WHAT’S NEXT Transition to Civilian Life By Eve Nasby & Kristin Hennessy
Be the Star - Interview like a Boss! Phil Kendro, AV-8 Harrier pilot and 7-year veteran of coordinating the Miramar Air Show for the Marines had the world at his fingertips.
“First, NEVER pay for advice, counsel, or job training. There are groups that will ask for thousands of dollars to help place you and network. I tried it. It was a miserable failure, but I was desperate at the time as I was leaving the military and still didn’t have a job.” “Second, learn to interview like a boss!” When you finally get the interview, you have one chance to nail it. So, how do you interview like a BOSS?
In addition to his military success, he excelled at networking. His boss at Mirimar pushed him to join LinkedIn five years prior to getting out. It started a snowball effect - he quickly had hundreds of contacts and became heavily involved in community relations. It seemed that everyone in San Diego knew Phil Kendro! He was a connector! He admits “I thought I could succeed in anything, and it got a bit to my head.” The Counts are In! Drumrollllll…. As the time to transition out got closer, his list of contacts grew exponentially. However, his job offer count didn’t reflect it. He got only ONE job offer, and it wasn’t one on his dream list. Phil recalls, “It was a true rollercoaster ride with the highest peaks and lowest troughs. I can say that YES, I did generally stay positive as I was surrounded by an amazing network of friends and supporters, but there were many dark days in my household, mostly within myself. After 20+ years of so many mission successes, how could I fail my family in such a fashion?” His post-military career may have started off without his dream job, but that didn’t stop him. He networked and got that dream job. We caught back up with him to ask his advice for those in similar situations. What are two pieces of advice you’d give your fellow transitioning brothers and sisters? 44 WWW.SanDiegoVeteransMagazine.com / October 2022
Use the S.T.A.R. Method! This means, when asked a question, frame it like this: Here’s the SITUATION, here’s the TASK I was given, here’s the ACTION I took, and here’s the RESULT of my achievement. Trained for combat but not trained for an interview, those veterans who are not well practiced in interviewing, fail. The S.T.A.R method to help keep you focused in an interview. This is a tried and true format that helps keep you succinct and focused in your answers. Often people start to ramble and talk too much if they are nervous or not prepared. Don’t be the interviewee from ‘Talkers Anonymous.’ You won’t get the job. Just as making a great shot depends on sight picture and trigger control, a great interview depends upon staying focused and purposeful in your execution of your answer. Let’s put Phil’s interviewing skills to the test! Phil, “Tell me about a time when you were faced with a challenge and how you overcame it.”
S stands for “Situation”.
“I was an Iraq Invasion Company Commander and a Harrier pilot at time when the Harrier aircraft had severe maintenance issues.” In one sentence, Phil is setting the stage for his answer before he moves into what he was assigned to do. After setting the stage, he pauses to move into the Task section.