Most recently I worked for a military public affairs organization and am now searching for a position in the corporate environment. It seems to me that most companies tend to under estimate the valuable experience people who work for the military bring to a corporate environment. This isn't just my opinion but I have been told that by others.
Hiring officials don't understand that when you work for the military, especially in public affairs but it is true no matter what area your career focuses on; you have been given a tremendous amount of responsibility early in your career. I know that beginning with my first job I was given tasks and responsibility for activities that I would have had to work for year in a corporate environment to gain this level of experience. I think about this sometimes and can't really put my finger on why. I never thought of the military as an enabling organization but in a way they are. Of course you are held accountable for your actions as well, not that corporate doesn't do this but I think that most are more cautious about the responsibility given to junior people so the accountability is at a different level.
I remember publishing an internal newspaper, I actually wasn't the editor at the time, but we misspelled the incoming General officers name and boy did we get in trouble. Yes the whole newspaper staff was in trouble; after all we reviewed it before it was published. At the time I was one of the two most junior people in the office, but I still got in on the punishment or chastising. I guess they considered it a learning experience.
I worked a fellowship for a six-month period at Merck Pharmaceuticals and I saw "managers" who couldn't make a decision without half the company weighing in. I always thought the military had the worst bureaucracy but large companies can compete on that level with the true bureaucrats. It was an exciting experience given to only the best of the best but I found it extremely limiting. At my military public affairs job I made most of the decision. At Merck I didn't sneeze without asking permission.
All of this moaning is for the purpose of trying to increase corporate knowledge of what goes on in military public affairs. I will have more on this in the future.
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