Personal Calling: Of course if civil world is also calling you then also quit if there is no reason. Listen to your heart. I wanted to do lot of things as a veteran which was not possible serving in fauj. (Explained with a few examples in the end).

Lot of friends actually left before earning pension and doing well in corporate world. 

(iv) New job opportunities : Many full Colonels are also quitting after command instead of going after HC/HDMC. Probably they feel there are less chances of becoming a Brigadier or they are not interested in HDMC /HC but they seek new opportunities as world is changing and booming with new career opportunities. In such cases, it is a personal decisions why an officer doing well decided to quit.

I personally feel there should be specific and strong reason for quitting . Remember quitting Indian Army detaches us from a very well organized family. 

If there are no reason of being helpless to leave one’s job as on lighter side , life starts after command with no major responsibility except pushing paper and changing power presentations slides in HQs against what one is expected to do. The salary and facilities have been upgraded so enjoy balance 10 years of professional life till you become 55 and join as Senior Heads directly as there are a large number of Brigadiers and Major General doing well in second career based on the rank and status. .

2. What to look for a Job outside Indian Defence forces : “The perfect Job”

(a) Take off point: It should be at a level at least minimum where you left in Indian Defence Forces in terms of appointment, power, responsibility and perks in first year. For a Lt Col, the appointment is equivalent to a General Manager. Your first job profile and pay slip will be a bench mark for follow up jobs in any other /company shifts.

(b) Progress in Life: There should be growth in terms of appointment, perks and responsibility in same company or any other company .

(c) Choice of stations: My personal opinion is job should be in same family station. Our better halves have spend their maximum lives without us when we were in field. Hence plan your settlement in a city that gives you a job and also you stay with family.

(d) Distance from work place to home also matter: Maximum heart attacks out of stress occur when you travel 100 kms every day ie 50 up and down. Work distance should be within 10 Kms to 30 Kms. My work place is 12kms from home and am fresh when I reach home.

(e) Status/salary /job responsibilities: These are related factors of your job in company which is also an issue. First job , don’t get impressed by name of brand names / fortune company or blue chip company if they are not giving you a decent job, salary, and responsibility because you are still a Green horn for them . 

 Just don’t join on a brand name of a Tatas/Mahindras/ Reliance, if they are asking you to start at a level lower than what you left in Defence Services. Remember you left the biggest brand name ie Indian Army only to seek something better.

My job hunting Priorities were very clear ie salary, appointment and responsibility to be equal or greater than Indian Army and most important quality of life to be maintained with hard work and time given to family life. These companies were asking me to sacrifice a few issue just because they were brand names, what will I do with a brand name………..but will help a lesser branded company that is providing me all the requirement of my job and in return I will work hard to make my company a brand in coming years.

(f) Problems of Large brand name companies :      Remember getting a Senior /AGM/ General Manger job in these companies as first job will be difficult.   The first preference for promotion to senior management is for internal employees who have spend 20 years/ known relatives or friends reference, then comes other candidates who were AGM/GM/VP in other companies, and then graduates from IIM/IITs lastly we the fauji lot who has just left. So be realistic on chances of becoming a senior manager/ AGM/ GM in a reputed company like Tatas/ Mahindras etc where people have spend a life time of around 30 years to reach the senior level. Also you have no previous back ground experience unless one has an entry from known acquaintances/ IIM entry of real two /one year course. ( Forget our desi courses of six months in IIM ).

(g) Advantage of a good but lesser brand name company as a First job if you dont get a MNC job  

(i)   First option is of course get in a top notch MNC in first job only/first year.   

(ii) Second best option for first job is    If you are not getting a job in a brand company in senior mangement role the next best  option on own’s merit is to seek a job that allows you to be one of the decision makers in senior management role of such companies that are not brand names but almost doing equal business in millions and who can afford to pay one lac/plus with enough perks and appointments.

 In short, do not get impressed with brand names companies and helplessly accept a junior position of Manager with average salary of anything less than one lac/month  and asking you to do mundane work of facility management/ cafeteria planning / security etc for characters in the company who have half education and work experience than a fauji.   This is of course in circumstances’ when one is not under compulsion. 

 

(iii) Still it is the Third best option  is to use such jobs of admin/facility /security as parking lot for your career vehicle to speed up in something more challenging as and when an opportunity arises.

 

(iv)    Plan to get out of second and third option fast and quick to get in a senior management role in a good brand MNC after spending some time in lesser known and small companies in civi street and making contacts and learning the ropes.   Brand companies will give you a job satisfaction in senior management role and good salary package and also good market value.   

(h) For Technical officer who have M tech with them job market is booming in terms of Plant Head, Factory managers, Production managers etc. For Non Technical jobs in Admin and HR. ( I shall discuss the best job profile and title later in subsequent paras for all Service officers)

3. Career Transition: One has to prepare for a job while serving in last year in Defence Services to build upon own strengths and potential in the industry. How did I prepare for a job outside ? In fact as Service officers, we always underestimate ourselves as presuming that Industry will only find us suitable for HR/admin. Hence when we do our MBA we do it in HR/admin only. While HR/admin is a second nature job for all of us, why do we fail to realize our inborn gift of versatility that enabled us to seamlessly switch from one posting job to another posting job . If we could settle down in any job in service what stops us from taking on something different other than HR/admin, no matter how distinct they are. Remember getting into any other job other than HR /admin is also not a bravado/ sheer desperations to jump into a dissimilar ship.

For me the issue was how to be a professional to be flexible to fit in every kind of job in Manufacturing /Service industry. I was an auto engineer in (EME) Army then joined telecom projects as operation head and later shifted to Energy sector as Greenfield Project manager and then plant head with so much exposure to SCM also. So one has to keep changing abd learn new stuff.

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(a) Settling own family in own flat/house. I had requested MS br to post me in Pune as a last posting two years before I completed 20 years as I had plans to settle down in Pune and seeing my field profile my request was honored. Hence I started my career transition two years before I finally left, ie making plans to make my family stable. That will give time for kids to settle in education, family to also find a job for herself, own flat doing up/making own house.

(b) Take some time while serving to prepare one self in required qualification. Kindly note industry has very health respect for M tech or MBA and kindly do not forget to do some of the most important career courses in manufacturing /service industry/IT industry. I am not a IT professional hence would request somebody from this field how to do a few essential courses in soft ware programming and job opportunities. However self being a Mechanical degree holder and work experience of automobile and engineering equipment, I would explain a few essential courses to increase one’s versatility which I did to be an All rounder.

(i) Essential courses For all Kinds of Jobs in Manufacturing and Service industry .

(aa) Six Sigma. Do a minimum green belt Six Sigma courses. Later upgrade yourself to Black Belt and Master. This courses teaches mostly all essential tools to help improve a company run its business by identifying defects, lapses and loopholes in all established processes. One’s market value among many candidates applying increases. This course is approx Rs 15000 to a little more or less.

(ab) Oracle or SAP ERP. Do a course on functional working on ERP modules like Oracle or SAP. All good companies have a common networking platform that integrates all domain of the enterprises. Your CV will look impressive if your flexibility increases in functioning under ERP culture and you will not look like an alien in the organization. For doing a recognized ERP course of Oracle / SAP in any one single domain , it is usually 40 /50 thousand.

(ac) IS0 9000 /TQM/TPC. Enhance your skills by doing a course on ISO series/ TQM/TPM/ etc. For manufacturing industry enhance knowledge on Lean system of manufacturing.

(ii) Flexibility to also work in SCM/logistic While in service also do a course in SCM . Best is do a course of Oracle /SAP in SCM as that will give you knowledge on ERP and also on SCM . I did oracle in SCM and I got ERP solutions of all domains ie HR/ operations/ Corporate Finance/ Sales etc. Be very clear about Kaizan, JIT , etc types of inventory.

(iii) Essential Course in Manufacturing wrt Production and Quality

(aa) Learn on line wrt Lean system of manufacturing,

(ab) Do a course on CATIA V and also about CAE and CAM wrt designing that will help in translating design product into production

(ac) Do a course on NDT ie Non destructive test quality that will help a production guy to maintain quality parameters. NDT course helps in analyzing different parameters by using Liquid penetrating test, Ultrasonic test, Magnetic and Xrays.

(ad) Do a course on Product Life Cycle management

(iv) Essential requirement of Project Management

(aa) Do appear for Project management exam. That will increase your market value many times.

(ab) Even if you cannot appear for the exam, at least learn Microsoft Project soft ware or Prime vera soft ware.

(aci) I must add that today in every field there is a project that needs execution and this course is most helpful

(v) MBA . Last and essential for all Non Techies who do not have a Btech/M tech degree to strengthen the CV. If it is via GMAT route to a IIM it is best. I have not much comments to offer for that six months course. However MBA is essential for Short service officers. For techies, distance correspondence course is good enough if you have a B tech /M tech degree.

(vi) Point to Note. A company is looking for technical expertise to run a company and management comes to us with experience hence remember to do those courses listed above that will help you to enhance your employability.

4. The best Profile in market . I keep harping why do we underestimate ourselves. Why do we make our CV only for HR or Admin or Fin or Transport or Logistic or Security or Production. I also did a mistake of going for a single aim ie trying to be Plant head of a Manufacturing company or GM production.

(a) Command Profile akin to CO/ Brigade Commanders. There is a profile in corporate world also that is calling the shots in the market, the company looks up this profile as the man to manage resources, manpower, time, and control the nerve centre of the company to make it grow in the market? It is same that what we all did our lives as Commanding officers/ officer commanding ie manage Finance, HR ,Admin, resources.

(b) What is that Corporate profile akin to CO/ Cdr ? Now I am talking about GM / Head operations as it is the profile that will enhance a company growth if you can make a difference. GM/Head operation can be akin to GM production/ Plant head / Profit cost head / Business Development head. All these job profile but under Operations is all about what we are doing in Defence service ie managing Man, material ,Money, Machine etc So all you guyies make a CV for GM operations, the first job will be difficult and once you get it and take charge of company operations and make your boss proud of you.

( c) Once you do this, headhunters will never have to chase job offer as that will come to you. Also have a nose for sniffing out opportunity for seeking potential opportunity for growth in most unlikeliest companies. Remember the next stage ie CEOs are getting younger everyday and we are in that age bracket.

5. Is leaving Defence service worth it .

Apart from family compulsion or earlier plan to join civil world one wants to leave as he sees not much of growth . later also you may want to change companies if there is stagnation with lesser vacancies and you seek new challanges or horizons.

(i) Rise and Shine . Never allow yourself to accept as a buried man with a dead career. Rise from ashes. Rise like a Phoenix . Change careers immediately after 20 years as life is waiting for you with many windows open so what a door was closed by some corrupt IO/RO or there is no vacancy in next rank. There are always new options to explore in civi world, that is the best part of it.

(ii) Follow Your Life Calling. Have a life calling that you could not follow by being in Defence service due to constraints. Go out and venture into a social cause that will strengthen the country and Indian Defense services against internal and external enemies. Get into media/ anti corruption drives/ NGOs/ women/child up lift ment/. Remember if you don’t have a life calling ie means the souls are dead. My life calling is to make RTI Act 2005 strong and bring in reforms in Indian Army as I know the system now and I can help break the shackles via PIL and RTI act 2005. I will also get into serious writing down the years / do worthwhile in anti corruption drives

(iii) Do something for own Defence community. I also feel bad that many of our retd service men only harp about pay rise or facilities etc but now is the opportunity to do something for the poor down trodden many of which are of also Ex Service men in villages /cities/ . There is no proper organization that can fetch them a job as Army Placement agency is very much out of sync in getting jobs for all of us.

(iv) Get Due from work. I have heard that there are companies in corporate that sacks you on dirty politics/ internal squabbles/ bad economy. No worries as there are equally good companies that pick you for what you are as a leader and good hard worker. Eventually Career comes back on track in terms of own capabilities and merits. The best part is if one establishes a reputation then competitor company seek for you . Job attrition no body likes. Remember here in corporate . only merit and worth of a man counts and not how much he is corrupt to please his boss. In corporate world there is value for a man who is aggressive and transparent in work business, good with people, undisputed integrity and a culture of complete honesty and clean work.

(v) Comparing with Indian Defense service. I know we also value similar good things in Indian Defense service but how many good chaps have been sacrificed and many corrupt risen up? Example are a few of our top brass only……… For every genuine good officer going up in rank there is equally or a shade lesser /more frauds. Any way all to their own as karma catches up sooner or later. For me I think God had other plans a glimpse I am seeing a bit to rise and shine now in this new world .

(vi) Be Financially rich. Financially one gets at least double with all taxes and CTC cut and in a couple of years if you work hard for company growth, it can be three times ie touching few more lacs per month. I am not a financial expert with zero knowledge of Shares/ULIPs/Mutual Funds . I have now started understanding a bit .

(aa) However I did a simple calculation, My 20 years in Army got me 40 lac approx as pension emoluments including DSOP. I wish to make this 40 Lac amount to one crore in 10 years in Corporate world by only honest means and paying my all taxes. It is because when I retire if I want to retire at 50/52 , I will have approx one lac as monthly return for me for me and wife to have a ball in life .

(ab) That means I have to make additional 60 lac/ten years ie 6 lac every year or have a saving of 50 thousand every month including making arrangements for higher education cost of my son. Now being in Army saving 50 thousand as minimum would have been at cost of living life in a miserable manner. After leaving Indian Army , with my new job and pension emolument, it will be very easy with my present good corporate salary plus rate of interest of present 40 lac plus my pension from Indian Army.

(ac) All the more , I will have quality kings size or should I say Emperor size life to have comfortable living as I lived in Army , watch my son step into a good career , look after my old parents and live life happily with my wife and make her dreams come true which she deserves after all her sacrifices she had made for me when I was in services. God forbid, if I die prematurely I would have left a healthy balance for my family that would not have been possible if I had continued with a carry home salary of apprx 60/ 65 thousand after taxes in present salary of 6 PSC. My hard earned money is also satisfying as that will be purely hard earned money and not black money as many of our top brass are having with names blackened in media.

(vii) Time with family As an operation head my job is 24/7 for all emergencies and contingencies but my office work timings are from 10 AM to 6.30 PM with Sunday off. I go for my usual run with my dogs / learning golf in morning/ go swimming in morning before going for office. I leave relaxed at 9 30 AM and whole day how time flies with quality decision making as Operation head of so many men/managers . It is a life experience as one grows in job everyday with new interaction and new task. I am back home at 7 PM and with my kid and wife go for swimming/movies/ help him in his studies. In short there is no bullshit of useless/time wasting issues and stress of pleasing boss by unusual means which many of us go through.

6. Last but not the least all those good genuine leaders In Indian Army who have been yet to be supersceded don’t quit as Indian Army needs your kind. Today I am at least proud of one Gentleman making it to top In EME and hope he will become DGEME soon ie Maj Gen NB Singh. Similarly the present COAS comes with a clean reputation and it was so encouraging to hear his first interview on TV when he talked of improving internal health state of Indian Army . My salute to him .

There are many genuine top brass with Ex Cdrs genuine leaders now commanding Div but I am talking of officers of my generation /batch as there are real gems and they should not quit as our organization will need them. I also feel good at times that my own capabilities are being used by corporate world to strengthen the working and make it more professional but I wish Indian Army that trained me with these capabilities could have been also served more.

I could have been part of the Biggest brand of the country ie Indian Defence Services and with my friends . Anyway life is to move on and I was lucky in friendship department with most of the genuine chaps as my friends and we are attached to each other by a bond of brotherhood .

7 However one must leave an organization if it is a dead end as life is only this what we breath nobody knows what happens after death, so make the most of it till we are alive…………………and live life Emperors Size

Bye till next time……………..

brando