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BY Cameron-Brooks

Top 3 Factors That Impact Your Military-to-Business Salary

Any Junior Military Officer considering a transition to business should learn as much as they can — as early as they can— so they can strategize the most successful post-military career launch. One of the biggest concerns we hear from the JMOs we talk with revolves around salary and compensation. And rightly so. The military provides security and certainty that many officers fear abandoning. However, with the right strategy in place, your financial future in business could far outshine what you may earn in the military.

Here are the top 3 factors that come into play when making a transition to the Corporate World:

1. Find companies that value your background!
   To make a successful transition to Corporate America, you want to find companies that value your military leadership background and are willing to pay commensurate to what they feel you will bring to the company. Many officers find they take a step back in pay or seniority because their new employer doesn’t value, or realize their leadership potential. A company that supports a “hire veteran” program is not the same as a company that values your leadership experience, and will work with your transition timing to provide advancement. Know the difference before you consider a position that may not bring the reward — and future earning potential — you expect and desire. (Cameron-Brooks Career Conferences are attended by companies that value your background and WANT JMOs like you. Learn more about our last conference here.
2. Understand the big picture
   It’s important to clearly understand everything that goes into your post-military salary. You’re used to the military’s “all-inclusive” package, but any offer in Corporate America will most likely include other add-ons that need to be considered. Benefits like medical insurance, 401K, profit sharing stocks, are all part of the overall financial compensation and vary with each company. Total compensation in the business world goes well beyond base salary.
3. Think long term.
   Perhaps this should have been #1. It’s easy to get caught up in the sign-on salary package, but where you will really see your earning rise is over time. If you begin your career with a company you feel good about; a company with a culture you like and work that is rewarding, you are more likely to excel. As a result, you will be promoted more quickly based on merit and performance. Your transition doesn’t stop the first day at your new company. The successful transition to business is a progression that can last 3-5 years. So oftentimes, a slightly lower salary at a company that “feels right” may prove to be better financially 10 years down the road than taking the offer with the highest salary. We have a great podcast episode that speaks to this point. Give it a listen!

To find out more about compensation and the factors that come into play, download our FREE resource “How Much MONEY Can I Make? The #1 Military-to-Business Question Explained.” We dig deeper into this entire topic and you can see all the possibilities.

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Cameron-Brooks is a Military-to-Business transition specialist that partners exclusively with Junior Military Officers to launch rewarding careers in Corporate America. Connect with us in the following ways.  

 HELPFUL LINKS:

Learn more at https://www.cameron-brooks.com/jmo/

Talk with a Transition Coach 

“Master The Military Transition” Webcast

FREE Transition Resources

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