3 minute read
How to Find the Military Talent You Need When You Need It
BY ERIC EVERSOLE
HISTORICALLY, veterans have struggled in their transition to civilian employment. They have difficulty communicating their skills and military background in terms civilian employers can understand. Their resumes are riddled with Department of Defense jargon and they aren’t sure how their skills fit in the private sector.
Members of the post-9/11 generation of veterans—especially veterans under the age of 25—have never created a resume or interviewed with an employer while serving in the military. They have years of experience and invaluable skills, but most have never gone through a civilian job search.
Last year, Matthew Morrison was feeling anxious about leaving the Air Force after 21 years of service. For nearly a decade, Dover Air Force Base was his home. He felt comfortable in Delaware and his post-military plan was to stay in Delaware.
“In the military, I had a lot of job security. By leaving the military, I had to leave my comfort zone,” Morrison said.
Thanks to Hiring Our Heroes’ Fellows Programs, Morrison participated in a 12-week internship with Cushman & Wakefield during his final months as an airman, during which Morrison demonstrated the skills he cultivated in the military including:
• Team player in a collaborative work environment
• A focus to lead deadline-driven projects
• Reliable employee with a stellar work ethic
• An ability to act quickly to solve problems
All in all, Morrison proved his worth on this team. He was offered full-time employment with Cushman & Wakefield at the end of his internship. Equally important, Morrison secured a career that aligned with his passions in a location where his family wanted to live. Since January 2021, Morrison has been working as a mechatronics and robotics apprenticeship program manager. “Hiring Our Heroes gave me the opportunity to get comfortable with my transition,” he said. “(Through this program) We are placed with an organization that is a mutual fit for both the transitioning service member and the company. We are able to jump in and show what our capabilities are. I am grateful for that opportunity.”
Matthew Morrison
Through the support of advisory councils and strategic partners, Hiring Our Heroes offers hiring events and programs at no cost for both employers and job seekers in addition to internships for transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses. Our services include career training, education, and employer connections on military installations; virtual employment preparation; and hiring events and digital resume tools to translate military experience into civilian skills.
As a workforce development initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, we believe that veteran employment is more than hosting a job fair. It’s about educating both parties on the technical skills and practical experience that veterans have to offer and showing how it transfers to the civilian workplace.
This year, approximately 200,000 service members will transition out of the military. How many of them will be bringing their expertise and leadership to your organization? Don’t miss out on your opportunity to connect with this diverse and unique talent pool.
Navy Capt. (retired) Eric Eversole, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Navy Reserve, is vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and president of Hiring Our Heroes. He leads the dayto-day operations of this nationwide effort to develop and promote military talent in the United States. Working with a broad array of private and public sector partners his team helps to create and connect transitioning service members, veterans and their families with meaningful training programs and careers. For more than 24 years, Eversole served in active duty and reserve components of the military. He first entered military service in 1994 as an enlisted airman in the Indiana Air National Guard and later transitioned to the Navy’s Judge Advocate General Corps. In 2019, he retired as a Navy Captain.
