Strategies for Transitioning from the Military or Law Enforcement into the Private Security Sector

Original article from AMUSecurityInfo, October 15, 2013, by Leischen Stelter

During the 59th annual ASIS International Seminar and Exhibits on September 24–27 in Chicago, a panel of professionals discussed their experience transitioning from the military and/or law enforcement into the private sector. The panelists varied in their career stages, which provided attendees with different perspectives about the various challenges they will face when transitioning to a new career.

Meet the Panelists: Joe Kripp, Raleigh Rhodes, Brian Gallagher and moderator, Jeffrey Hawkins.

Joe Kripp is preparing to transition after a 20+-year career as a high-ranking federal law enforcement officer (for an agency that cannot be disclosed for privacy reasons). He is only a few months away from mandatory retirement and shared the steps he’s taken to prepare for this career change.

Raleigh Rhodes works on the private sector side as a contractor providing technology solutions for federal agencies like the Department of Defense, Navy, Air Force and other civilian federal agencies. He provided attendees with an in-depth perspective about what he looks for when hiring people out of the military or law enforcement.

Brian Gallagher, a former U.S. Secret Service Physical Security Specialist, recently transitioned into the private security sector after spending 10 years in federal law enforcement. He is only two months into this transition and discussed his experience successfully shifting from law enforcement to the private sector.

Jeffrey Hawkins with American Military University moderated this panel and discussed how he transitioned from being a local law enforcement officer in Chicago to working his way up to the chief security officer level before joining the university.

While this panel discussion focused on transitioning specifically to the physical security industry, the advice and recommendations given can be applicable to anyone transitioning from the military or law enforcement into the private sector.

Do Not Delay, Prepare Early
For those in the military and law enforcement, there is often a known timeline for service. A key point emphasized by all members of the panel was to start preparing yourself early for your career transition. Do not wait until there are only a few months left on your contract to start thinking about what you want to do next. Ideally, you should be planning your next career move years in advance.

As a U.S. Secret Service Senior Physical Security Specialist, Brian Gallagher knew the 10-year mark was when he would need to choose whether to stay with the agency for the next 10 years or move into a different field. However, Gallagher didn’t wait for the 10-year mark to make his decision—he decided about seven years into his career that he would make the transition after completing his 10 years of service provided that he was able to find the right opportunity.

Similarly, Joe Kripp knew he faced mandatory retirement after 24 years of service. Four years before this forced retirement, Kripp began devising a game plan for moving into a new field. “My words wisdom are: Don’t sit back and let retirement happen, start thinking about your transition. Start preparing for it,” he advised.

Invest in Formal Education and Industry-Specific Certifications

One of Kripp’s primary strategies for transitioning was earning a degree in his field of interest. He enrolled in American Military University and earned his master’s degree in security management. Next he plans to earn his Certified Protection Professional (CPP) through ASIS International.

“When it was time to transition into the private sector, I wanted to put myself in the best possible position to make myself marketable,” said Kripp. Education and industry certifications are critical to being considered for desirable positions.

Raleigh Rhodes has hired hundreds of people with diverse expertise and various levels of education throughout his 25-year career in technology and security management. He agrees that formal education is important for those making career transitions. “You don’t get through the private sector recruiting process without some level of degree,” he said. “And you can’t have an ‘in progress’ degree either, it has to be completed. You’re competing with people who have finished their bachelor’s and even their master’s degrees.”

Figure Out How Your Experience Translates
Once you have the educational and certification component, it is very important to take the time to figure out how your skills and experiences translate directly to the job you are seeking. “I look at resumes that show a person has a lot of training, but it doesn’t translate well,” Rhodes said. “More often than not [candidates] don’t make it past the recruiter to my desk because they don’t translate their skills into the public sector skill set we are seeking and they use military or law enforcement terms rather than the keywords we’re looking for.”

In many cases, those in the military actually have the skillsets employers are looking for, but candidates do not know how to translate their experience so it can be understood by those in the business world. “You may have great military and law enforcement training, but that may not translate to the corporate security world,” said Hawkins. Therefore, be sure to take the time to look closely at job descriptions and pay close attention to keywords. It is important to figure out how your experience directly translates to the needs sought by an employer.

Seek Mentors and Network, Network, Network
Know that you do not need to make this transition on your own. Seek out mentors and people with experience in the industry who can help guide you through this transition. Start by finding individuals who are doing the job you want to do and ask them to mentor you.

“Find someone who’s achieved what you want to achieve,” recommends Gallagher. During his transition, he met Dr. Stanton Sloane, the CEO of successful defense company, who was involved in projects that interested him. Gallagher met with Dr. Sloane several times during the years leading to his transition. “I wanted to hear how he got to where he was at,” said Gallagher. As it turned out, his mentor became the new CEO of a company called Decision Sciences just as Gallagher was ready to transition from the Secret Service and ended up hiring him at the company. While everyone’s transition may not be this seamless, it is important to start making connections in the industry and learn everything you can from those with experience in the field. Mentors and industry experts are invaluable and can help you figure out your career goals.

Also, get involved in industry associations, said Hawkins. There is an association for nearly every profession out there and many have local chapters where you can meet people in your area who are involved in the same field. This is a great place to start your networking efforts. Also, use professional social media sites like LinkedIn to connect with people in your desired field.

Put in the Hard Work
When it comes down to it, transitioning to a new field is difficult. It takes a lot of time and hard work to make sure you have the right degrees, certifications and connections in your desired field. Be sure you’re taking the time to plan your transition. “It’s not luck,” said Kripp. “It’s about making sure you have the right skills and have been thinking ahead about the best way to transition to your new field.”