Military Transition News – November/December 2014, Top 40 Under 40 Military issue

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November - December 2014

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The Top 40 Under 40 Military Class of 2014

by Heidi Lynn Russell Contributing Editor

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n the battlefield, they were an illustrious cadre that set themselves apart with acts of valor, leadership, perseverance and ingenuity.

And now in the worlds of business, politics, non-profit organizations and educational institutions, they continue to excel, bringing a high level of professionalism and can-do attitudes to their new careers.

They are the Top 40 Under 40 Military, an annual selection of 40 Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Sailors who are under the age of 40 and have distinguished themselves above their peers in both their military and civilian environments.

Even in their downtime, they’re working to better their communities and volunteering with programs that enrich the lives of children and other veterans.

Some focus their efforts on fellow warriors. On July 30, the Marine Corps Times named MSgt Orlando D. Reyes “Marine of the Year” because of his efforts in suicide prevention.

“I hope to impress upon others that stress is a factor in everyone’s life and that we must all learn new ways

to build resiliency,” he says.

Others bring their skills to the less fortunate. Army MAJ Ivan M. Alvarado volunteered for four weeks with the Robert R. McCormick foundation in Chicago, Ill., tutoring third-grade summer school students.

He also served at a Chicago-area Boys & Girls Club and has volunteered to help the homeless.

Leadership takes a political shape for some. Former Marine SSgt Justin Gandino-Saadein ran as an independent candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District.

There are those who contribute to the classroom as well as the business world. LT Sam Cheung has been a leader in a variety of venues, including as a Coast Guard officer, Coast Guard Academy admissions specialist, Department of Mathematics instructor at Albertus Magnus College (in New Haven, Conn.) and NCAA basketball coach.

And don’t forget women service members who are trailblazing for others, both in the military and in their civilian jobs. LTC Elizabeth Evans’ proudest achievement is her recent selection for Battalion Command in the Florida Army National Guard. She’s the first

woman to command the unit. Former Army CPT Kynnie Martin has been working in veteran transition services.

She most recently was one of the featured Post 9-11 women veterans in “Women Warriors: A Vision of Valor,” as part of the Library of Congress’ Veterans Oral History Project.

Finally, some of the Top 40 Under 40 Military Class of 2014 continue their service as Guard members while running full-time businesses.

Marine Maj Tommy Dunaway’s real-life is like an episode from the hit television series, “Chuck.”

While he owns and operates a Snap Fitness franchise in the Dallas metro area, he also is in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He has traveled extensively throughout Asia and the Pacific region while attached to the Department of State.

The Top 40 Under 40 Military issue would not be possible without the hard work of an extended team at Military Transition News, not the least of which includes the panel of distinguished judges: William W. Basnett, Brigadier General (Retired), USAFR, Past Commander of the 94th Tactical Airlift Wing (TAW), Past President and Membership Director for

the Reserve Officers Association (ROA) Steve Clarke, Captain (Retired), USN, President of Advantech, LLC Kenneth A. Konstanzer, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired), USAR, Aviation; Chairman, U.S. Service Academy Selection Board for the Office of U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss and Congressman Tom Graves, past Commander, U.S. Military Academy Admissions Field Force, State of Georgia; currently, VP Government Division, Zep Inc. David M. Thompson, Colonel, USMC, Joint Military training mission – Liberia; former USMC Battalion Commander in Iraq and Deputy Logistics Director in Afghanistan and Iraq; civilian employment includes Frito Lay, General Mills and AECOM. Heidi Lynn Russell writes about employment and business issues.

“AdjusterPro is excited and honored to sponsor this year’s Top 40 Under 40 Military recognition. To all our military veterans, thank you for your service.”

Please turn to this issue’s center spread to review the bios for each of 2014’s Top 40 Under 40 Military.

- John O’Brien,

Director of Recruiting, AdjusterPro

Military Leadership in Action: A Q&A with J.W. Marriott, Jr.

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.W. Marriott, Jr. is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International, Inc., one of the world’s largest lodging companies. His leadership spans more than 50 years, and he has taken Marriott from a family restaurant business to a global lodging company with nearly 4,000 properties in over 70 countries and territories. Mr. Marriott earned a B.S. degree in banking and finance

from the University of Utah and served as an officer in the United States Navy.

To help commemorate the Top 40 Under 40 Military issue and Veterans Day, MTN caught up with Mr. Marriott and asked him for his advice for transitioning military and veterans.

How did your military service help you when you transitioned back into the civilian workforce?

Did it also make things more difficult in any way?

When I was commissioned in 1954, my father was growing our Hot Shoppes restaurant chain, so I opted to join the Supply Corps of the United States Navy where I could further my skills needed to assist with the family business. My two years of active duty provided me with valuable lessons that translated well into the civilian

workforce; the most important was to have respect for those who serve under you. I brought this back to Marriott, and it is still at the heart of our spirit to serve philosophy: take care of your associates, the associates take care of the guests, and the guests will come back to our hotels.

What are some ways transitioning military can prepare for the continues page 4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Transition Talk:

Finance:

Career Coach’s Corner:

Job Fairs:

Transitioning A to Z

Be Seen by Employers ....................page 3

5 Transition Tips ...............page 6

4 Job Hunting Lessons ..................page 17

The Holiday Rush ........page 18

No Typos! ............ page 19

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Nov/Dec 2014

Become an Aramark Service Star

by Janet Farley Contributing Editor

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ou’re transitioning out of the military and searching for a civilian job. Whether you’ve been waiting for this moment for years or have had it unceremoniously thrust upon you for one reason or another, the basic hopes are the same.

You hope you will find an employer soon who is a good fit for your skills and abilities.

You hope you will be able to acclimate to this different life reality quickly and have the genuine opportunity to grow and advance within a new civilian career.

Let’s hope you consider employment with Aramark, a highly successful international service company that “delivers experiences that enrich and nourish people’s lives by providing professional services across food, facilities and uniforms”.

Aramark, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa., employs 270,000 “service stars” worldwide who provide a myriad of services to healthcare institutions, universities, school districts, stadiums and arenas as well as businesses in nearly every industry.

The company is a superstar in its own right having been repeatedly recognized by FORTUNE Magazine as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies. It has also been honored by the National Business Group on Health as one of the “Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles® and by The Ethisphere Institute as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies.

Most admired. Healthy. Ethical. Perhaps you already see some similarities between what you have to offer and what Aramark clearly values organizationally.

The Front Line of Service With so many accolades to its name, it is obvious that Aramark prefers to hire those having a higher standard than the norm.

“Aramark employees are the front line of service for our customers. They are the face of our company so it’s important that the right people are representing us,” said Cathleen Beetel, Aramark’s Director of Talent Acquisition in the company’s education sector.

The employees who work on those front lines do so in many types of jobs.

“We hire a wide range of positions from those who work as hourly associates to those supervising as operational managers to those who serve in executive levels of the company,” said Beetel.

Specific jobs recently advertised on the

company’s website include office manager, facilities manager, custodial manager, food service director, financial analyst, human resources representative and assistant grounds manager, among others.

“We hire individuals who have a strong sense of integrity, loyalty and leadership.

Those who have served in the military have those characteristics,” said Beetel.

To recruit veterans, Aramark turns to Bradley-Morris, Inc. (BMI), the largest military placement firm in the United States.

“We couldn’t be happier with our partnership with BMI. They not only meet but also exceed our expectations every time. When we work with them, we know that we are their top priority. They are very dedicated to their military job seeker candidates and these candidates often become our general managers, front line managers and resident district managers,” said Beetel.

JT Blum, the BMI account representative for Aramark, is happy to be of such fruitful assistance.

“I love working with Aramark. With them, people are it. They want to hire phenomenal people and we are able to supply them,” said Blum.

The numbers back him up, too.

“Since February 2011, Aramark has hired more than 20 of our candidates,” said Blum.

Transitioners contemplating a job with Aramark will do well to note Blum’s suggestions.

“The military job seeker must be engaging, have strong interpersonal skills and leadership abilities based on intelligence,” said Blum.

“There also has to be a cultural fit,” he said.

Those service members with experience in facilities management are highly marketable to Aramark.

“Navy Seabees with a background in construction or civil engineers who have worked in a Red Horse squadron are also great candidates for employment here,” said Blum.

All is not lost if you have never worked in those types of positions while in uniform, however.

“Aramark hires character. They train the right person for the job,” said Blum.

Making the Transition Easier for Everyone Aramark is a company that not only understands that there are differences between working in the military and in the civilian worlds but it also seeks to effectively address them through a unique 12-week training program called the Resource Ready Program (RRP).

“The transition from a military life to a working civilian one is difficult for many folks,” said Mike Koeneman, Aramark Associate Vice President.

“The [RRP] equips the trainees with the skills to learn the civilian language,

culture of the company and [enables them to] exercise skills that are not used in the military ranks,” said Koeneman.

Aramark’s Senior Director of Innovation and Expertise, Matthew Judge created the program along with the Aramark leadership team, which could easily serve as a model for other companies.

Aramark has also created the College of Facilities Management (FM), a compilation of several “schools” of expertise, providing continuing education and skill development in a broad array of facility services. The College of FM provides employees training and certification to further enhance their professional knowledge and to become more effective managers and operators.

“We want to bring military leaders into the organization and we want them to be fully trained as Facilities Managers (FM) to deliver the Aramark Program and meet our client expectations. The RRP and College of FM help us to do that,” said Judge.

“Military leaders that we’ve hired spend the first two weeks of the RRP program at our headquarters in Philadelphia where they learn more about the Aramark brand and our organization,” said Judge.

During four of the last ten weeks of the program, trainees experience technical facilities management instructor-led training at an Aramark facilities account.

“In six weeks of the RRP, they actually spend time in the field working side by side as a part of a FM team at an Aramark Facilities Account,” said Judge.

“It [the RRP] is a buffer. It is a safe place to ask questions, understand our business and gain the secret sauce to success in the field,” said Koeneman.

Throughout the program, trainees are provided ample support and guidance from Aramark “Champions” and from developmental managers who are experienced facilities managers.

For example, an Aramark appointed “champion” may assign a coach or a mentor to the trainee, schedule their training, evaluate their performance, schedule placement interviews and locate the trainee at their first account.

Koeneman is one such Aramark champion in the RRP process. Matching the trainee to right coach, mentor and to the best job possible when the training is successfully completed is a delicate and customized process.

“This is probably the hardest part. The three-part formula [for doing so] includes geographic considerations, competencies and skills sets,” said Koeneman.

Great care is given to match managers with mentors and coaches who have different strengths in order to enhance the training process.

Newly hired veterans not only benefit from the structured training and mentorship, but they also earn a

Certified Plant Maintenance Manager credential from the Association of Facilities Engineering.

Since its creation in 2011, 22 employees have graduated from the program.

Seventeen of those 22 were military hires from BMI coming from all branches of service.

RRP graduates have gone to work in FM roles at such places as Alabama A&M, Baylor University, George Washington University and Southern Methodist University.

An RRP Success Story “The RRP is an exceptional program. I was very impressed with it,” said Enrico Hunter, Facilities District Manager, South Region, Aramark Higher Education.

Aramark hired Hunter through BMI in 2011. He was a Naval Academy graduate who served as a logistics officer in the U.S. Marines for over eight years and attended the RRP as a new hire.

Since then, he has gone on to advance successfully within the company.

“The amount of resources invested in you as new employee through this program is pretty amazing. [It] is commiserate with military training from an organizational structure standpoint,” said Hunter.

“I especially liked the field work portion of the RRP where we were able to experience first hand how organizations actually worked, to include the well-run ones and the ones having challenges,” said Hunter.

Hunter enjoys his job with Aramark and now finds himself recruiting from the pool of veterans as well.

To job seekers, he offers the following tips.

“Your leadership abilities, your ability to manage people effectively are key,” said Hunter adding that you should market those skills appropriately.

He suggests you learn about your civilian healthcare options so you can make wise decisions for yourself and your family.

“When you think about your next job, look at the overall opportunity for what it is.

Is there room for growth and professional development? Focusing just on one piece of it, like compensation, can be too shortsighted,” said Hunter.

Hunter recommends that you have a good understanding of how your military pay translates into a civilian salary to include such items as your housing allowance and any non-taxable pay that you currently receive.

“When I transitioned out of the Marine Corps, I had no idea how all that worked.

BMI really helped me to get a better insight into the types of civilian compensation packages that are out there,” said Hunter.

Janet Farley, a workplace and career strategies expert, is the author of Quick Military Transition Guide: Seven Steps to Landing a Civilian Job (Jist Works, 2013).

Follow her @mil2civguide on Twitter.

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Transition Talk Publisher Managing Editor Art Director Associate Editor Contributing Editors

Director of Technology Executive Consultant Consultant Consultant Account Representative Account Representative Account Representative Account Representative Account Representative

Jake Hutchings Kathy Scott Alec Trapheagen Anthony Morris Janet Farley Heidi Lynn Russell Tom Wolfe Don Nowak Marla Smith Brett Comerford Jim Irwin Stephanie Brinkley Tucker Harrell Lindi Napier Garrett Reed Dan Rinaldi

Military Transition News is published by: CivilianJobs.com 1825 Barrett Lakes Blvd., Suite 300 Kennesaw, GA 30144 1-866-801-4418 Reproduction or use without permission of any editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. The inclusion of advertising is considered a service to our readers and is not an endorsement of products or advertising claims. Opinions expressed in articles are the opinions of the contributors and do not necessarily express the opinions of Military Transition News or its staff. Subscription rate: $12 per year (6 issues). To subscribe, call 1-866-801-4418. ©2007-2014 Civilian Jobs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Military Transition News and CivilianJobs.com are whollyowned subsidiaries of Bradley-Morris, Inc. (BMI), the largest military-focused placement firm in the U.S.

by Mike Arsenault Director of Candidate Services

Bradley-Morris answers questions from transitioning military job seekers.

Q:

I read that Zappos doesn’t even post jobs. Instead they use their employees and social networks to attract potential employees. How many businesses do this and how do I get into a company like Zappos if I don’t know anyone?

A: That’s a great question because it highlights how

important it is to network. The fact is that every company usually has at least several positions available, but not all opportunities are “advertised.”

Waiting for a job post which can be viewed by the public at large could make you among the last in line.

Networking through professional associations and local networking groups can give you connections within organization so that you can be an “insider.”

There are other ways to get connected as well: 1. Be Visible: I highly recommend posting your resume on CivilianJobs.com and other job boards, and make sure you include your veteran status.

Many companies are actively searching for potential candidates and numerous organizations have initiatives that mandate a certain number of hires who are veterans. So it is important to have a presence where these companies search.

2. Connect on LinkedIn: You’ll find many different LinkedIn groups focused on “jobs for vets.”

You should also search in the jobs section of LinkedIn coupled with a title you might want to pursue: “accounting clerk”, “engineering manager”, etc. This makes you an active career seeker instead of a passive candidate and will provide you with more control in your search.

3. Internships: Lastly, if there are no full-time positions that are a fit for your career goals, consider applying for an internship or an “On the Job Training” (OJT) assignment. The pay may not be optimal, but nearly two-thirds of companies with interns offered them a full-time position in 2012 according to Internships.com. In other words, internships can lead to full-time jobs and OJT positions may come with GI Bill benefits (http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/ onthejob_apprenticeship.asp). Be sure and ask your V.A. rep if you have questions.

Your job search should be active, not passive. Take the initiative in a number of different areas and you may find many opportunities you otherwise may not have considered.

Mike Arsenault is Vice President of Candidate Services at military placement firm Bradley-Morris, Inc. He can be reached at (800) 330-4950 ext. 2105 or by email at marsenault (at) bradley-morris.com.

Read this issue online now at Online.MilitaryTransitionNews.com

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“Military Leadership in Action: A Q&A with J.W. Marriott, Jr.” continued from page 1 changes associated with becoming a veteran employee?

I would suggest that transitioning military seek out companies that share common values. The hospitality industry offers veterans a vast array of opportunities to leverage skills honed in the service to chart them on a path to personal and professional success. Rachel Hamaker, Director, Engineer at The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common, found that her leadership and operation skills honed as a Nuclear Power Machinists’ Mate Petty Officer First Class in the U.S. Navy translated well to her engineering role. Her commitment has earned her a place as one of the Top 40 under 40 Military featured in this issue.

For her fellow transitioning servicemen and women, Hamaker recommends using social networking sites to develop a professional network. Sites such as LinkedIn “allow you to gain exposure to career opportunities, see where everyone is moving to and from, and learn about jobs you might not know were out there,” Hamaker said. “Service members should avoid limitations and start opening doors whenever they have the chance.”

How important is it to employ veterans at Marriott?

Employing veterans at Marriott is critical in developing a robust, diverse workforce, and through Operation Enduring Opportunity, we have committed to hiring 1,500 veterans by 2015. Veterans come to Marriott with values the company shares: loyalty, integrity,

respect. As an employer, we value the leadership skills and determination veterans bring. We’ve launched a careers website targeted for transitioning military and vets, www.marriottvetcareers.com, where job seekers can use our Military Occupation Translator tool to identify current Marriott openings that match their experience.

What advice would you offer men and women who are serving now with a goal of transitioning over the next 12 to 18 months?

Leverage civilian and government agency transition resources to help translate your military experiences and skills into language employers can appreciate.

Prepare for interviews and research recruiting methods of the companies you are interested in. The questions a recruiter will have will be different than those in the military. It is often easy for those who have served to focus on the success of the team or unit; while this is admirable, do not forget that the end goal is to sell yourself as an ideal employee. When describing unit accomplishments, be sure to emphasize your personal role and experience.

Do you have any other more long-term advice to help service members as they navigate their way as a civilian?

Leverage post-service resources offered by the military. They include how to structure your finances, create a budget, find continuing education, understand healthcare options and locate support groups. Most important, be proud of your service and confident in the skills you developed during your time in the military.

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“As a West Point graduate and former Captain in the U. S. Army, I led, mentored, and was responsible for my troops. As the President and CEO of Crestcom, I continue to serve and work with the best in the business when it comes to Management and Leadership development.”

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Build your career with Eaton, and build power management solutions that keep the world moving more efficiently, reliably and safely.

If you are searching for a career with a company that values the training and experience that veterans bring, then Eaton is your ideal company. Military professionals at Eaton are part of an organization that focuses on providing power management solutions to global customers while doing business right.

Search and apply at www.eaton.com/MilitaryCareers Eaton is a global power management company. We help customers manage power, so buildings, airplanes, trucks, cars, machinery and entire businesses can do more while consuming less energy. As an integrated global company, we are unified in our commitment to powering business worldwide.

Eaton is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer: M/F/V/D.

Nov/Dec 2014

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TRANSITIONING FROM ACTIVE DUTY?

The Air Force Reserve offers great part-time opportunities for people transitioning from active duty. It gives you the time and financial support to further your education, or begin a civilian career, while continuing your military service toward retirement. As a Reservist, you can continue to do the extraordinary and maintain the camaraderie experienced while serving in the military.

800-237-8279 • AFReserve.com/Continue 0131_CivJobNews_10.188x13.5.indd 1

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Nov/Dec 2014

The Top 5 Things to Do the Minute You Transition

by Ashley Feinstein Financial Writer

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he transition to civilian life is fraught with change. Minimize the stress of transitioning by adequately preparing for your new financial life. Here are the top five things you should do the minute you transition to set yourself up for financial security.

1. Take Steps to Build Your Civilian Career Many transitioning military haven’t interviewed for a job in a long time, if ever.

There are numerous resources available to help prepare you for the recruiting process including interview preparation, resume and cover letter help and career counseling to help you find jobs that are a good fit with your skills and interests.

The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) helps service members and their spouses transition from military service to the civilian workplace. An independent evaluation of the program showed that service members who participated in the program, on average, found their first civilian job three weeks before those who did not participate. TAP hosts comprehensive three-day workshops with qualified facilitators where attendees learn about the ins and outs of a job search, career decision-making, current occupational and labor market conditions, resume and cover letter preparation and interview techniques. Participants are provided with an evaluation of their employability and are educated on the most current veteran benefits.

The Army Career and Alumni Program (ACAP) offers two to four day programs for soldiers prior to discharge that walks through career preparation options available. The program provides careerenhancing tools, including resume and cover letter writing software made specifically for transitioning soldiers, software to research career interests and

tutorials about relating military skills to civilian jobs. ACAP also provides model interview videos that transitioning military can watch to learn about how to interview for jobs in specific industries.

In addition, ACAP sets up job fairs and career events, provides one-on-one career counseling and has its own website to help connect employers with workers with military skills.

Once you land your first civilian job, it’s important to negotiate your compensation with your new employer. In the civilian world, salary and some other components of total compensation are negotiable. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you’re worth. The worst that can happen is that they say no and you have to decide whether the original offer makes sense for you and your family.

However, salaries for what seem like the same position can vary by large amounts depending on the area of the country where it is based and the industry that it’s in. For instance, a “Project Manager” in San Jose, Calif. earns on average $20,000 more per year than the same job title in Anniston, Ala. according to Salary.com.

By consulting an online resource such as this, you can help to insure that your salary expectations are in line with local averages.

2. Create a Civilian Budget Your past employer, the military, provides many benefits that are no longer available to you in the civilian world. These extra costs will be important to consider when determining your civilian budget as you will now be paying for them yourself.

For instance, you will want to do some research and budget for estimated housing costs in the location that you plan to live.

Remember that you will no longer receive tax-free housing benefits. That being said, there are mortgage benefits available to those who are transitioning from the military. For more detail on those benefits and to see if you qualify, visit http://www. benefits.va.gov/homeloans/.

You will also want to consider tax changes and incorporate them into your civilian budget. In addition to using posttax dollars for housing, you will now also be subject to state income tax, which will vary depending on where you live. Once you decide where you will be living, make sure to take this into account in your budget.

3. Protect You and Your Family If you are transitioning from the military before retirement you will most likely now be responsible for you and your family’s insurance. While serving on active duty, the military offers a maximum of $400,000 Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance with an additional $100,000 option available for spouses. Your Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance will expire 240 days after you leave the military. Your new employer may offer a life insurance plan but it’s often limited to a low multiple of annual income.

Supplementary life insurance may be a good option depending on your needs. You may also convert your Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance policy to a Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) policy, but expect premiums to increase over time.

Make sure to compare prices and coverage before committing to any life insurance plan or combination of plans.

You will also want to protect you and your family with health insurance. Review your options and compare prices before making a decision on a plan. If neither you or your spouse have employers that offer health insurance coverage right away, consider signing up for the Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP), which provides up to 18 months of insurance post transition. Make sure to account for health related expenses in your civilian budget. You may now be responsible for paying policy premiums, co-payments and deductibles. Many companies offer a health savings account (HSA) benefit or flexible spending account (FSA) where you can contribute tax-free money to cover health-related expenses.

Estimate your medical expenses for the year and contribute that amount to the plan to maximize the tax benefit.

4. Get Your Retirement Plan in Check Many military members take advantage of the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) account, which is a tax-advantaged way of saving for retirement. When you leave the military, there are four options available to you when it comes to your TSP account.

• Leave the funds in your TSP account: This can be a good option because expenses are very low.

• Roll your money over to your new employer’s plan: Consider the investment choices and expenses of the new plan before making a decision.

• Roll your TSP into a traditional Individual Retirement Account: This option typically has a greater array of investment choices as well as lower fees than an employer program.

• Cash in your TSP: I recommend avoiding this option if at all possible.

You will end up losing much of your savings in taxes and penalty fees. You may also want to participate in your new employer’s retirement program.

If the company offers a definedbenefit plan or pension, make sure to understand your eligibility and its vesting options. If you leave before

it becomes fully vested you most likely will not receive full payments in retirement. 401(k) plans are more common and there are two major types to consider: • Traditional 401(k): Contributions are pre-tax from your salary and lower your taxable income. These contributions in addition to any employer match will grow taxdeferred and then distributions are taxed.

• Roth 401(k): More and more employers now offer a Roth 401(k) option, where employees make contributions with after-tax money.

Neither investment earnings nor distributions are taxed.

If your employer offers a 401(k) matching program, make sure to maximize it! With a 401(k) matching program your employer will contribute to your 401(k) to match what you contributed up to a certain percentage. If you qualify, you can also contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA (individual retirement account), to boost your tax-advantaged retirement savings even further. Use a retirement planning calculator to determine what you want to receive in retirement so you can set goals for retirement and know how much you should be contributing on an annual basis.

5. Build a Transition or Emergency Fund A transition fund is 3-12 months of living expenses used in order to provide financial protection for any gaps in work or emergencies as you transition. Make sure to keep the money in an easy to access, liquid place such as a money market fund or a high interest savings account so that you can use it if you need it without any penalties or fees.

Also, factor any moving expenses into your transition fund. For most service members, leaving the military is an authorized government expense.

Allowances and benefits vary by service branch, type of discharge and type of separation but you may be eligible for various benefits.

By taking steps to build your civilian career, create a civilian budget, protect yourself and your family, get your retirement savings in check and build a transition fund, you are setting you and your family up for financial success in your civilian transition. Take these five steps as quickly as possible to secure your financial future.

Ashley Feinstein is a certified money coach and founder of Knowing Your Worth, where she empowers her clients to redefine success on their own terms by knowing their value and fearlessly going for it. Find out more, check out her blog at KnowingYourWorth. com and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter at The Fiscal Femme.

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Nov/Dec 2014

Q&A with Jerry Flanagan, JDog Junk Removal Lenny Meschino, a JDog Franchisee

Provided by our sponsor

J

erry Flanagan is the creator of JDog Junk Removal. He is a U.S. Army veteran and served from 1987 to 1989. He did basic training at Ft. Jackson, S.C. and then went on to Ft. Gordon, Ga. for Advanced Individual Training as a cable assembler and finished as a Distinguished Honor Graduate. He was later stationed at Ft. Stewart, Ga. and achieved the rank of E-4 Specialist. After the Army, Flanagan attended college and technical school on the GI bill before starting his career and several entrepreneurial endeavors.

JDog Junk Removal is a full-service junk removal franchise offered exclusively to armed service veterans, active-duty members of the United States Military and their family members. The company is the only U.S. franchise business devoted solely to military veterans and their families.

The JDog movement is currently in six states: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas, Montana and Tennessee, and is actively looking to expand across the country.

Q: Why would a veteran want to open a franchise?

The structure of a franchise is something that’s easily understood by veterans because franchises are teambased systems; there is a common goal and the unit works together to achieve it.

As returning veterans transition back to civilian life, they are looking for another way to serve and another system to be a part of. The advantage is that they know how to lead a team and contribute to a team at the same time. In many ways, a franchise demands similar performances.

Veterans’ unique qualifications are something I decided to capitalize on by offering them exclusive opportunities.

Q: How does JDog Junk Removal correlate to your military training?

Much like in business, my experiences in the military were often as challenging as they were rewarding. So, while the job may not always be simple, I believe I have created a simple business system that lends itself to an easy-to-follow, fool-proof

model. By removing the guesswork, our team can focus on our mission to reverse the stigma of the service industry by working with respect, integrity and trust.

As an Army veteran, I wanted to seek out a recession-proof service model that transferred the work ethic and discipline I acquired though active duty and the unmatched values military veterans display in the civilian workplace.

Q: How has your military background had an impact on your business today?

The key to success in the military, and in business, is your ability to work successfully as a team. My time in the military was 100%, 100% of the time.

That level of commitment has directly translated to JDog’s business model, myself as a leader, and that which I expect of my franchisees. The military taught me that a group of determined, hard-working individuals can be a larger adversary than one that’s loosely structured and without direction. I understand the difficulties of transition back to civilian life and what

military skills are marketable in the workplace, which is why I have created this opportunity.

Q: What would you say to a fellow veteran considering a franchise such as JDog Junk Removal?

Suit up! JDog Junk Removal franchises strictly to veterans and veteran family members – a decision that was made to help fulfill an unmet demand for military professionals who are looking for a way to make the transition from military life to civilian life a little easier. JDog offers a proven business model which allows owners to maintain an active, flexible work schedule. The opportunity is also attractive to disabled Veterans, since they can hire staff to manage the business and not have to do all of the heavy lifting.

If you are interested in learning more about a JDog Junk Removal franchise, contact Wayne Turner at (844) GET-JDOG, (844) 4385364, or go to www.jdogjunkremoval.com .

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Ivan M. Alvarado Army, MAJ Signal Officer, Fort Bliss, Texas Army MAJ Ivan M. Alvarado deployed to Iraq twice, and he is most proud of returning his Soldiers “to all their families alive and well” in 2007 and 2010. He was selected as the Brigade Communications Officer (S6) and the Signal Company Commander while deployed in 20092010. Currently, he is a Signal Officer at Fort Bliss, Texas. Alvarado also served with the Robert R. McCormick Foundation in Chicago, the Boys & Girls Club of America and has volunteered to help the homeless.

Mario Barrett Army, CPT Founder, Sockwork: Socks With A Purpose Former Army CPT Mario Barrett started “Sockwork: Socks With A Purpose,” a subscription service that donates 10 percent of revenue to a different veteran non-profit each month. Barrett has an M.B.A. from McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. He was one of the first of West Point’s 2007 graduates to deploy to a war zone – Afghanistan – with an Engineer Platoon in February 2008. Barrett also was accepted to the Special Forces Assessment and Selection and was an Aide-de-Camp to a Commanding General in New Jersey.

Baren Berg Marines, Sgt V.A. Presidential Management Fellow Marine Sgt Baren Berg is currently participating in the Veterans Administration Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program, where he has published reports within the National Surgery Office and created both a VHA Community integration project focusing on veteran business development and a Veterans Employment Talks group. He is a Certified Peer Support Specialist at the V.A. and holds a master’s in Leadership from Duquesne University. Berg served two combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan on active and reserve duty, and also in the Wounded Warrior Regiment from 2003-2013.

Shannon Bibbee Army, CPT District Director, Grainger; current CPT in U.S. Army Reserve Army Reserve CPT Shannon Bibbee has worked for Grainger in Philadelphia since 2006 and is currently a District Director. Bibbee is also an Internal Review Evaluator with the U.S. Army Reserve at Fort Knox, Ky. He is a veteran of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. He was the Company Commander of four separate Army units from 2005 to 2013, including command during combat duty in Iraq.

In 2011, Bibbee was awarded the 2011 General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award.

Nathan Bilbrey Navy, PO1 Certified Train Conductor for Union Pacific Railroad Former Navy PO1 Nathan Bilbrey was the kind of Sailor who was willing to do anything for the team, says colleague Jay Clark. When Bilbrey exited the Navy in December 2013, he was a Supervisor for a Damage Control Division. He oversaw 18 junior personnel in the operation, repair, corrective and preventive maintenance on installed firefighting systems and equipment; damage control equipment; and chemical, biological and radiological defense equipment. Today, Bilbrey is a Certified Train Conductor for Union Pacific Railroad.

Andrew Bonifant Coast Guard, PO1 Owner of American Veteran Process(AVP)LLC Coast Guard PO1 Andrew Bonifant was an Avionics Electrical Technician and was on a team that evacuated survivors of the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. Bonifant “is a force multiplier in every sense of the word,” says Commander J.L. Hollingsworth. His ability “to

solve complex technical problems and execute operational missions is truly exceptional,” Hollingsworth says. Bonifant is currently working on his M.B.A. at Keller Graduate School of Management. He also owns his own business, American Veteran Process (AVP) LLC, which donates to veteran causes and charities.

Eric Boone Navy, LT CEO/Executive Director of Hartford Parking Authority Former Navy LT Eric Boone was a Surface Warfare Officer, where service for him “became as much mentorship as surface operations,” he says. Currently he is CEO/Executive Director of Hartford Parking Authority in Connecticut.

Five years after his separation, Boone became a technical group manager with Westinghouse Electric Co. In his job, he was a project manager for the reactor engineering analysis of a large uprating within a nuclear power plant. During his service, Boone handled more than 100 “Visit Board Search and Seizure” missions with no major incidents.

Travis Sim Bramble Air Force, SSgt Senior Avionics Engineer, NAVAIR Command Former Air Force SSgt Travis Sim Bramble works as a military contractor for NAVAIR Command on Patuxent River, Md., in foreign military sales as the Senior Avionics Engineer.

He has an M.B.A. in International Business.

During his service, Bramble earned the Air Force Combat Action medal in Afghanistan in support of aviation operations. “I would say he’s definitely in the top five percent of the people in their squadron at the Air Force base,” says Earl Heppe, Retired Air Force Avionics Flight Chief.

Sam Cheung Coast Guard, LT Operations Research Analyst at Coast Guard R&D Center LT Sam Cheung has been a leader in a variety of venues, including Coast Guard officer, Coast Guard Academy admissions specialist, Department of Mathematics instructor at Albertus Magnus College and NCAA basketball coach. Cheung received his M.S. in Manufacturing and Systems Engineering at the University of Rhode Island in May 2009. He is currently an Operations Research Analyst with the Coast Guard Research & Development Center in New London, Conn. His job entails project management, research and decision/ data analyses. He is also a recipient of the USCG Commendation Medal.

Adam DeMarco Army, CPT Field Service Manager, EMC, Arlington, Va. Army CPT Adam DeMarco worked within communities of host national and foreign militaries and served as a key engagement coordinator in Kirkuk, Iraq. DeMarco was responsible for the cultivation and maintenance of critical U.S. and Iraqi partnerships. He also led a refugee interview team and gained situational awareness of the humanitarian aid crisis due to the Syrian Civil War. Today, he is a Field Service Manager at EMC in Arlington, Va., where he oversees approximately 800 global accounts within the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps.

Tommy Dunaway Marines, Maj Snap Fitness North Arlington; Major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Marine Maj Tommy Dunaway received his commission at U.S. Marine Officer Candidate School in Quantico. He was Platoon Commander in Iraq for two deployments and has earned numerous medals and awards. Dunaway also provided guidance to multiple embassies in Asia and has traveled throughout the Pacific region while attached to the Department of State. There he conducted audits and security inspections while simultaneously writing numerous personnel performance evaluations. After active duty, Dunaway continued in the Reserves and he opened a Snap Fitness franchise in the Dallas metro area.

Nov/Dec 2014

Michael L. Ebel Air Force, 2d Lt Senior Associate, Investment Management, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Air Force 2d Lt Michael L. Ebel “is an outstanding recently-commissioned officer here at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station and has a bright future as part of the California Air National Guard,” says Maj Tony Montes, Commander, 146th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. Ebel is an Aircraft Maintenance Officer, leading 30 personnel and assisting in the implementation of airlift, firefighting and humanitarian aid missions. Ebel is also Senior Associate in Investment Management at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Los Angeles.

He served as a weapons crew chief and supported Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

Sarah Economou Marines, Capt Program Manager, General Atomics Systems Integration Former Marine Capt Sarah Economou helped establish a new division in General Atomics Systems Integration in Poway, Calif., where she is Program Manager. “I established our security program and obtained our facility clearance, which enables our company to work on classified contracts,” she says. Economou “served with distinction” as an intelligence officer, says Ret. Col Marianne S. Waldrop. She supported combat operations during 19 months of deployment to Iraq, Kuwait and many other places worldwide.

She “demonstrated unparalleled tenacity and dedication,” Waldrop says.

Elizabeth Evans Army, LTC Full-time Battalion Commander, Florida National Guard LTC Elizabeth Evans’s proudest achievement is her selection for Battalion Command in the Florida Army National Guard. “This battalion is a subordinate of our 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and I will be the first female to command this unit,” she says. During active duty, Evans led an engineer company in combat in Iraq. While also serving in the Guard, she then worked as a Superintendent for Pulte Homes and later as Tenant Coordinator and Project Manager for Regency Centers. Now she’s with the Guard full-time.

Michael Faherty Navy, LT Site Manager, Navy Training Support Center Since January 2013, Navy LT Michael Faherty has been the Site Manager for the Training Support Center in San Diego. “Considered one of the most demanding management positions for a Navy Lieutenant, Mike is personally responsible for the professional development of over 5,000 Sailors entering the fleet, serving as the foundation for the Navy’s sustained tactical and operational proficiency,” says LT Sid L. Gulledge IV. Outside of the military, Faherty is the project manager for Urban Angels, a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization in San Diego.

Robert Folta Marines, Sgt Telephone and Computer Maintenance Section Operations Chief Marine Sgt Robert Folta has 13 years of experience as a professional electronics technician. In his most recent assignment with the Marines, Folta was the Telephone and Computer Maintenance Section Operations Chief in Cherry Point, N.C. Daily, he oversaw 80 personnel and the troubleshooting of system components for telecommunication, networks and server-based systems. Folta has also enjoyed working for the Toys for Tots foundation during the holiday months and “providing happiness for children that can’t always afford the latest and greatest toys,” he says.

F. Garrett Fucci Marines, 1st Lt NPI Operations Manager, Cognex Corp.

As Operations Manager of New Product Introduction at Cognex Corp., F. Garrett Fucci managed a team of 23 technicians through the production of his company’s one-millionth

CivilianJobs.com C 2014 Top 40 Un product. “As a reward, our company divided $1 million dollars up and gave its 1,500 employees a bonus,” he says. During a deployment to Afghanistan as a 1st Lt in the Marines, Fucci was one of the primary Watch Officers who oversaw the communication systems network, where he directed network troubleshooting for Regional Command.

Justin Gandino-Saadein Marines, SSgt CEO, BoldAmp Media Former Marine SSgt Justin Gandino-Saadein is the CEO of BoldAmp Media, a business management consultant and web design company in Norfolk, Va. His most significant achievement outside of military service was his recent run as an independent candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District. He is a recipient of the U.S. Marine Corps Humanitarian Medal, given in recognition of rescue work he performed in 2011. GandinoSaadein also received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. He is pursuing an M.B.A. from Georgetown University.

Geoffrey Gantt Marines, Sgt BMW Automotive Parts Inspector Marine Sgt Geoffrey Gantt was a radio operator at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and “one of the top corporals of our section of the company,” says SSgt Corey Pitts, who was his supervisor. “I always knew I could rely on him to do anything I asked,” Pitts says.

During his deployment to Afghanistan, Gantt trained a number of teams on a computer operating system. Now, he currently builds the process on how to inspect certain automotive parts for BMW. Ryan Gregory Air Force, SrA Drilling Engineer, Consol Energy Former Air Force SrA Ryan Gregory designs and implements procedures to drill wells as a Drilling Engineer for Consol Energy in Canonsburg, Pa. He received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Fairmont State University in 2013. While in school, Gregory joined a program through the Society of Automotive Engineers that involved designing

Nov/Dec 2014

Alan Kipping-Ruane Navy, PO2 Founder of TriGuy Multisport Coaching Alan Kipping-Ruane is a triathlon coach and exercise physiologist. He’s the founder of TriGuy Multisport Coaching, which offers triathlon coaching services, triathlon training plans and Ironman training camps. During his military service, KippingRuane was the training supervisor of a helicopter combat squadron. He holds a B.S. from The Pennsylvania State University in Kinesiology, is a Certified USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach, and a Certified Youth and Junior Triathlon Coach.

John Lim Navy, PO2 Production Supervisor for Monogram Comfort Foods As the first military hire for Monogram Comfort Foods, former Navy PO2 John Lim is a Production Supervisor. Because of his military training, he is also part of the effort to hire veterans and is a graduate student at Old Dominion University.

Lim’s ship in the Navy, the USS Donald Cook, went through a major inspection in October 2013. His contributions as plant supervisor helped the ship win the Engineering Excellence and the Battle Efficiency Awards.

Bart M. Lomont Air Force, Capt Co-Founder & CEO of Silvr, Inc.

Congratulates the nder 40 Military a one-man Baja vehicle. As president of his team, he encouraged them to give back to the community. They performed an instructional demonstration for underprivileged children and took part in two local Science and Technology Fairs.

Patrick Hall Army, CPT Operations Manager with Walmart Last year, former Army CPT Patrick Hall joined Walmart as an Operations Manager for their Distribution Center in LaGrange , Ga. “Patrick led his team to being one of the top performing teams in the entire organization,” General Manager Stacey Hodoh says. During his Army career, Hall commanded a 96-Soldier company, leading Soldiers in two deployments to Afghanistan, flying more than 700 combat hours in a UH60 Blackhawk and executing more than 80 air assault operations in a combat zone.

Rachel Hamaker Navy, PO1 Director of Engineering, The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common Navy PO1 Rachel Hamaker served from April 2000 to December 2004 as a Nuclear Machinist Mate. Today, she is Director of Engineering for The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common. She started with Marriott as a Chief Engineer in a small hotel.

Now, she has opened three significant luxury hotels across the globe, worked in numerous hotels across the country, and currently oversees the Engineering Department of one of the top 10 Ritz-Carlton hotels in the company.

Warren Jackson, Jr. Army, SPC Utilities Equipment Repair Army SPC Warren Jackson, Jr. handles maintenance for gasoline systems, air conditioner electrical systems, air conditioner vapor systems, refrigeration unit electrical systems and portable heater fuel/electrical systems. He has received four Army commendation medals and is proud that he was part of a motor pool that saved the U.S. Army Europe command $50,000 in maintenance costs. Jackson has completed the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt course through Villanova University, and has been an assistant basketball coach and volunteer in the Texas school systems.

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Former Air Force Capt Bart M. Lomont is the co-founder and CEO of Silvr Inc., a mobile payments platform. Lomont has raised more than $500,000 in seed funding for the project. Lomont was the first Air Force member to deploy with an Indiana Army National Guard unit on an Agribusiness Development Team to a hostile part of the world, Salerno, Afghanistan.

He also was personal aide to Indiana Gov. Mike Pence during his 2012 gubernatorial campaign.

Robert K. Lytle Air Force, Capt OIC - Movement Control Center; CJSOTF-Afghanistan In 2010-2011, Air Force Capt Robert K. Lytle helped oversee the transition from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn. “I became an Aerial Port Commander and the 332 AEW’s Installation Deployment Officer simultaneously,” he says. He is now in Afghanistan, leading the Office of Primary Responsibility for the redeployment of all Special Operation Forces and their cargo out of Afghanistan. He’s expected to graduate in June 2015 with a Master of Art and Science in Military Operations and Leadership from the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Online Master’s Program.

Kynnie Martin Army, CPT Senior Recruiter for Veterans and Diversity, Xcel Energy Former Army CPT Kynnie Martin initially worked for a nonprofit whose mission was to transition and employ veterans into green energy jobs. From there, Martin was recruited to spearhead Xcel Energy’s veteran hiring strategy in 2013. She has a master’s in Nonprofit Management from Regis University and is pursuing a second master’s in Public Administration from the University of ColoradoDenver. She most recently was one of the featured Post-9/11 women veterans in “Women Warriors: A Vision of Valor,” as part of the Library of Congress’ Veterans Oral History Project.

Arthur J. Middlebrooks Army, CPT Executive Officer at Joint Base Lewis-McChord A West Point graduate, CPT Arthur J. Middlebrooks received his commission as an Armor Officer assigned to 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment. Selected as Troop Executive Officer, he created critical programs for his squadron’s deployment to Afghanistan, where he earned the Bronze Star. Now a Captain, he is an Executive Officer at Joint Base LewisMcChord, Fort Lewis, Wash. He also has a master’s certificate in Lean Enterprise Solutions from Villanova University.

David Miller Army, CPT Instructor of American Politics in the Social Sciences Department, West Point CPT David Miller “is a scholar of the Army profession and is extremely adept in understanding the effects of foreign policy decisions,” says COL Monty Willoughby. Miller is currently completing his master’s in Public Policy at Harvard University and will become an instructor of American Politics in the Social Sciences Department at West Point.

Miller says his greatest achievement was serving in a unit that brought all of its Soldiers back from Iraq alive. He also served in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

Christopher Molaro Army, CPT Chairman and CEO of Things We Read Army CPT Christopher Molaro is Founder, Chairman and CEO of a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity called Things We Read (www. thingsweread.org). TWR solicits the top five book recommendations from famous and influential people. Through donations, it distributes those books for free to Soldiers, veterans and communities in need. In its first year, TWR raised more than $120,000 and donated thousands of books to West Point and Army ROTC. During his service, Molaro performed 300 combat patrols in southern Iraq, received a Bronze Star and a diploma and commission from the U.S. Military Academy.

Gabrielle Z. Noce Air Force, Capt Acquisitions Program Manager, Air Force Since her first assignment as a Space Acquisition Officer, Air Force Capt Gabrielle Z. Noce has gone on to serve “brilliantly,” says (Ret.) Lt Col Richard E. Lamb. “She has led major space acquisition projects for both the Space and Missile Systems Center and the National Reconnaissance Organization,” Lamb says. Noce is currently Acquisitions Program Manager for the Air Force in the greater Los Angeles area. She leads a 102-member launch acquisition team in direct support of $4 billion in classified National Reconnaissance Office space programs.

John J. Reichert IV Navy, LT Student at Columbia University and Naval Officer in the Reserves While serving as a Naval Officer in the Reserves, LT John J. Reichert IV is attending Columbia University for an M.A. in Social-Organizational Psychology.

During his service, he was the Naval Liaison to the First Marine Expeditionary Force. He worked on training schedules between Navy and Marine Corps units, improving the utilization rate of ships from 74 percent to 92 percent. He was then located in Afghanistan, overseeing the movement of 100,000 pounds of mail daily. In his last assignment, Reichert oversaw three annual major military exercises in Korea.

Matthew Renner Air Force, Capt M.B.A. student, Harvard Business School During his Air Force service, Capt Matthew Renner developed the next-generation joint service combat search and rescue radio, fixed airfield weather detection systems across three continents to enable sustained air operations and was an executive officer for a 300-member military organization. He also graduated at the top five percent of his class during officer training. Today, Renner is an M.B.A. student at Harvard Business School. He ran the 2011 Boston Marathon and is also a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Orlando D. Reyes Marines, MSgt Operations Chief for Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations-East Marine MSgt Orlando D. Reyes is Operations Chief for the Headquarters and Support Battalion at the Marine Corps Installations-East, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He reached his 20-year mark of service on September 12 and will retire in March 2016. He’s on track to graduate summa cum laude from Ashford

University. In July, the Marine Corps Times named Reyes “Marine of the Year” because of his efforts in suicide prevention.

C. Nate Swope Marines, Sgt Contributor to Leatherneck Magazine Marine Sgt C. Nate Swope pursued academic degrees despite combat-intensive deployments. In 2007, Swope deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, where he led more than 100 combat patrols. Thirteen months later, he earned an A.A. in General Studies. In 2010, Swope deployed to Afghanistan, where his team conducted deep reconnaissance. Yet, Swope still managed to attend online courses and graduated with a B.S. in Management. In 2011, he pursued an M.B.A. at Northeastern University while in Afghanistan.

Alex C. Teixeira Marines, Capt Project Manager, Schindler Elevator Capt Alex C. Teixeira was a successful engineer working for an oil refinery when he joined the Marines. He is an alumnus of Purdue University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. Teixeira spent nearly 18 months as HQ Platoon Commander and Fire Direction Officer for Kilo Battery 3/12. He led 43 Marines and Sailors from 10 different specialties in garrison and in the field. He is currently a Project Manager for multi-million-dollar elevator installation projects for Schindler Elevator.

Michael Trottier Air Force, Capt Information Security/Hacking testing professional Former Air Force Capt Michael Trottier made the jump from Astronautical Engineer to an Information Security/Hacking/ Penetration testing professional. Trottier helped launch several key national satellites into orbit on the Delta IV rocket. After his rocket career, he led seven Telemetry projects “to ensure safety of our citizens while rockets blasted through our night sky,” he says. He also ran a $250 million System Engineering and Integration effort for the Air Force Satellite Control Network, Launch and Test Range Systems and Space Training Acquisition Office.

Phillip VanderWeit Marines, Capt Operations Manager, The Home Depot Marine Capt Phillip VanderWeit deployed to Afghanistan as a Combat Engineer/ Route Clearance Platoon Commander with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion. He is a recipient of the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device for heroic achievement. He also received the Combat Action Ribbon during Operation Enduring Freedom. Today, he is a Distribution Center and Supply Chain Operations Manager at The Home Depot in Winchester, Va. He received his B.S. in Criminal Justice from East Carolina University and is working toward a Graduate Certificate in Project Management from Penn State University.

Norman Victoria Navy, PO2 Student, Columbia University Following separation from the Navy, Norman Victoria took on a non-profit fellowship from The Mission Continues, which provides transitioning veterans leadership training programs and an opportunity to give back to the community. He volunteered with the International Rescue Committee in San Diego, where he did jobs coaching newly arrived refugees and asylum grantees to the U.S. In the Navy, Victoria did three consecutive deployments from 2010-2013 onboard the carriers USS Lincoln and USS Stennis. He is currently a student at Columbia University.

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Annapolis Grad A “Boone” to Hartford’s Economy in the Navy and beyond. The USS Oscar Austin was a brand new class of ship. The crew was responsible for establishing the procedures and setting the standards for later ships to follow.

“I got to work with that crew of top performers coming out of Annapolis,” Boone says. He understood that to become a good officer, he would have to meet their high standards and earn their respect.

by Jane Brubaker Contributing Writer

A

2002 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Eric Boone’s goal was to one day command his own ship.

“One of the things I was attracted to in the Surface Navy was ‘Patrol Craft (PC) command’, which is command of a small ship,” Boone says. Gesturing around him, he adds, “This is, in a way, essentially a non-floating PC boat.”

He’s referring to the Hartford Parking Authority. Boone, now 34, became CEO of the organization in 2013.

The Parking Authority’s board of commissioners chose Boone for this important role because of his strong operational and project management experience, and because he was someone they felt they could trust.

“They could teach parking to anybody, but leadership, integrity and the ability to integrate all facets of an operation are skills you can’t easily teach,” he says.

Boone sees the top job with the Hartford Parking Authority as an opportunity to take a leadership role in driving economic development in Connecticut’s capital.

“You get to work for the betterment of something bigger than you, and that’s something you can’t always find in the civilian workplace,” he says. “Parking feeds the local economy and I get to be a key component of that. I can have a direct impact on improving it.”

For his achievements both while serving and after transition, Boone is being recognized as one of the Top 40 Under 40 Military for 2014.

Inspired As a high school student in Connecticut in 1996, Boone had never heard of Annapolis. Fate intervened when his class trip to Washington D.C. was derailed due to something completely unanticipated: The federal government was shut down.

Scrambling to come up with an alternate plan, his history teacher contacted a friend at the U.S. Naval Academy and was able to arrange a tour. By the time the tour was finished, Boone was sold. He applied and was accepted. As a midshipman, he studied mechanical engineering and rowed for the heavyweight crew team.

After graduating, Boone became a Surface Warfare Officer. His first duty as an ensign on the USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79), a guided missile destroyer, was a proving ground where he developed the leadership skills that would set his course for success

The USS Oscar Austin’s Captain put him in charge of a variety of functions unrelated to his background in engineering.

“That gave me my first taste of the importance of integration, how understanding the big picture of how something operates is critical and not just looking at an operation from your tiny little perspective,” he says. “As a manager you have to understand, A) the specifics of what you’re managing, and B) what it takes to do the jobs of those you manage.”

At 22, Boone was the youngest person in his division, in charge of people who were older and more experienced.

“It was awkward. You have to be humble,” he says. “The way I looked at it was my job is to ensure that you can do your job. We’re one team, we all have our roles, and my role is as the team captain.”

He learned the importance of being approachable and open to feedback. “If you’re not approachable, then people are not going to provide you necessary feedback,” he says. “That has saved me throughout my whole career. One person is not able to think about every single implication of every decision.”

Boone went beyond the standard requirements needed to move on to another ship, qualifying to be Officer of the Deck, Engineering Officer of the Watch, Command Duty Officer, Surface and Undersea Warfare combat watches, and Search and Seizure Boarding Officer.

On his second ship, the USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), a guided missile cruiser, he led more than 100 search and seizure missions in the Persian Gulf. He was also the Damage Control Assistant responsible for

any kind of emergency scenario including mass casualty, toxic gas, a nuclear attack, flooding or fire.

Career Goals When Boone was ready to leave the Navy and transition to a civilian job, he decided to work with Bradley-Morris, a recruiter specializing in military job placement. “I love Bradley-Morris,” he says. “They were great.” The recruiter worked with him to define his career goals and then set him up for interviews. He had 13 thirtyminute interviews in one day, received several job offers and accepted a position at Westinghouse.

The Westinghouse division that hired him was looking for someone who could manage welders and repair crews, operate independently and manage projects.

“Being in the military, you have a lot of project-management experience, but you just don’t know it — you just have to civilianize the words,” Boone says.

“Military order and how we operate is project management.” He quickly went from managing small projects to large multi-million dollar projects including one to repair a nuclear power plant overseas. His last position at Westinghouse was as division manager, transient design and analysis. He credits his rise in the organization and increasing responsibilities to his training in project management and integration gained in the Navy.

Boone’s current role as CEO of the Hartford Parking Authority fulfills his strong desire to lead a team and chart his own course. “It took me, in my mind, essentially six years at Westinghouse to get to where I was in the Navy when I left, in terms of responsibility,” he says. Taking a big leap forward, he now commands the people and resources to make a difference to an entire community.

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Jane Brubaker is a freelance writer and an ongoing contributor to Military Transition News.

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Where America’s military Connects With Civilian Careers

Freedom isn’t free, but your college education can be.

In recognition of selfless service since September 11, 2001, Lipscomb University, located in Nashville, Tenn., participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program at the highest level.

EmployErs

Job sEEkErs

CivilianJobs.com is more than a great place to post your resume. Your skills are valuable and marketable, and we provide you with the best methods to pursue military-friendly companies including via our job board and military job fairs.

If you are seeking to recruit / source military talent, let CivilianJobs.com design a staffing solution to fit your needs: • Contract Recruiting • RPO • Per Hire or Contingency • “IQ” Talent • Military Base Newspaper/ Employer Advertising • Military Job Fairs • Military Job Board

The leading career resource for the military community.

More important, we recognize that military members who began their educations in the service are in possession of a wonderful resource upon which to build the rest of their lives and the lives of their families.

Leverage that important asset to get your college degree, and in some cases, your master’s degree, at no cost at Lipscomb. Choose from more than 75 areas of study, including accounting, business, counseling and psychology, education, exercise and nutrition science, and theology.

In addition, Lipscomb established The Charlie Daniels Scholarship for Heroes to honor country music legend Charlie Daniels and his tireless efforts on behalf of the nation’s military, including an annual concert on campus to build the fund.

This scholarship provides financial assistance for those not eligible for Yellow Ribbon.

At Lipscomb, you’ll find classes are smaller, professors offer more personal, one-on-one attention, and there is a dedicated Veteran Services Office that is ready to support and assist you during your transition to student life and help you prepare for the next chapter of your life.

In short, when you’re ready for this all-important next step, we’re ready for you.

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MILITARY TRANSITION NEWS

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MILITARYRESUMES.COM

Four Job Hunting Tips for the Former StayAt-Home Spouse

by Janet Farley Contributing Editor

I

t is often said that when a door closes, a window opens in its place. At least, that’s how I explained it to my friend Anna, a stay-at-home mom who struggled with creating a resume after having been out of the job market for 16 years.

Anna and her Marine husband recently transitioned to the Northern Virginia area from OCONUS. While her spouse landed a decent paying civilian job, they were no longer receiving the Living Quarters Allowance (LQA) and cost of living benefits that she and her family had become accustomed to in recent years. In short, they needed a second income and creating a resume for Anna was the first step to reaching it.

As many a stay-at-home spouse will attest, it’s not easy to create a resume when you haven’t been paid for your services for a lengthy period of time. Here are four tips for those who may be in that situation: 1. Select the best resume format Like it or not, there isn’t just one way to write a resume. Some formats will work better for you than others, depending upon your circumstances.

If you haven’t been in the workforce lately, then you don’t want a resume that screams you’ve been unemployed for a long period of time.

In this case, consider writing a combination format resume that highlights your skills and abilities over your work history. The key here would be to identify the marketable skills you have that are relevant to the job you want.

Your work history, if applicable, could be included on the resume as well — just not predominantly. Move that section to the end of the resume with minimal details such as job title, employer and “from – to” years — or even number of years versus a timeline.

If you have consistently volunteered while being unemployed, however, you may still find a chronological format will suffice. In that case, you would treat your volunteer work experience as you would paid experience (see #2).

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2. Treat your volunteer experience as paid work experience You didn’t get paid for it, but you may have volunteered in schools or elsewhere in your community. Value that experience and treat it as you would any work experience, whether you were paid for it or not.

Consider the following examples of how volunteer jobs translate into valuable work experience and how they could be showing up on your resume:

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As a volunteer you …

Chaired a PTA committee Show on your resume as …

Project Management/Supervision As a volunteer you …

Raised money for a new playground Show on your resume as …

Fundraising/Event Planning As a volunteer you …

Coached a sports team Show on your resume as …

Team Building As a volunteer you …

Created flyers or wrote a newsletter Show on your resume as …

Marketing/Publicity As a volunteer you …

Shuffled paperwork Show on your resume as …

Administration As a volunteer you …

Answered the phones Show on your resume as …

Customer Service 3. Get busy now If you want to find a job, start working on your resume now. If you’re not already volunteering meaningfully somewhere and you can manage the logistics, do it.

That automatically becomes a current working entry on your resume. You’re not unemployed anymore. Isn’t that great?

4. Adopt a healthy mindset Returning to the workforce after any kind of substantial break can be overwhelming, and you may experience your fair share of fears, on both personal and professional levels. Dealing with all those fears and impending changes is easier when you have a healthy mindset. It may help to take a deep breath and adopt a new mantra: “Change is good. I got this.”

Whatever happened to my dear friend, Anna? Despite her extended absence from the workforce, she managed to pull together a decent resume that highlighted her volunteer work experience through the years and her recent graduation from college. She attended a few job fairs and now has several interviews lined up.

It’s just a matter a time before she’ll land a great job, and so can you if you’re truly ready for it.

Janet Farley is the author of Quick Military Transition Guide: Seven Steps to Landing a Civilian Job (Jist Inc., 2012). Follow her blog Life’s Too Short to Hate Your Job at www. janetfarley@wordpress.com and Resume Rx at www.janetfarley2013@wordpress.com.

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Nov/Dec 2014

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17

NEWS career coach’s corner

by Tom Wolfe Career Coach and Contributing Editor

C

ongratulations to the 2014 Top 40 Under 40 Military, featured in this edition of Military Transition News.

These individuals are commended for their service, both in and out of uniform.

As diverse as they happen to be, they share many common denominators, including exemplary service, patriotism and strength of character. They also have something more mundane in common: They have attended or will attend the Transition Assistance Program, aka TAP or TurboTap, or, most recently and more accurately, Transition GPS. A bit confused? Visit www.dodtap.mil for an overview, embedded resources and links to each service branch’s iteration of the program.

When TAP first appeared 20-plus years ago, it ran for five hours and participation was voluntary. Now it takes a week and attendance is mandatory, although retirees may opt out. The mission and content of TAP is important, and the value you receive depends on the trainers at your post or base and the amount of effort you put into it.

Regardless of the quality of the service provided and your participation, you might miss out on some critical information, especially in the job hunting and interviewing components of the program. Here are four important lessons to add to what you already know.

1. Self-knowledge To interview successfully, you must have knowledge about the company and the job. This helps you determine your level of interest and conveys that interest to the interviewer. But that alone isn’t enough. You must also present yourself so that the interviewer can picture you in the job, doing it well and smiling. Your ability to do that depends on knowing who you are and what makes you tick.

What are your attributes, skills, traits and personality characteristics? More important, which of these are most appropriate for that particular interview?

In addition to your inventory of skills and traits, you must be ready to discuss specific examples of each. Merely saying you possess a particular talent is not good enough. You have to be able to prove it, and the best proof is an actual story from your life that illustrates that talent or skill and its positive impact on the mission at hand.

You must also be aware of your weaknesses, deficits, failures and disappointments.

Being able to openly and honestly discuss this topic is critical to interviewing success. Nobody is perfect. Everyone

Four Job Hunting Lessons You Might Not Learn at TAP has regrets. We all make mistakes. What matters are the lessons we learn, the corrections we make and the resulting self-awareness. Believe it or not, this touchy subject can have a positive impact on the interview.

2. Interviewing Empathy A few years ago, I was conducting an interview preparation session and emphasizing to the group the importance of presenting oneself in a way that’s appealing to the interviewer. In midsentence, one of the attendees interrupted me to say, “Tom, I am sorry, but it sounds like you are advising us to just tell the interviewer what he or she wants to hear.” I thought about that statement for a moment and replied, well, yes, that is exactly what I am recommending, but with one critical caveat - truthfulness.

Although it is quite easy to identify and focus on what is important to you, for an interview to be successful, you must also remember what is important to the interviewer. What matters to him?

What does she care about? What are his priorities? Why is she interviewing?

Hitting those hot buttons will contribute to your success. With prior knowledge of the particulars of the job, the company and the location, you should be able to hit those buttons. That is what I call interviewing empathy.

So you can see that, yes, it is essential to tell the interviewer exactly what he or she wants to hear, as long as it’s the truth. Consider the alternative. What if you fail to emphasize information about yourself that is both true and relevant to the position? That might have been the very piece of information the interviewer needed to designate you as the right person for the job.

3. The Power of Questions Some of the most powerful tools in your transition toolbox are the questions you will ask throughout the job-hunting process. To understand why questions are such an important aspect of your career transition, let’s start with this one: Why do we ask them? There are two answers; one is fairly obvious and the other somewhat obscure.

The obvious reason we ask questions is to get answers. In your job search, there is much to learn about a potential position and a new organization before you can commit to a new career. Why is the position available? What are the responsibilities of the job? What is the potential for career growth? How is individual performance measured?

What is the corporate culture? Will the compensation, benefits and location support quality-of-life goals? The

answers will help you decide if the opportunity is right for you.

The less obvious yet equally powerful force behind asking questions is their ability to convey interest in the opportunity and the company. Conveying interest is critical to successful interviewing. Just because you showed up for the interview does not mean you are interested in the job. Although you could be the most qualified candidate on the planet, you will not get the offer unless the company knows with certainty that you are sincerely interested. Short of coming right out and saying, “I am interested,” asking appropriate, timely and targeted questions is the most powerful way to express interest. Not surprisingly, a lack of good questions is one of the most often cited reasons for rejection in the interviewing process.

4. Selectivity Career transition, job hunting and interviewing is hard work, but do not make it harder than it already is.

Consider the adages “Don’t reinvent the wheel” and “Chase someone who wants to be caught.” You would be wise to apply that wisdom to your job search. First, understand that interviewing for a job is a form of sales - you are selling a product called YOU to a company called YOUR NEXT EMPLOYER. As any successful salesperson will tell you, it is easier to fill a customer’s existing and acknowledged need with your product than it is to convince a prospective client that the need even exists.

How does that relate to finding a job?

As hard as it may be to convince an employer to hire you, what if you had to first convince that same employer to hire a veteran for the first time? Even if you are successful in educating that employer about veterans and convincing that hiring manager of the potential value added by a veteran, you have yet to convince him or her to hire you.

This is where selectivity comes into play: You would be much better served to target employers that already value veterans as employees. How do you find these predisposed, military-friendly employers? Here are four ways.

• First, take a look at the companies that advertise or are featured in print and digital media that target military personnel, such as the one you are reading right now. They already have YOU on their radar.

• Second, take full advantage of government-sponsored programs and resources. Check out Transition GPS and VETS. Pay particular attention to the interviewing events and job fairs sponsored by your local TAP office. The

companies in attendance are looking for YOU. • Third, seek out organizations that host job fairs and placement firms that specialize in military-to-civilian transition and employment. These companies have already done the presell, stacking the deck in your favor. Their clients contract with them because they want to hire YOU. Bradley-Morris, Inc. and CivilianJobs.com, both of which are affiliated with Military Transition News, are examples of those types of firms.

• Fourth, take a look at joint private sector initiatives such as the JP Morgan Chase 100K Jobs Mission and the U. S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring our Heroes program. The list of companies that support those initiatives is impressive, and they signed up because they want to hire YOU. Thank you for your service, and good hunting!

Tom Wolfe is a Career Coach, Columnist, Author and Veteran and can be found at www.out-of-uniform.com.

Read this issue online now at Online.MilitaryTransitionNews.com

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NEWS

Nov/Dec 2014

Job Fair Calendar

Date: November 3, 2014 Location: Fort Hood SFL: TAP Mini Job Fair 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Oveta Culp Hobby Soldier & Family Readiness Ctr.; Bldg. 18000 Sponsor: POC: Robert Schumacher (254) 288-0827;

robert.c.schumacher.ctr@mail.mil

Date: November 17, 2014 Location: Ft. Jackson Hiring Our Heroes Job Fair 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Sponsor: POC: Carolyn Andrews carolyn.andrews@us.army.mil

Date: Location:

Sponsor:

November 18, 2014 Redstone Arsenal 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Bldg. 130, Golf Course Rd. CivilianJobs.com (866) 801-4418

Date: November 18, 2014 Location: Ft. Huachuca ACAP/ACES Career Fair - 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

MURR Community Ctr., Bldg. 51301 Sponsor: POC:

hrc.tagd.acapcomm@gmail.com

Date: November 18, 2014 Location: Patuxent River NAS MD 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Bay District Vol. Fire Dept.

Social Hall, 46900 S. Shangri-La Dr. Sponsor: POC: Janet Giles, Jobzone, www.JobZoneOnline.com (434) 263-5102 or (540) 226-1473;

Janet.Giles@JobZoneOnline.com

Date: Location:

Sponsor:

November 19, 2014 NSAB/WRNMMC Employer Networking Event 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

9045 Beale Rd. Bldg. 11, Rm. 16, Bethesda, MD POC: Anne Bloesl (301) 319-4088

Date: November 20, 2014 Location: Ft. Belvoir-Springfield 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

American Legion Post 176, 6520 Amherst Ave., Springfield, VA Sponsor: POC: Janet Giles, Jobzone, www.JobZoneOnline.com (434) 263-5102 or (540) 226-1473;

Janet.Giles@JobZoneOnline.com

Date: Location:

Sponsor:

November 21, 2014 West Point Mini Job Fair 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

ACS Lounge, Bldg. 622, Swift Rd. POC: Rachel Coleman (845) 938-0634

Date: Location:

Sponsor:

December 2, 2014 Ft. Hood 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Club Hood, Bldg. 5764, 24th St. CivilianJobs.com (866) 801-4418

Date: December 4, 2014 Location: Leonard Wood Mini-Job Fair 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

2229 Iowa Ave., Bldg. 986 Sponsor: POC:

hrc.tagd.acapcomm@gmail.com

Date: December 4, 2014 Location: Fredericksburg Expo Ctr. and Conference Ctr. 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.

2371 Carl D. Silver Parkway, Fredericksburg, VA Sponsor: POC: Janet Giles, Jobzone, www.JobZoneOnline.com (434) 263-5102 or (540) 226-1473;

Janet.Giles@JobZoneOnline.com

Date: Location:

Sponsor:

December 11, 2014 Ft. Knox - 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Saber and Quill, 1118 Chaffee Ave. CivilianJobs.com (866) 801-4418

Date: December 31, 2014 Location: Ft. Knox Employer Day 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

70 Pershing Dr., Bldg. 1378 Sponsor: POC: Frank Johnston (502)-624-2627

Date: Location:

Sponsor:

Bradley-Morris, Inc. (BMI) is the largest military-focused recruiting firm in the U.S. that for over 20 years has specialized in placing prior military job seekers with Fortune 1000 companies.

CivilianJobs.com helps military-friendly companies who actively recruit candidates from the military by offering cost-effective and customized solutions to meet their hiring needs.

NEWS Military Transition News is a bi-monthly publication providing military job seekers with relevant career and transition advice. It is distributed in print and online to over 500 military bases.

MilitaryResumes.com provides professional resume writing and consulting services for transitioning military, veterans, and their spouses seeking a civilian or federal career.

January 28, 2014 Ft. Benning 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Ft. Benning Conference Ctr. CivilianJobs.com (866) 801-4418

Essential Events and Travel, Inc. provides expert event planning services for corporate events and meetings. We excel in managing specialized events.

For more job fair dates and locations, go to CivilianJobs.com

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HireMilitaryBlog.com is a blog dedicated to educating and assisting employers (HR Recruiters) with sourcing and hiring candidates with prior-military experience.

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Nov/Dec 2014

Apprenticeship Training for Veterans

Transitioning A to Z: “S” and “T”

In the upcoming issues of Military Transition News, we will be listing everything a service member needs to know about transitioning, from A to Z.

by Military Transition News Staff This month, we tackle “S” and “T”.

“S”: Summarize, Speak, Sell

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There may be nothing you face in the civilian world that is more unnerving than a job interview. This is where you have to “speed sell” your skills and accomplishments in just minutes. Those of us who have interviewed for a job before know that feeling when you want to tell a hiring manager everything you have to offer even if the time that is allotted for the interview may not permit it.

Take stock of the situation and understand that the interviewer/hiring manager/ potential boss really wants to find someone great to hire. Recruiters are all looking for that person that is going to fit into their job requisition. After all the time and effort it takes to find potential matches, few interviewers pummel qualified candidates with questions just to stump them. He or she is working hard to try to figure out if you are the candidate that’s a fit. So relax and attentively consider their specific question.

Then, Summarize your thoughts, Speak clearly and Sell yourself.

“T”: Typos Argh! There is nothing more frustrating than printing out copies of your resume or even sending it out to recruiters, only to

find a Typo that becomes so glaring, you wonder how you missed it!

Part of our penchant for typos could lie in the overly-casual everyday emailing and texting styles (with heaps of autocorrect lumped in) to which we’ve become accustomed.

So it’s important to realize that every form of communication is important when looking for a job. Hiring managers want to know what kind of importance you place on your work and how that would translate as a member of their team. Because your first impression will most likely be through something you’ve typed – a resume, an email, a cover letter, your LinkedIn profile, an online application, etc. – spend extra time polishing and editing. Consider if it meets the standards of the position that you’re applying for, then ask for constructive criticism from a co-worker or family member. No hiring manager wants to bring in a bad speller with poor English skills and sloppy work. Show that you take pride in how you present yourself and your credentials will be more likely to make it to the next phase of the job search.

Here are a few proofreading tips: 1. Read the content backwards from the last sentence to the first 2. Read it out loud 3. Cut and paste any text into a spell checker program before sending/saving.

Read this issue online now at Online.MilitaryTransitionNews.com

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University of Phoenix is a longtime member of Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC). No Federal or Marine Corps endorsement of advertisers or sponsors is implied.

The University’s Central Administration is located at 1625 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Tempe, AZ 85282. Online Campus: 3157 E. Elwood St., Phoenix, AZ 85034. © 2014 University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved. | MIL-2835

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