Gather ‘round, Gents. Advice for young Devils coming to the 1st Civ Div.
I just nutted really hard to Sydney Sweeney and the Lord put this on my heart to say…
For those of yous about to get out, or recently out (and anyone else out). (Current executive in a large service industry with 5,000 employees. I didn’t finish college and started at the very fucking bottom and worked my way up. So, I know a thing or two and want to help, legitimately).
Get yourself some good shirt stays. Pictured above. These cost $11.75 on Amazon Prime with two day delivery. They’re nice, go over the toe and under the sock, so no nasty nut schalpping surprise. Most importantly you look squared away.
Attach those shirt stays to a nice shirt. Wear a nice pair of trousers. Match your belt color to your shoes. White under shirts, ONLY. I’m telling you, a nice crisp professional look will get you past 95% of applicants these days. You won’t believe the shit I see come into one of my branches for an interview. Anyone in a nice shirt and trousers is going to catch hiring managers’ eyes.
In fact, go to JC Penny’s, Macy’s or even Men’s Warehouse. Get two to three shirts. (Plain either white or light blue), and two pairs of trousers (one blue l, one black, both tailored). It may cost a little money up front but will pay dividends in the future. Trust me, invest in yourself.
If you can afford a tailored suit, even better. But, not necessary. I’d rather see you in a well fitted shirt and trousers and a cheap AF and ill-fitting suit. It demonstrates self-awareness and social awareness, too. Ties are great. Don’t get a silk tie for god-sake! You’re not a cheap ass pimp.
Most of the people your age come in looking like shit, like they don’t care, or dressed in street clothes that look like shit but cost their parents’ entire government check for the month. Stand out.
Shave. Mother fucking shave.
If you can’t, clean beard. No one is going to want to hire Ragnar Lothbrok outside of very few employers.
Almost forgot, don’t wear white socks. Moving on…
Tone it down. I’ve seen so many veterans (especially POGs) ramp up the military jargon and “attitude “. Lots of “check”, “tracking”, “roger”, “Oscar Mike”, “send it”, etc., combined with an annoying ass alpha dog military manner.
Civilians don’t know what the hell you’re saying and are weirded out by it. Us veterans, just think you’re gay. And not the good gay.
Just come in with your Sunday School professionalism. Be relaxed. Talk like a human being, and throw in some “Yes, Sir’s” “Yes, Ma’am’s”.
Don’t be cocky. They’ll say they care, but no one cares that you are a Marine, beyond the thought that you’ll work hard and be responsible.
Brush your fangs! Especially you gotdanged smokers and coffee drinkers. Bring some chewing gum too.
After your interview, if not offered a job on the spot, follow up. Many hiring managers deal with hundreds of applicants. Drop and email or quick call and thank them for their time.
Get a professional email. Gmail is great. [email protected] will get ignored. Just some version of your name @ gmail is good. Proton is another good service. I guess yahoo is okay if you’re a fucking boomer. Hotmail is a no no. Ghetto AF.
Once you land your job, be appreciative. It may not be your dream job, but stability, hard work and a little something extra will take you a long way and breed prosperity. Job hopping looks bad on a resume. And you tend to have to start at the bottom all over again.
Once I stopped job hopping I went from $11.71 per hour to over $100k a year salaried with a 20% performance bonus in less than 10 years. You have to grind.
Finally, remember, you’re a Marine. That means you hold the reputation of every Marine past, present and future on your shoulders. Act like it.
Supplemental:
Get a mentor in the civilian world.
Ask vets who are out and successful about their journey. Emulate them.
If at all possible, LEARN TO WRITE. I took a technical and creative writing course and it served me exceptionally well.
Learn smartsheet, excel, word, google sheets, etc. Have someone review your resume.
And if anyone here needs any of that help, feel free to DM me. I’m happy to help any young Marine in any way I can. I’ve made a ton of mistakes and have things to teach about what not to do.
SF
There are some errors above. I can’t fix cause my phone won’t let me move the cursor back up. Just ask…
I just nutted really hard to Sydney Sweeney and the Lord put this on my heart to say…
For those of yous about to get out, or recently out (and anyone else out). (Current executive in a large service industry with 5,000 employees. I didn’t finish college and started at the very fucking bottom and worked my way up. So, I know a thing or two and want to help, legitimately).
Get yourself some good shirt stays. Pictured above. These cost $11.75 on Amazon Prime with two day delivery. They’re nice, go over the toe and under the sock, so no nasty nut schalpping surprise. Most importantly you look squared away.
Attach those shirt stays to a nice shirt. Wear a nice pair of trousers. Match your belt color to your shoes. White under shirts, ONLY. I’m telling you, a nice crisp professional look will get you past 95% of applicants these days. You won’t believe the shit I see come into one of my branches for an interview. Anyone in a nice shirt and trousers is going to catch hiring managers’ eyes.
In fact, go to JC Penny’s, Macy’s or even Men’s Warehouse. Get two to three shirts. (Plain either white or light blue), and two pairs of trousers (one blue l, one black, both tailored). It may cost a little money up front but will pay dividends in the future. Trust me, invest in yourself.
If you can afford a tailored suit, even better. But, not necessary. I’d rather see you in a well fitted shirt and trousers and a cheap AF and ill-fitting suit. It demonstrates self-awareness and social awareness, too. Ties are great. Don’t get a silk tie for god-sake! You’re not a cheap ass pimp.
Most of the people your age come in looking like shit, like they don’t care, or dressed in street clothes that look like shit but cost their parents’ entire government check for the month. Stand out.
Shave. Mother fucking shave.
If you can’t, clean beard. No one is going to want to hire Ragnar Lothbrok outside of very few employers.
Almost forgot, don’t wear white socks. Moving on…
Tone it down. I’ve seen so many veterans (especially POGs) ramp up the military jargon and “attitude “. Lots of “check”, “tracking”, “roger”, “Oscar Mike”, “send it”, etc., combined with an annoying ass alpha dog military manner.
Civilians don’t know what the hell you’re saying and are weirded out by it. Us veterans, just think you’re gay. And not the good gay.
Just come in with your Sunday School professionalism. Be relaxed. Talk like a human being, and throw in some “Yes, Sir’s” “Yes, Ma’am’s”.
Don’t be cocky. They’ll say they care, but no one cares that you are a Marine, beyond the thought that you’ll work hard and be responsible.
Brush your fangs! Especially you gotdanged smokers and coffee drinkers. Bring some chewing gum too.
After your interview, if not offered a job on the spot, follow up. Many hiring managers deal with hundreds of applicants. Drop and email or quick call and thank them for their time.
Get a professional email. Gmail is great. [email protected] will get ignored. Just some version of your name @ gmail is good. Proton is another good service. I guess yahoo is okay if you’re a fucking boomer. Hotmail is a no no. Ghetto AF.
Once you land your job, be appreciative. It may not be your dream job, but stability, hard work and a little something extra will take you a long way and breed prosperity. Job hopping looks bad on a resume. And you tend to have to start at the bottom all over again.
Once I stopped job hopping I went from $11.71 per hour to over $100k a year salaried with a 20% performance bonus in less than 10 years. You have to grind.
Finally, remember, you’re a Marine. That means you hold the reputation of every Marine past, present and future on your shoulders. Act like it.
Supplemental:
Get a mentor in the civilian world.
Ask vets who are out and successful about their journey. Emulate them.
If at all possible, LEARN TO WRITE. I took a technical and creative writing course and it served me exceptionally well.
Learn smartsheet, excel, word, google sheets, etc. Have someone review your resume.
And if anyone here needs any of that help, feel free to DM me. I’m happy to help any young Marine in any way I can. I’ve made a ton of mistakes and have things to teach about what not to do.
SF
There are some errors above. I can’t fix cause my phone won’t let me move the cursor back up. Just ask…