How I transitioned from being a fighter pilot to the corporate world (Part 2)
(This is the second part of a series. Please find Part 1 here.)

It was the summer of 2018, and I had made my decision.
I was going to gun for a career in Sales/Business Development or HR. Those were the two major domains to which I could offer my skills optimally. But was there anyone who thought those skills could make a difference to their organisation? That was the challenge.
Trusting the Process
Now that the hardest part of the transition — what do I really want to do — was clear, I could set myself up for the journey. One of my biggest assets in the process was my co-passenger— my wife. Not only was she understanding to what I was going through, she also happened to be a professional, corporate image consultant.
Guiding people like me was her job.
I never really appreciated what she did for a living until then— but now she was my life-saver. Under her auspice, I learnt about developing a personal brand, unlearning the military lingo that had crept up into my vocabulary, how to get my presence right and much more.
(Ask Rucha how she can help you here)

With the final aim clear in my mind, I started with my LinkedIn profile. Many of my corporate contacts advised me that I “had to spruce it up” to get noticed. I browsed through many corporate profiles, and to my horror I found that they were all colourfully splashed with hardcore corporate lingo — “Product Sales Manager with five years’ experience in Inside and Outside sales, proficient in Sales Force and SAP while apportioning Agile teams.”
What??
I could not understand a single word. How was I going to counter that guy for a Sales job? And to make matters worse, how was I going to “translate” my duties in the Navy to something corporate hiring managers could understand? So I sat down and painstakingly wrote down every single thing I had ever done as an officer in uniform — even the mundane duty-watch audits of the military canteen that I was forced to do by nomination (amazingly, this was a point that was noticed by my first hiring manager, which I will write about in detail later). Then came the translation — an appointment as the Flight Safety Officer became “Chief Risk Assessment Officer” and Regulating Officer became “Executive HR Manager”. It took me a while, but I ensured that my job descriptions were not dishonest. Everything I wrote, I had performed and achieved. Just the designations had changed to match the demands of the market.
Next was to prepare a resume. I never had to prepare one in my ten-year professional life. But all that reading I did as part of my preparation came in very handy. Resume-building, as it is known in the corporate circles, is an art. There are professional resume builders out there who make a living out of them. However, I wanted to do it myself, because who else knows me better than me? And who else will understand what I did as the Officer of the Day at an airbase? So, I prepared a master resume which had everything worthwhile that I did in my career and then derived from them two smaller, compact resumes with power verbs for the two job profiles I was aiming for — Sales/BD and HR.
Staying ahead of the aircraft
In military aviation, we spend more time planning our flights more than flying itself. As a fighter pilot, my flights lasted an average of 55 minutes. But for the same flight, I put in at least three hours in planning and preparation. This is to ensure you stayed ahead of the aircraft (or the proverbial curve) when you were hurtling through the sky at 800 km/h. I had ensured this happened in my life too. Since I had always wanted a Master’s degree, and it was extremely difficult to get study leave in the military, I had enrolled for a Master’s program by distance learning. This prudent planning was a godsend to me. I now had a technical degree (Bachelor’s in Computer Science)but also a Master’s degree in Commerce (specializing in International Business). Many people have told me that distance-learning degrees are a waste of time.
Surprise, it isn’t.
For me, it was a legitimate leg up in the corporate job hunt.

Armed with all the basic equipment — education, professional resume, job profiles and a heart filled with hope and anxiety in equal measure — I started applying for positions on LinkedIn and job sites. Concurrently, I put the word out through my network that I was available for hiring. Many veterans who I spoke to assured me that I can forget a Sales job without a full-time MBA.
By then, I got word that my papers have been approved. No looking back now, I said. Meanwhile, I was not getting any replies to any of my job applications or calls that I had with my contacts for a reference. This was the point where I hit rock bottom in self-confidence. Being up in the air with the best of the best clouds your personal judgment with a dab of arrogance perhaps. I had to constantly remind myself of all the hard times I have had before and tell myself : you must keep going and never throttle back.
Perspective Value and Success
It was only when I applied the principle of perspective value, to my applications that I finally hit the jackpot. That eponymous change brought the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.
My first call for an interview. It had taken me 90 days.
I was overjoyed to say the least — here was someone who wanted to spend his valuable time to see what I can contribute to his organization. While I was booking my flights to Mumbai for the interview, I got another call. This was from a firm who was looking for a retired officer to head their Sales/BD team focusing on defence and government deals. I was unsure what to think. Two valid calls in the span of two days, from established companies with strong cash flows and excellent corporate records. Things were finally coming together.
Corporate interviews are not a joke, and need a lot of planning. I decided to make a good first impression, drive the conversation to focus on my strengths and set realistic salary expectations. First priority was dressing and grooming. I grew my hair out a little (sorry but zero-cuts don’t work in the corporate world)and identified a good tailor. Later, I researched extensively about the companies I was going to interview for — names of the top brass, their niche, upcoming projects and even stock pricing. Next was preparing for the interview itself using a mirror and recording myself with my smartphone.
(More about Perspective Value and Interviews in my next blog series.)

Both my actual interviews were successful (in my opinion), but the second company offered me the job right then and there.
I was totally unprepared for that.
Of course I wanted to say yes, but salary negotiations were something I had not planned at that point in time. So, I politely requested them for a week’s time before I could commit. I knew that I have to take my perspective value in to account before I could come up with a number. Finally I did, and after some clever parlaying, I was able to settle for a comfortable number. Was I satisfied? No. But this was my foot in the door — actual corporate experience, which I lacked at the moment and what I could leverage later when a better opportunity arose.
Within two weeks of my last day in uniform, I took office as the Manager of Sales and Business Development that focused on Defence and government deals for an SME in Mumbai. It was even more helpful that my wife’s office was nearby, letting us rent a nice apartment near to both of our offices.
A year later, I now look back at my past self, who was staring at the big blue sea not knowing what to do next. It has been a slow, patient and rewarding journey that is still in its infancy. I hope this blog series helps any transitioning veterans in any small way possible, as I wished when I was climbing the same hill.
And remember — always think ahead and never throttle back.
(P.S :- I was surprised by the reception that Part 1 of my blog got. A big thank you to all the readers who encouraged me. Spurred by the motivation, I shall be sharing more in detail about each step of my journey in another series — Military to Corporate : The Essentials. I hope this can act as a template for veterans who are looking for the right guidance to fulfill their aspirations in the corporate sector. Keep reading and keep growing!)