One Soldier’s Successful Journey from the Battlefield to the Boardroom
Dave Krall, Director of Sales at Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.
Orion Talent’s May 2010 National Distinguished Candidate Conference held in Baltimore, MD, was a tremendous success, with over 30 companies and 60 candidates in attendance. In addition to the excellent client and candidate participation, the conference was enriched by the keynote speech given by Dave Krall, Director of Sales at Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.
An Army veteran and USMA Graduate, Krall discussed his own transition process, the attributes of a successful veteran, interview tips, and what to expect in the civilian workforce. We believe the information Krall had to share is very valuable and relevant to your transition process, so we’re sharing his experience with transition and his career since separating from the Army here. We hope that you will benefit from the advice of someone who has “been there, done that”.
Krall’s transition began 20 years ago when he attended a military hiring conference. Like most transitioning veterans attending a hiring conference, Krall recalls feeling a mixture of excitement about the future, concern about the transferability of his skills, and fear of the unknown. The latter of which was particularly pointed for Krall, as he separated from the Army unexpectedly due to an injury. Prior to his medical discharge, he had intended to make the Army a career. Instead, he found himself newly married, out of a job, and with—what he believed to be—no real transferable skills.
With these concerns in mind, Krall attended a hiring conference in Atlanta and had 30 interviews in three days! Most of these interviews resulted in offers for Operations positions, and he received a single offer for a Sales opportunity. It was at this point that Krall made an important decision that changed his professional life. Given the ratio of Operations offers to Sales offers, Krall decided to give Sales a try with the belief that if it didn’t work out, he could always find an Operations job.
The position he accepted was as a Sales Representative with Scott Paper Company selling paper products to commercial customers. His first assignment, much to his chagrin, was selling to local gas stations. Krall was incredulous as to the relevance of this assignment to his military experience and education, but soon realized that he had to start somewhere and learn from the bottom up.
Learning from the bottom up did not take long for Krall. After calling on gas station after gas station, he soon came to the realization that he needed to focus on the big picture and learned that virtually all of the 3000+ gas stations in his territory bought their paper products from one local distributor. Armed with this information, Krall approached the distributor, and, one month into his civilian career, presented his manager with an order for $500,000. Before long, he was the number one sales representative in all of Scott Paper. A salesman was born.
Krall soon began to look for a sales position with increasing challenge and responsibility, and became interested in medical device sales. Krall viewed medical sales as the most challenging of sales environments, and took a sales role with a start-up company called Ethicon Endo-Surgery, a division of Johnson & Johnson. And while this industry was particularly difficult to enter due to the Operating Room experience typically required, since it was a start-up, Ethicon Endo-Surgery was open to all sales backgrounds.
Krall started with Ethicon 18 years ago, with no real compensation plan, products to sell, or customer support. Krall’s journey with Ethicon saw him involved in sales training, management, marketing, R&D, and senior leadership positions, as he helped grow the company from a start-up to $4 billion in global sales.
Krall’s transition to the civilian workforce exemplifies why it is that Orion proudly represents veterans in their job search. Even though his transition represented dramatic change in his life, Krall approached it with the tenacity and versatility that embodies the ways in which veterans are sought-after employees in Corporate America. And there are many lessons to be learned from his transition.
Military Skills Transition
Throughout the 20 years since he began his civilian career, Krall, an Army veteran and USMA graduate, has built a list of seven highly transferable qualities that make veterans highly marketable in the civilian world:
1.
Leadership: Krall explains that true leaders provide guidance and direction, are highly visible, and make tough decisions. Veterans have developed all of these skills both in garrison and on the battlefield.
2.
Creativity: While this may not be the first trait that comes to mind, think of it more as adaptability. Krall points out that companies value an employee that can think outside the box and come up with creative solutions. Veterans have spent their years in the military doing exactly this. In the military, snap decisions have to be made in constantly changing situations. These decisions require adaptability and creativity.
3.
Respect: As business culture changes, Krall sees a tendency toward a less heavy-handed, and more empathetic style of leadership. Demonstrating respect for peers, leadership, and subordinates, an integral part of the military, serves veterans well in the civilian world.
4.
Can-Do Attitude: Krall calls this attitude the “hallmark” of veterans. Many veterans have found themselves in very difficult situations where it is only a positive attitude that sees them through. This trait enables veterans to stand out in the civilian world where the can-do spirit may not always come as naturally.
5.
Work Ethic/Discipline: Like a Can-Do Attitude, these traits are another reason veterans excel in the civilian world. Service members are expected to work hard and to the completion of the mission. They do not operate on a 9-to-5 day and understand the objectives to be accomplished. No explanation is necessary as to why these traits are welcome in the civilian workplace.
6.
Honor: Krall points out that this is a little mentioned transferable quality, but one that deserves recognition nevertheless. In the military, it is expected that you will not place yourself into situations that risk your integrity. Having honor in the civilian workplace engenders the respect of your employees, peers, and employers.
7.
Self-Starter: Krall says that companies today are looking for people who can function independently without hand-holding. Veterans are valued for their ability to be work proactively and without a lot of guidance or direction.
These qualities have come full-circle in Krall’s career. It was the qualities listed above that enabled Krall to transition so successfully into the civilian workforce and these same qualities that influence him today as he seeks to hire veterans for positions at his company.
All About Interviewing
Having been both the interviewee and the interviewer, Krall has some essential interview tips designed to get you the job offer. Often one of the most difficult parts of the transition process is preparing for a civilian interview. Krall points out that to get the job, you have to effectively convey your military experience in a way that makes sense to the hiring manager. Couple this task with that fact that prior military experience is not always easily understood by a civilian hiring manager, and you have a hurdle for which you must be prepared. The first step is to prepare a resume that will land you an interview – read more about Translating Your Military Experience.
Krall provides the following tips for successful interviewing:
One way to prepare for the interview process is to know what type of interview questions you may be asked. Krall gives an example of one type of commonly used interview, Behavior-Based. Behavior-based interviews are a standardized method of interviewing that measures your future performance on the job based of your past performance.
In this type of interview, you will be asked a series of questions in order to get you to explain how you handled a specific situation in your work history. You are expected to describe the situation and your observations about that situation. The interviewer will then deduce your future performance and assess your proficiency in certain job skills from your answer.
While this interview type may sound challenging, Krall provides us with a clear-cut way to go about answering behavior-based questions, called the STAR Technique.
S – Situation: Pick a situation with a positive outcome. T – Task: Describe the tasks involved. A – Action: Describe the actions you and your team took. R – Results: Discuss the results of those actions and tasks.
Using the STAR Technique to answer these types of questions provides you with an easy-to-follow template that will help you organize your answer in a way that will best showcase your abilities.
Here is an example Krall uses to illustrate the STAR Technique:
Question: "Give me an example where your actions led to the improvement of the overall effectiveness of your organization."
Answer: "I was the Infantry Platoon Leader of a 40-man platoon that, before I arrived, traditionally performed poorly on the Physical Fitness Test. In fact, 15% of the unit failed the test. The test involved push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run. This test is an important aspect of overall fitness and is important in combat. Together with my Non-Commissioned Officers, I developed a daily exercise routine that stressed the importance of physical fitness, and executed that program for six months. The end result was that every person in the unit improved their overall fitness, and no one failed the Physical Fitness Test."
In addition to the technique above, Krall goes on to give four more key tips to remember during your interview. First, he says to avoid military acronyms or jargon. You have to remember that your interviewer is more than likely a civilian who has no idea what a 35N is in the Army. Secondly, Krall insists you must prepare. Before your interview, think of all the examples you will need and commit them to memory. He also advises that you be concise in your answers and avoid running the interview. Finally, relax! Be yourself and remember to avoid "Sirs" and "Ma'ams", as these are not customary in the civilian work environment.
Keep these tips in mind, and your interview will likely be a success. Want to learn more about interviewing skills? Visit Transition Corner, where you will find in-depth Interview Tips and much more.
How to Excel in your Civilian Career
Having transitioned out of the Army 20 years ago, Krall understands how daunting beginning a civilian career can seem. It was the points highlighted below that helped him excel in his civilian career.
1.
Be clear on expectations: Krall suggests that you set clear, measurable goals for yourself that are in line with your boss’ expectations.
2.
Assimilate to a civilian approach: This includes dropping military jargon and the “sirs” and "ma’ams" (although he acknowledges how difficult this is to do!).
3.
Look, learn, and listen: Krall points out that it is best to observe the workings of your new employer, understand them, and gather information. He also suggests that you don’t try to implement change too quickly.
4.
Use your transferable skills: Your time in the military has provided you with a plethora of experience that can certainly be applied to your new civilian role in some fashion.
5.
Be positive: Go into your new job with a positive attitude, and try to see the best in your co-workers.
6.
Move forward: Once you have determined your role within the company and how best to perform it, use the goals you have set and implement plans to achieve them. Be careful not to overanalyze, though.
7.
Lead: Your military experience will set you apart from your peers in your ability to lead. Provide direction and guidance, and set goals for yourself and your peers.
8.
Have fun: Krall points out that life is too short to do something you don’t love, so have fun while performing your job.
Krall has provided a wealth of knowledge on every step of the transition process based on his experience. Recall that when Krall started with Ethicon 18 years ago, he had no real compensation plan, products to sell, or customer support. He utilized many of the traits he believes translate into success in the civilian business world, including leadership, creativity, respect, a can-do attitude, work ethic, and honor, every step of the way in his post-military career.
There is a lot to be gleaned from Krall’s successful transition and civilian career. We hope that his will help you transition smoothly and successfully into the civilian workforce. Interested in learning more about how to make your transition a successful one? Visit Transition Corner!
