Vets Helping Vets
Men and women in the military proudly serve our country every day, but when they return home to civilian life and begin to make their way into the private sector, they often do not receive the recognition, benefits, or services they have earned. Thankfully, there are numerous mentoring programs that are bringing veterans together with business professionals to help them with everything from resume writing and networking to negotiating salary and benefits.
Mentoring programs such as American Corporate Partners, Veterans Across America, and the BPW Foundation's Joining Forces for Women Veterans provide personal, one-on-one mentoring and career counseling to help veterans transition to the civilian workforce. Many of the mentors are veterans themselves who know the difficulties our military men and women face entering the workforce.
"I wanted to help soldiers," says Brett Sheats, who served in the Army as a captain in an airborne artillery unit out of Fort Richardson, Alaska. He was working in New York City as an attorney when he learned about American Corporate Partners (ACP). "I realized the program was so valuable, I wanted to become part of it," he adds. Sheats now manages all veteran outreach for ACP, which has had over 500 veterans complete its one-year mentoring program.
"Veterans come out of the service with tons of skills, good judgment and leadership skills, but they don't have the connections that folks in the private sector have. We help them catch up and get their foot in the door to make the contacts. We work with leading companies in finance, technology and other sectors to help them understand the skills veterans have and how they can be utilized in the business world," Sheats adds.
"These are my sisters out there. I served with them and I want to continue to serve them," says Lynda Davis, Ph.D., senior vice president at ICFI and advisory council member for Joining Forces for Women Veterans. "Having a mentor is like a continuation of the battle buddy system. There's someone on your team, making sure they have your back, someone you can depend on and who will not let you down." Davis served in the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve and has spent most of her career working with government agencies and assisting veterans in many different ways.
"There are so many unwritten rules in a corporate environment. A mentor can help explain the rules for advancement, how to access benefits and negotiate a competitive salary," notes Davis. Mentoring doesn't stop once a vet finds a job, the Joining Forces program helps female vets with job retention, promotions and advancement and can even help with job satisfaction, and job contribution. "I have been honored to mentor both women in uniform when I was in uniform, and as a civilian - especially helping women who were mid-career and were making the transition to civilian life," says Davis.
Because many men and women joined the Armed Services right out of high school, they don't have the same experiences as others competing for the same jobs. Through mentoring, they learn such things as what to wear on interviews and on the job, and when to discuss vacation time and salary during the interview process.
"Pay and promotions in the military are pretty much set in stone. In the private sector, there's a lot more flexibility. Many of us are not prepared to negotiate," notes Davis. Having a mentor is an informed, personalized way for veterans to role-play, investigate opportunities and network. "All of those things give veterans a strong sense of motivation and empowerment. They were strong in uniform and now, through mentoring, they can see themselves with the same kind of strength," concludes Davis.