The NJ Police Chief Magazine Volume 25, Number 2 | Page 12

The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | February 2019 Continued from previous page retirement, what you need to make to sustain your current life style, and more importantly, what you want your financial future to look like. It is also important to discuss this with your spouse or significant other to make sure you’re on the same page. Having clear optics into your financial position will help you construct your next act and may set the schedule for when you’re truly eligible to transition. Tip 4: Take the Practical Steps There are several practical steps that anyone making a career change should consider taking. These are especially important when transitioning from public to private life: 1. Get Help with Your Resume - It’s Not Like the Old Days. Today employers use algorithms to assess your resume before they ever lay eyes on it. Working with a professional to prepare a resume can assure that it makes it past the computer and to a decision maker. 2. Learn How to Interview. In law enforcement, you generally get a great deal of interviewing experience. However, we have little experience being the interviewee and, in most cases, it’s been decades since you’ve sat for a job interview. Find someone, or several people for that matter, who conduct employment interviews and practice with them. Learn what works and what doesn’t 3. Network. I hadn’t attended a networking event until I retired from law enforcement. This was, without question, a mistake. I have since learned that business is about relationships and trust. I now attend numerous events and am part of several networking groups. It is necessary to extend your relationships beyond your current profession. This will help expose you to different professions and potential decision makers and may reveal an opportunity you wouldn’t have otherwise discovered. Ultimately, it gets you out of the law enforcement bubble. Tip 5: Be Ready for the Funk. This one may not apply to everyone, but I know it was an unexpected jolt for me and many others I spoke with who have transitioned from law enforcement. For several months after I retired, I was in a bit of a fog or funk. I can only describe it as a very mild depression, coupled with a little bit of anxiety. In hindsight, I think it was caused by an identity crisis. When I left law enforcement, I had been a police officer for more than half my life. It was very much who I was as a person and now suddenly that identity was gone. It took me a little while to find a new one. Had I been aware of this, I think the impact would have been less. After all, I’m constantly tell my coaching clients – awareness equals choice. Additionally, find someone you trust that you can talk to about what you’re going through. This one is critically important if you’re in a position to truly retire and not pursue a second act. You have spent your professional life serving others and dealing with things that most people couldn’t even imagine. You deserve a happy and fulfilling next chapter. Getting there requires being intentional, developing a plan, and doing the work. In the meantime, stay safe and thank you for your service! The views, information, or opinions expressed by contributors or advertisers to The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, its officers, or employees. The primary purpose of this publication is to educate and inform. This publication does not constitute legal or other professional services or advice. 11