Mission: Career Transition: A Career Change Guide for Intelligence, Military, Foreign Affairs, National Security, and Other Government Professionals

By Alison Pentz Bouwmeester, Susan M. Gordon and Paul H. Bouwmeester

Where do the spies, diplomats, soldiers, and FBI agents go when their formal service ends? For most of us, full retirement is not an immediate reality. The decision to leave or retire from government is hard! Deciding what to do next is even harder. 

Author and Career Coach Alison P. Bouwmeester served for 2

• Language: English
• Publisher: APB Books
• Release date: Jul 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781735126715

Alison Pentz Bouwmeester

Alison P. Bouwmeester spent a 28-year career as a senior leader in the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Operations (Clandestine Service), where she received the Career Intelligence Medal and the National Intelligence Certificate of Distinction. Following a full career of worldwide service in intelligence, Alison successfully transitioned to a private sector career as a senior business executive in the defense services industry. Alison currently works as a Certified Professional Career Coach and is the Founder/CEO of Futurity, a professional services firm that provides consulting, executive coaching and career transition coaching to select clients.

Book preview

Part I

1

INTRODUCTION

My Career Made a Difference to Our National Security: So Now What?

In my opinion, you may never have another job that will be as fulfilling, rewarding, and with as much sense of purpose/mission as the one you are leaving. How great is it that we were among the lucky few to be able to do it? I hope you feel privileged and honored to have been able to serve the American public. Thank you so much for your dedicated and honorable service to our great nation. This period is coming to an end, but it doesn't mean that there isn't the possibility for a bright and wonderful future and a challenge worthy of you lying ahead. Maybe these words of advice will be helpful to you: Know that finding a job is going to take longer than you think. Know that you will have to work at finding work in the right job and place for you. Know that there will be disappointments and rejections in this process but there is something better just ahead. Persistence is everything. Keep your faith intact. Keep your attitude positive and self-esteem healthy. Keep your loved ones close, take care of them, and rely on your friends and family for support...they are in this with you. There is a great and wonderful life ahead, full of new things to learn and experiences to be had. There are rewards in this 'next chapter' and they can be incredible. My very best wishes for 'the hunt' and I hope that your next career provides you with the ability to live the life of your dreams.

(Anonymous Interview Subject, FBI)

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This book was written to help Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, Military, National Security and other government professionals approach the daunting task of leaving their current government service. It was primarily written for those in the Federal Government community who are considering retirement, but it also contains information of value to those leaving government short of a full career. When I left the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), there was no handbook for those who were considering separation from government service. I wished that there had been one — hence this book.

I dreaded leaving the CIA (the Agency), which had been my tribe since the year that I graduated from college. It was a family of amazing, intelligent people with a shared mission that we all took very seriously. It was hard to imagine leaving a place where I believed that my work really mattered to our national security. How could anything replace this incredible life? How would I fill the time? What would make me feel fulfilled?

During the last year of my Agency career, I hired an Executive Coach, Roger Campbell, an Agency retiree who had himself successfully transitioned. I had hoped that Roger would tell me when it was finally time to retire. But he would not and could not. Roger wisely knew that I needed to make (and to own) this important decision myself. Roger did help me evaluate the state of my career, my work and life priorities, and to consider the range of possibilities by asking hard questions and making me look inside myself. He was also extremely helpful when it was time to evaluate the terms of specific job offers that came my way, coaching me for interviews, and guiding me to negotiate contract terms that were most beneficial to me. Thank you, Roger. You influenced me in many ways and continue to be a mentor in my own new path in coaching others.

The ease with which I transitioned from government was due, in part, to the outstanding Career Transition Program and Horizons course at the CIA. It is probably the best program in government for helping employees to consider the whole range of topics that are part of life and career transitions. I also received very valuable guidance and advice from many former colleagues who were extremely generous with their time, and who had, themselves, made successful transitions before me. Therefore, this guide also includes the guidance and sage wisdom of more than 30 former government professionals from the CIA, the National Security Agency (NSA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of State (State Department), the National Geospatial Agency (NGA), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the U.S. Military, and the U.S. Department of Treasury. I am very grateful to this group of Interview Subjects for candidly sharing their own transition experiences for the benefit of you, the readers.

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HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

This Career Transition Guide is organized according the phases that are typically part of a career transition. There are generally three key elements to a separation from government:

The decision to leave (when to go and why)

Potential paths to consider (from jumping straight into full retirement to pursuing full-time employment and various options in-between)

The mechanics of leaving, including developing a career transition strategy, determining your value proposition, resumés, networking, LinkedIn, interviewing, and negotiating an employment agreement if you elect to pursue onward employment.

This book can be read straight-through from start to finish, or can it be read in phases as you evaluate where you are in the transition process. The guide also includes practical worksheets and exercises to help you evaluate yourself, where you’ve been, and where you are going. You will find most of these worksheets in the earlier stages of the book as you consider the Big Decision and what you might like to do next. Doing serious self-assessment up front will help you avoid tangents and mis-starts along paths that might not ultimately be the best fit for you.

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Government professionals have spent their entire careers singularly focused on the mission. Thinking about YOU and what you want/need does not come naturally and may be uncomfortable. But it’s time! The included worksheets provide a framework to help you to think about your personal level of ambition, your vision for the future, the legacy you would like to leave behind, your personal and professional goals, your workplace values, along with a range of questions to consider when evaluating an offer of employment.

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If you are just beginning to consider the idea of separating from the Federal Government, Part 2 of this book is for you! It will help you begin to evaluate whether this is the right time for you to go, and provides key questions to ask yourself about your state of mind and the reasons for it. Part 2 provides useful context in which to view your government service going forward. This section is designed to help you focus on readying yourself to make a smooth exit, with useful worksheets on such topics as: evaluating your financial readiness, the decision to work or not to work, understanding your monthly family budget, and (if you decide to seek onward employment), how to project your future salary requirements. Also in Part 2, many who have gone before you candidly discuss the human factors that are involved in the decision to leave government and provide valuable lessons-learned from their own successful transitions.

If you are already leaning toward leaving, then Part 3 of the Guide is for you. It provides the framework for you to plan your departure, including such topics as: whether or not to take time off before starting a new job, how much time you might expect a job search to take, and how long people generally stay in their first job out of government. We evaluate the range of post-separation options available to you, including immediate retirement, part-time and/or full-time work, and consulting options, as well as questions to help you evaluate the capacity in which you might like to work. Worksheets 6-10 help you consider how ambitious you might like to be in your next step, building your vision for your future, thinking about the legacy you might like to leave behind, your personal and professional goals, and your values.

Part 4 of the book focuses upon the actual mechanics of leaving, particularly for those who choose to continue working in some capacity. We discuss the marketable skills that government professionals bring to the private sector, and talk about the importance of understanding your values and goals. Before you write a resumé, Part 4 helps readers consider what their value proposition might be to a prospective employer. We also discuss resumés and job applications, professional networking, the use of LinkedIn, interviewing strategies, and what sorts of benefits options you might want to consider in a job offer.

Read on for loads of great tips on career transition from the Federal Government!

2

INTRODUCING THE METHODOLOGY AND THE INTERVIEW SUBJECTS (THE HOW AND THE WHO)

THE HOW

It is highly unusual to hear Intelligence, National Security, Foreign Affairs, Military and other Federal Government professionals candidly discussing their careers (and life after government) as a collective. The 33 Interview Subjects quoted in this book volunteered to share their own transition experiences to help others face their upcoming separation from government. The interviews were conducted in Spring 2020 through the use of a comprehensive survey that was designed to ferret-out valuable personal transition stories, good and bad experiences, lessons learned, advice, guidance, and pitfalls to avoid. These collective stories are intended to fill an information gap to help others facing an upcoming career transition—something that had been lacking when we, ourselves, separated from service.

Many have gone before you and there is a wealth of valuable transition guidance, advice and support that can and should be used. You will be surprised how willing others are to answer questions and lend a helping hand.

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In the body of this book, I have selected quotes from survey respondents, all former government employees, that best exemplify the most common answers and the trends observed in the survey data collected. It was not possible to provide all the survey responses in this book given the high volume of data collected. I made a commitment to those interviewed that their responses would remain non-attributable to any individual, out of appreciation for the high level of candor with which they responded to my (sometimes very personal) questions.

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THE WHO

Dozens of former colleagues, friends, and contacts collaborated with me on this book. They represent 33 successfully transitioned government officials (19 Women and 14 Men) who served at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of State (Foreign Service), U.S. Treasury, National Geospatial Agency (NGA), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Military. Many of them served in multiple agencies during their careers. When leaving government, they ranged in rank from GS-14 equivalent to SES/SIS/Military Flag Rank, with most being in the GS-15 or SIS/SES ranks. They all left government service between 2009 and 2020. Most of them retired from government service rather than separating prior to retirement eligibility. The comments in this book therefore mainly represent the perspective of those retiring from government.

What came next for them? Some of the Interview Subjects went directly from full-time government employment to being fully retired (with no second career or subsequent employment). Others sought and found part-time or Independent Consultant opportunities. Still others went back to work full time, either in the defense contracting sector or in other industries. Of those who went back to work, some of our Interview Subjects are now CEOs or COOs of small or medium-sized companies, or lead risk assessment units for major U.S. corporations. Others are on corporate boards and have a portfolio of part-time projects to keep them busy and fulfilled. Others have returned to staff augmentation roles with their previous employer. Their post-retirement experiences are diverse and representative of the range of opportunities that could be available to you after leaving government service.

Most of the Interview Subjects are identified by name with brief biographies in Appendix A at the end of this book. A few respondents asked to remain anonymous. All graciously provided highly personal vignettes, stories, thoughts and lessons-learned to benefit the readers who are considering leaving government.

A breakdown of the 33 Interview Subjects’ previous organizational affiliation (the agency or organization from which they departed government service) is provided here:

pie chart showing these percentages: NSA (6.1%), State Department (12.1%), NGA (3.0%), Military (6.1%), FBI (6.1%), CIA (63.6%), Other (3.0%).

CIA (63.6%), State Department (12.1%), NSA (6.1%), Military (6.1%), FBI (6.1%), NGA (3.0%), Other (3.0%).

There was no obvious correlation that emerged between the organization from which someone separated and what they did next. (Keep in mind that the survey sample size was relatively small, and there are certainly additional next-step options available to those leaving government.) The paths listed here are only some of the potential options available.

Here were our Interview Subjects’ chosen first steps after leaving government:

pie chart

In the pages ahead, our Interview Subjects discuss the decisions they made regarding their first steps out of government and the reasons they chose the paths they did. All say that post-government life is a happy place, although you will probably