European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 1, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 26 stars and stripes sunday april 12007 your Money some senior troops getting a second raise by Leo Shane m stars and stripes senior enlisted troops and most warrant officers will see their second raise of the year in their next paycheck the extra Money is a targeted pay raise effective april 1 de signed to help the services hold on to older More experienced troops it comes on top of the 22 percent pay raise All servicemen Bers received on Jan 1 the enlisted pay raises Range from 2 percent to 5 percent and Are for e5s through e7s Only lower ranked warrant officers with Only a few years service will see the same Range of increases but senior warrant officers will see bigger jumps for example All w3s with at least 20 years of service will see at least a 8 per cent pay increase All was with More than 14 years of service will receive at another bump to retain some senior service members Congress approved a second pay increase for 2007 for some ranks effective april the new pay Chart for those service members is As follows changes in years of 360090 source defense finance and accounting service least a 9 percent raise those with 26 years will see a nearly 14 percent raise the highest of the targeted increases officers and lower ranked in veterans turning to business ownership by Robert Rodriguez Mcclatchy newspapers Fresno Calif Joe Luna left the army in 2004 with High Hopes of using his skills As a net work communications specialist to snare a goo paying Job but Luna who served in Iraq and Germany discovered that his military training and War experience didst fit Well in a changing Job Market the Mili Tarys proprietary equipment was like nothing used in today workplace even to get my foot in the door for a network administration Job i would have to be trained said Luna 28 and i didst have a col lege degree but i knew what it took to get the Job done so Luna followed his instincts eventually becoming a partner in a company called Active kids which Sells Active play toys for children experts say military veterans including reservists and guards men increasingly Are joining the ranks of the self employed the trend occurs they say in part because veterans military skill sets May not apply in the Job Market the jobs they left no longer exist or they have undergone life changing experiences the number of Veteran owned businesses in the United states is estimated at 4 million according to the us Small business administration and the census Bureau service disabled veterans own Heidi Huber Fresno Calif Joe Luna of Visalia Calif shown March 15 is a partner in the toy company Active kids 235000 of those in All 22 percent of veterans in the us purchased or started a new business in 2004 census figures show some people come Back changed said sue Capozzi vice president of membership for the Washington debased Veter ans corp an Agency created to help Veteran owned businesses people dont always want to go Back to the jobs they had this might be a moment in their lives where they have reached a Cross roads for those who strike out on their own Many organizations including Capozzio provide services such As writing a business plan securing financing and Busi Ness management see vets on Page 27 listed members wont see any change in their pay Congress approved the second pay raise last fall at the request of the defense department which wanted to close the Gap Between the experienced troops and their civilian counterparts the 22 percent pay raise for 2007 was the lowest servicemen stars and stripes Bers have seen since 1994 de sense officials Are seeking a 3 per cent across Leboard pay raise in 2008 email Leo Shane at picking up pieces after Job loss whether you draw your paycheck while wearing a uniform a suit or a pair of Blue jeans youre at risk of one Day los ing your Job blame technology blame expansion blame the Washington Post blame the panel of re structuring experts working secret ively at the end of the Hall blame Scooter Libby blame yourself in the end it just Doest matter the end result is the same you can find yourself out of a Job in no time with former visions of Job Security being shattered in the time it takes to open up the envelope containing the All too real Pink slip As weve seen in the news of late no one is immune if it should one Day happen to you or someone you care about heres some knowledge to embrace 1 suck it up and drive on you May be the victim of a True injustice or you May utterly de serve the a you May have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time either Way Deal with this less than Stellar moment in your Ca reer decisively to avoid accentuating and prolonging the professional damage if you have a legit Case to run up the flagpole do it do it out of Princi ple or do it to set precedent do it to save your Good reputation do it so you can sleep better at night dont let your Pursuit of divine Justice however prevent you from moving Forward in your career on the other hand you May have had the big Sayonara coming to you you know in your heart if you really did no matter How disgruntled and offended you May appear to the outside world if this is your Case take the time to figure out where you went wrong so youre not doomed to repeat it dont beat yourself up Over it but own it nonetheless bad things do Hap pen to Good people every now and then they Are not immune to making mistakes either its what Good people do after the bad things and the mis takes that make them stand out above the Riffraff 2 go into damage control Mode once youve accepted the reality of it All you have to think about How you will address it with future potential employ ers like it or not if s a topic that could come up again and again much to your Chagrin youve got to have a strategy prepared to manage it or else the fall out will follow you and Nau Seum and turn into a Genu Ine care Render depending upon your unique circumstances you May want to consider contacting the employer who fired you to discuss How they will handle Job talk inquiries about your past employment if s an important step for you personally a successful meeting of the minds could not Only mean closure for you but could pay off in a big Way for your future prospects so How exactly do you explain to a new potential employer that you were fired from your last Job you dont bring it up unless youre asked about it if youre asked Why you left your last Job you Tell the truth without going into any Sor Janet i Farley did details if if s a topic of discussion during a Job interview then you must show How you have grown professionally from the experience you must never badmouth your previous employer not Only would it be in poor form to do so it would just emphasize the fact that you Haven really moved on emotional immaturity wont land you a new Job or win you any re Spect from inquiring minds 3 surround yourself with the Posi Tive no one will deny that losing a Job is difficult too Many times we associate who we really Are with what we do on the Job if s not a fair association but a very real one to a lot of peo ple when someone whose identity is wrapped up in their Job suddenly loses it it can be a traumatic life event they might even go through a grief process not unlike the one experienced after the loss of a loved one losing a Job May As strange As it sounds be an Opportunity waiting to happen it might just be that push you needed to go out and do something different maybe something far better youve just got to reach Down inside yourself and find the personal panache and strength to turn a negative into a positive Call it your own answer to other duties As assigned and get on with it Janet i Farley is the author of the career transition guide list inc and the military spouses com plete guide to career Success Impact publications septem ber she can be contacted if youre asked Why you left your last Job you Tell the truth without going into any sordid details
