In America, we like to tell children that they can grow up to be anything they want to be. It is an encouraging message that speaks well of our open capitalist economic system and relatively fluid social structure. For adults, however, that narrative is both inaccurate and misleading to those who attempt to fashion career goals. Furthermore, many of our job titles obfuscate the actual value creation purpose of each role and confuse job seekers as to what the job occupant really does every day. This confusion of national myth and functional purpose conspire to create noise and distraction in the job search process, especially for transitioning veterans.
Almost all jobs fall into one or more general category of activity: making stuff, selling stuff or counting stuff. When reading a job description or imagining a role, it is helpful to organize the function into some combination of these factors. It is a shorthand way to assess fit and likely success in the role. Many will resist initially the notion that all jobs fit into one or more of these categories, but upon further consideration and understanding of the job, most will understand the utility of this classification.
1. Making stuff. In our increasingly service-based economy, it may be tempting to think of “making stuff” as only including manufacturing and distribution of physical goods. However, making stuff includes the performance of all sorts of services, many of which are entirely intangible. Writers, educators, engineers, manufacturers, logisticians, customer service personnel, drivers and the performers of most services are makers. When looking at these fields, the job seeker must consider whether she wants to be evaluated based on quality, timelines and other service metrics. It is a world where efficiency and reliability are prized and organizational skills are paramount. Constructive and creative people often thrive in these fields.
2. Selling stuff. It is obvious that sales people “sell stuff” for a living. But how many recognize that preachers, politicians, executives, marketers and entrepreneurs are first and foremost salespeople? It is common for transitioning veterans to eschew selling roles because they equate the function with sleazy salespeople and cold callers when, in fact, many jobs involve a large measure of persuasion and communications. When a transitioning veteran considers just how many roles are really the domain of skilled salespeople, he may take a look at learning how to sell earlier in a career.
3. Counting stuff. The final category includes all those who administer and keep score in the real world. Accountants, bankers, lawyers, analysts and consultants primarily deal in a world of mathematical abstraction generally to support those who make and sell stuff. Here, superior cognitive abilities, such as verbal and mathematical reasoning, define the successful. Personality traits, such as intellectual curiosity, the ability to focus and communication of results, are also important.
What about leading stuff? One may notice that “leading stuff” is not one of the three categories. This is because leadership is not a core function for most civilian organizations. In the private sector, few individuals are hired to “lead.” Leadership is still an important ability in the civilian world. It is just that people are usually hired to make, sell or count first and the leadership and management skills are assumed. Having been attracted to and trained in the “cult of leadership” in the military, veterans in particular tend to be slow to learn this lesson. This frustrates veterans, especially senior ones, who expect offers to lead and run teams, departments or companies.
When evaluating a position, get past the fancy title words, such as manager, liaison and even vice president, to understand what is really required to excel. Chances are good that the key task contains some combination of making, selling or counting. By applying this model, the transitioning veteran can more quickly ascertain the true nature of the role. For example, a regional territory manager may sound like a leadership function but is more likely a sales role. Likewise, a team leader might really be responsible for creation of product or the delivery of a service, which is of course “making stuff.”
The job search process is so fraught with confusion and emotion that it is critically important to simplify facts and impressions into useful and actionable information. By distilling the nature of a position into one or more of the three key civilian functions of making, selling or counting stuff, the veteran job seeker can better understand the roles where he or she will make the best fit. To determine job fit, one must know himself, the job role and how the two may fit.
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