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You can turn that entry-level job into a great career

Entry-level sounds like a non-starter to some job hunters, but it can be the best step to a great career. Clint Carpenter jumped on the fast track to success when he joined Cintas after his four-year enlistment in the Navy.

Ten years ago, the former cryptologic technician second class started working for Cintas at the entry level as a service sales representative in the uniform rental division. Today, he is general manager of Cintas' Rental Division overseeing 117 employees in St. Louis.

When preparing to leave the military, you may have reservations about taking an entry-level job. But former service members are finding that a good first step in their next career is to get in on the ground floor, learn the business and move up.

Carpenter has some college experience on his résumé, but no degree. It didn't bother him that he was starting at the bottom rung, even though as a former noncommissioned officer he could have found other opportunities.

"I knew that the company was so new, [that] I knew there was going to be opportunity," said Carpenter, who has been promoted five times.

Starting as a service representative means "you are really learning about the company," Carpenter said. "You are learning customer service. You're developing a rapport with customers."

Sally Hart, Cintas' national director of military recruiting, has been recruiting military members for 17 of her 18 years with the company.

There always are opportunities for advancement in one of Cintas' 300 operations nationwide, Hart said. And promotion is always merit-based -- a college degree is not required -- and internal candidates are always given preference.

"There's nothing limiting them except their own ability," Hart said.

So, is entry-level right for you?

"Really just about every entry-level job has potential," said Allan Sabol, regional business director at Soar Consulting, a military recruiting firm.

One often overlooked entry-level job is business-to-business sales, which teaches newcomers about an industry by immersing them in its details. When most people think of sales, they think of retail or insurance, but there are many good jobs in the business-to-business arena, Sabol said.

"When you start off in sales, you get a great chance at promotion," he said. "In sales, you get to learn that industry by going out there to meet with clients."

Many businesses like people to start at the ground level so they learn about the business and are able to appreciate the core of it.

At UPS, for example, starting at the entry level is expected of almost everybody, whether you want to work in human resources or drive a tractor-trailer.

"Nine times out of 10, having a route is essential to getting promoted," said Kevin Garvey, UPS work force planning manager for the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. "UPS likes its managers to know the business, which is delivering packages to customers, so virtually everyone starts out as either a delivery driver or a package handler."

It is rare for a person to be hired who does not have to serve in one of those two entry-level jobs, Garvey said. But for those willing to do so, they can expect a culture in which promotion from within is a way of life and is based on merit and performance. Here, though, a college degree can come in handy.

"Do we promote people without a degree? Yes," Garvey said. "Do we prefer people have a degree? Yes."

Troy Eddie, a retired Marine Corps staff sergeant with 20 years of work and leadership experience, decided that a job as a UPS driver would lead him to the management job he wanted.

"I had no problem with that," said Eddie, who joined UPS in 2004. "I wouldn't want to be a supervisor of drivers if I hadn't been a driver."

Eddie drove a truck only 3½ months before he was promoted to a security job in which he investigated lost or damaged packages. Then he became a supervisor of drivers. Now he's a package dispatch supervisor.

"I've worked harder at UPS than I ever did in the Marines, except during the war," said Eddie, who was an avionics technician in the Marine Corps.

Regardless of which entry-level job you pursue, Carpenter has this advice: "Look at the track record of the company. Look at the growth potential. Look at [the company's] market share.

"Find out how many people started at the [entry-level] position and where they are now."

Potential for growth

While it's possible to advance to the upper ranks with discipline, hard work and no college degree, "the jobs of the future require post-secondary education," said Charles S. Ciccolella, assistant secretary of labor for Veterans' Employment and Training.

Legislation pending before Congress would let veterans use their GI Bill for accelerated training in vocations such as transportation, one of the top fields cited by the Labor Department as having great potential for entry-level jobs leading to better positions.

With a current shortage of 20,000 long-haul freight drivers -- and the potential for a shortage of 111,000 truck drivers by 2014 -- the trucking industry is seeking out former military people for careers. Depending on the route and the carrier, your time away from home would vary, but starting pay for entry-level long-haul drivers runs from $38,000 to $42,000 a year, said Christina Cullinan, director of the American Trucking Association. Some carriers offer signing bonuses of $2,000 to $4,000.

Sometimes a carrier will pay for a student's training in return for a job commitment of a year or two, she said.

"The industry seeks out military people because they are used to following orders. They are disciplined. They are typically drug free. They are in good condition," she said.

The trucking industry "is trying to remove the barriers for the military to make it easier to become truck drivers because we want them," Cullinan said.

A common career path in the trucking industry is for drivers to purchase their own truck and establish their own business.

There also are opportunities to advance to being a trainer for the carrier and teaching new truck drivers.

Other truckers go on to other supervisor or management positions, though according to the U.S. Labor Department, some companies may require a bachelor's degree for those positions. General freight trucking managers earn an annual mean wage of $70,260, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The wage range for transportation and distribution managers runs from $40,940 to $116,640.

Another career field with great entry-level potential is the leisure and hospitality industry. There are more than 950,000 restaurants in the U.S. employing more than 12.5 million people. The food service business has had 15 consecutive years of sales growth, and over the next 10 years, there will be a need to fill 1.9 million additional jobs in the industry, said Ed Tinsley, chairman of the National Restaurant Association.

"Our industry right now is in the midst of tremendous growth," Tinsley said.

It's an industry where it's possible to go "from the dishroom to the boardroom" through integrity, hard work and endeavor, he said. But because of their military work experience, many veterans enter the business directly in management roles or other key positions at restaurants.

"If you have a passion for food and some culinary experience in the armed forces, that moves you up the ladder," Tinsley said.

If food service managers decide to take an entrepreneurial route with their careers, they can become part owners or sole owners of a restaurant. Sometimes, managers decide to work for a larger chain, which offers the advantages of higher salaries, stock options and other benefits, he said.

"The opportunities are abundant," Tinsley said.

People going into the industry should think about their formal training and post-secondary education, which according to the Labor Department is becoming more important in food service.

According to the Labor Department, other fields with great potential for entry-level advancement include:

• Mining: "It's surprising," the Labor Department's Ciccolella said of the opportunities in the industry. It is dangerous work, but the pay is good.

After acquiring skills and seniority, miners can get promoted into management, where a degree gives workers an edge, according to the Labor Department. Another career path is to go into mine safety and become an inspector.

• Construction: There are 7 million salaried and hourly jobs in the industry, the Labor Department reports.

Skilled military personnel should find many opportunities in construction and its related trades such as carpentry, plumbing and electrical work, Ciccolella said. As workers move into management positions, they often have a college degree or several years' experience in the construction business.

• Office services: This field provides flexibility to workers because their skills are needed in every industry, including the government. Office clerks can be promoted to office manager, administrative assistant or other administrative positions. A college degree isn't necessary for most entry-level jobs, but a degree often becomes necessary for the more senior positions.

Because of the work ethic and discipline they develop in the military, veterans will find themselves in demand in these and many other industries looking for workers who want to move up.

"They have those traits that are so important that are built into their foundation and character that are essential [to business]," said Tinsley of the National Restaurant Association. Those traits include having respect, doing a job well and going beyond what is expected to accomplish the mission.

Staff writer David B. Craig contributed to this report.