(Editor's note: The following profile subject attended a recent Military Executive Transition program workshop. For more about MOAA's MET program, go here.)

By Kathie Rowell

Col. John Manning, USA, feels like he has been juggling three jobs for about a year, but only one is official - his full-time role as an executive officer to a three-star general in the Pentagon.

The other two - taking care of the myriad details that come with leaving the military and preparing himself to find new civilian employment -- may be part time in his off hours and unpaid, but they are crucial to his future. His 27 years of service come to an end June 1, and like most officers, he will transition into a new career.

Manning (pictured), a MOAA member, has held a variety of strategic plans and policy, chief of staff and executive officer jobs over his career, but he hasn't locked in a specific civilian career choice. It would be easier if he had, he said. He recently had two interviews on the same day for jobs in completely different fields.

“On one hand, it's nice to be open to a variety of opportunities. It does make your life more difficult because, as you can guess, preparing for those two interviews, especially on the same day, was just crazy,” he said.

Manning said the most helpful thing he's done to prepare for life after the military is attend MOAA's Military Executive Transition program, a one-day workshop designed to prepare military leaders for civilian success.

“That day led me to talk to other people in the transition services who helped me not only get my LinkedIn better, make my resumes better, but also helped me look at another venue of job opportunities just by sitting down and talking to me,” he said.

Among other services MOAA offers to transitioning members are networking advice, interview preparation, salary negotiation tips, benefits guidance, and financial counseling.

[RELATED: MOAA's Transition and Career Center]

The crucial component to successfully move from military service into a civilian career is networking, said Capt. Patricia Cole, USN (Ret), MOAA's program director for transition services.

“That doesn't mean sitting at a computer and just kind of scrolling through websites, looking at jobs,” Cole said. “It's getting out, meeting people, having coffee, having lunches, talking to people. They'll become more knowledgeable about what they should be doing and what those potential opportunities are and it will make them feel more comfortable because it's not going to be this big sea of uncertainty. Their path is going to get more defined and they're going to understand and feel better about it.”

Cole suggests starting to build a network at least a year in advance of leaving the military. That allows time to think about a preferred new career, obtain training or certification if needed, and to reach out to people in that profession or industry to learn more about it.

Manning wishes he had started even earlier.

“Many people in the military have ignored their civilian network because we move around so much,” he said. “While I've stayed in touch with a handful of friends, I haven't built the civilian network that I really should have built and maintained throughout my entire career.” 

Manning offers this advice to others embarking on a new career stage: “Be very open. A lot of people, as they're going through this process to find a job, are not real open about it and I believe be as open as you can, pass on the tips and tricks you're learning. Let everybody know you're looking. It's rare that you get a job by sending in an application. You're going to get a job through your network.”

(Manning had a few more pieces of advice, on the lighter side, for his fellow officers: Lose the high-and-tight haircut, stop saying things like “roger,” “check,” and “negative,” and learn to smile.)

Help With the Bottom Line

Financial counseling, from medical and life insurance decisions to evaluating employee benefit packages to portfolio advice, is also available from MOAA's accredited financial counselors.

Researching the tax code is one important part of deciding where to move once separated from the military because it can have a huge impact on earnings, said Capt. Paul Frost, USN (Ret), MOAA's program director for financial and benefits education, counseling, and veteran services.

Most military personnel establish and maintain residency in states with no income tax and receive tax-free housing and subsistence allowances, he said.

“I tell them they have to run those numbers on what your take home pay is going to be now that you're going to be paying a lot more in taxes than you were in the military,” Frost said. “Your take home from the military might be this, but you might need to increase it by 25 percent to have the same amount of take-home pay.”

Frost said one of the biggest financial mistakes people make is withdrawing their Thrift Savings Plan money and putting it in their pocket before they reach age 59½, opening themselves up for big penalties.

Manning said he will know he has successfully entered a new phase of his life when he has transitioned his job over to his replacement, out-processed from the military, and started a new civilian career in a location where he and his wife want to live. The first two steps are nearly accomplished, and he said he's having good luck in getting through the multistage interview process in certain sectors on the job hunt.

“I haven't landed on anything yet,” he said, “but I have a positive attitude that I'll make it through the final gates on something soon.”