Learn the Role of the Intelligence Specialist

Learn the Role of the Intelligence SpecialistLearn the Role of the Intelligence SpecialistEven in a branch of the military like the Marines, which prides itself on brawn and toughness, intelligence is a critical part of any operation. Knowing the whereabouts of an enemy force and its capabilities inform the decisions of Marine commanders as they plan strategy. Intelligence Specialists in the Marines are familiar with all phases and facets of intelligence operations. The military occupational specialty code (MOS) for this entry-level job is MOS 0231. As the name suggests, the typical duties ofthis job include the collection, recording, analysis, processing, and dissemination of information. The intelligence specialist, depending on their rank, may supervise intelligence sections of commands up to and including the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF). Testing Requirements for MOS 0231 Intelligence Specialist As with all Marines, intelligence specialists must complete boot camp at one of the Recruit Training Depot locations (either at Parris Island, South Carolina or San Diego, California). In buchen to qualify as an Intelligence Specialist, recruits need a score of 100 or higher on the General Technical section of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test.Theyll need to complete the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) intelligence specialist entry course at the Navy-Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center (NMITC), inDam Neck, Virginia. Intelligence specialists who have aDefense Language Aptitude Battery scoreof 100 may be eligible to attendlanguage trainingat theDefense Language Instituteat Monterey, California. Clearances Needed for MOS 0231 Candidates for this MOS have to be eligible for a top-secret security clearance and access to Sensitive Compartmented Information based on a completed Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI). This means that candidates interested in this position should have a clean criminal record and be able to pass a background check that may include a credit check and interviews of friends and family. These checks may go back as far as 10 years, so if there are unresolved issues, try to handle them before enlisting. Theyalso must have 24 months obligated service remaining upon graduation and have to be U.S. citizens. Career Path for MOS 0231 This job is the first specialized segment of training for a Marine seeking a career in military intelligence. Through managed on-the-job training, Marines in MOS 0231 eventually have the training to become intelligence section chief at the 0300 level, and eventually, have the skills and training to serve as mission-critical intelligence officers at the 0400 level. If you have an interest in a career in military intelligence, any one of the branches of the U.S. military will provide options, but if youre determined to be a Marine, then MOS 0231 is where youll start your intelligence training. Duties For a complete listing of duties and tasks, r efer to MCO 3500.32, Intelligence Training and Readiness Manual.

Are you qualified to be an expert witness 5 questions to ask first

Are you qualified to be an expert witness 5 questions to ask firstAre you qualified to be an expert witness 5 questions to ask firstBeing an expert witness is serious business. Anyone who takes the witness stand needs to have impeccable credentials and extensive experience in their field, as well as be objective and able to communicate effectively to judge and jury.David Katz, founder and chief executive officer of Global Security Group, was a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration for 15 years before founding his company. He has worked on multiple cases as an expert witness, either as an investigator or as an expert on ballistics and firearms training and qualifications. I know things that only a small segment of the population knows, he says. Being an expert witness allows me to use my background, training, and experience to have a positive effect and not allow a person to be convicted unjustly.For Nevium LLC principal Brian Buss, who has been an expert witness in i ntellectual properties valuations and damages for nearly 10 years, being an expert witness is like working on a puzzle. You never get all the information you want, so you have to find the missing pieces or have an analytical approach that stands up even though you dont have all the pieces, he says. Its like a brain anriss challenge, and someone will win or lose based on your evaluations.Are you considering becoming an expert witness? Katz and Buss provided five questions to ask yourself to help determine if youre qualified.Are you credible? Whether youre an arborist, zoologist, or anything in between, you must have an established career and be able to answer questions about every part of your industry. You have to be the authority, and be able to match opinion with anyone you encounter, says Katz.He suggests staying in your wheelhouse. For example, a pediatrician shouldnt be an expert witness for testimony that needs a surgeons expertise. Its also imperative to stay up to date on ch anges within your industry. Theres always a new case or court ruling, new rules or laws, says Buss. Its part of my daily routine to stay informed about company developments and new technology.Are you an effective communicator? A large part of being a witness involves teaching lawyers, the judge, and the jury about your subject. You have to be somewhat professorial, educating people on the basics and explaining tactically how something happens, says Katz. Having a clear, down-to-earth communication style is key.Are you calm, cool, and collected?After youve worked with your lawyers to lay out the case and your opinion, the opposing counsel will try to prove you wrong. Being able to handle cross-examination takes a certain type of personality. You have to be the kind of person who can be attacked and not take it personally, says Buss.Katz agrees. Cross-examination is withering it can be seven or eight hours in one day. Its brutal. But its also kind of fun, he says.Are you consistent? I ts vital that you havent established a pattern as someone who changes your opinions or beliefs throughout your career. If you have, opposing counsel will uncover it and use the information against you. If you have ever testified differently or written an article with a different opinion, they will find out, says Katz. Not only does opposing counsel do deep internet searches on you, but they will also talk to people who know you.Do you have the time to dedicate to the case?Being an expert witness is a material commitment. After reviewing all the evidence and writing an expert report, you then have to be deposed and potentially testify in court. All these steps take a considerable amount of time and can sometimes occur quickly in succession or be drawn out over months or even years. You are never the captain of the litigation ship, says Buss. You need to be willing to work on their schedules.If your answers to these questions are yes, you might have the credentials and demeanor to be an effective expert witness. It can be both an intellectually-rewarding and financially-lucrative subsidy to your primary employment or, if your skills are in enough demand, could even become a full-time job of its own.Erin Quinn-Kong writes for GLG Law, the platform that connects professionals with opportunities to serve as an expert witness. Erin has written for a number of publications, including The Alcade, OpenTable.com, and Womans Day and served as the former editor-in-chief of Austin Monthly and editor at Allure and Us Weekly.

10 Accounting Career Lessons

10 Accounting Career Lessons10 Accounting Career LessonsRecruiters know good candidates when they see them. Good applicants for accounting and finance roles have the right mix of experience and software skills, degrees and in-demand certifications, along with tenure in their industry. Good candidates are also equally as great in person as they are on paper.The best candidates, however, have learned a few important career lessons.If youre an accounting candidate, what is this secret sauce that makes hiring managers and recruiters so excited to call you? And maybe more importantly, what are the factors that deter them from calling you?While a lot of factors make a candidate look great on a resume, there are a number of career lessons that can increase the likelihood youll get a call from a hiring manager or recruiter.There is no carbon-copy accountant that every company is looking to hire. Every industry, company and hiring manager looks for something different. Requirements for qualif ications, certifications and software all depend on what kind of business theyre in.But, if you follow behauptung tried-and-true career lessons, you increase your marketability in the accounting field - and decrease your chances of being passed over in the job search.1. Dont get pigeonholedThe industries that are hardest to transfer out of are banking or financial services, government, and nonprofit organizations. Thats not to say you should avoid unterstellung industries completely. Just dont take a position in them expecting it to lead you to another job in a different industry.Accounting specifications are uniquely different in certain lines of business and dont transfer easily to other industry roles. Even if you have great tenure and experience in one sector, it doesnt necessarily mean you have equal opportunity in another. You may be promotable within these sectors, but not necessarily outside of them.2. Diversify your software experienceQuickBooks experience is great, but ha ving it as the only accounting software youve mastered wont transfer well to a company thats not using it. Having universal enterprise resource planning (ERP) experience, like SAP, is great to have - and also transferrable. Some of the most common accounting ERPs include JD Edwards, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics and Sage, to name a few.3. Dont stay at a company too longGood tenure is important, especially if youre looking for a traditional direct hire, full-time position, but staying somewhere too long can make potential employers weary of your ability and even willingness to learn their processes, software and business. Avoid becoming too stale by being receptive to new opportunities outside of your current company.4. But dont move on too soon If your resume shows a pattern of staying at companies for an average of months instead of years, those are the types of opportunities youre going to attract - short-term, contract assignments. Thats fine, if thats the work you want. In perm anent-placement recruiting, this is called a job hopper. As a professional, you shouldnt make decisions on changing jobs based on temporary frustrations. If there are situations causing you to make frequent career moves, be prepared to answer questions related to your tenure (or lack thereof) in an interview. Dont approach these questions defensively, but do so with a response youve prepared.5. Use public accounting as a launch padPublic accounting is a fickle thing. Candidates are constantly wanting to get in and candidates wanting to get out. Experience with the Big 4 firms - ernsthaftigkeit Young, Deloitte, KPMG and PWC - can tee up an accountant for major career success. Ive had many conversations with hiring managers who require Big 4 accounting experience for their openings. Making this choice? Read Private vs. Public Choose Your Accounting Career Path.Professionals who work at smaller, regional firms, of course, can also be top-notch candidates. But candidates who want to move to corporate accounting might find that managers are concerned with their ability to focus on one business instead of multiple clients, and whether they have transferrable skills if theyve been responsible for only a fraction of a total accounting process.Public accounting might remind you of the story of the three bears You want to put in just the right amount of time with the right firm.6. Become an Excel masterExcel is the common dominator for most accounting positions. Do yourself a favor and take a course if you havent had regular exposure to it or if you dont use it every day at work. Maybe youll even become an Excel fanatic, like this CPA.7. Create a strategic planWhats your end game? This needs to be the first question you ask yourself before you make a career move, or dont. Dont accept an opportunity just because it crosses your path and sounds interesting. If you want to be a CFO, learn which opportunities will lead you to that end goal, such as earning your CPA or MB A, gaining broad financial experience, and enhancing your understanding of business, technology and operations by seeking out opportunities that expose you to those areas.8. Beware of moving for money or titleCareer skills and real money come from time and earning promotions. Changing jobs for quick money or to fast track to a different title is not a sound career move. Be ready to put in the work, and the money and titles will follow. If they dont, thats when it would be a good idea to consider making a change.9. Forge a relationship with a recruiterA good recruiter functions as a coach and a resource to help you make strategic choices. They are your eyes and ears on the market, and can alert you of good opportunities that make sense for the career path you define with them.Work with us to find your next job in accounting and finance.10. Know your market worthAs a conscientious professional, its important to be able to quantify your skills - realistically. Some people undersell th emselves, while others oversell. This leads only to a mismatched placement, and if done too much or too frequently, can derail a career. Once youve assessed your skills, compare them with what the market needs. This gives you a true sense of how marketable you are.The biggest tip for accounting and finance professionals considering career moves is to be honest with themselves. We all think we are the best, that were marketable and that any company would be lucky to have us. But if you arent getting called back for jobs youre applying to, consider it a lesson to take a step back and assess your skill set in relation to the positions.Are you qualified, and do you have most, if not all, of the requirements listed in the job description? What does the supply and demand of talent look like? If you dont know, review accounting and finance trends to learn what skills are in demand and in what markets. Some of the best preparation is to ensure that youre marketable. Then put your best foot forward, making sure the lessons youve learned during your career are clear in your resume and in a cover letter thats tailored for that prized new position.?