Former soldier looks for a job and shares lessons in job search | Article

WASHINGTON – In early 2017, Michael Quinn endured what he called the worst day in the worst year of his life.

Quinn, then a sergeant major and 24-year-old Army soldier, had served in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Philippines. As an Army counterintelligence agent, he said he learned to operate in severe conditions while facing some of the most dangerous enemy combatants.

But he had never faced the unknown; life after the military. The sergeant major had two young children and wanted to continue paying his mortgage on their home in Oakton, Virginia. After his decision to retire from the military, he attended a job fair in Washington, DC

There, Quinn spent six hours meeting with 41 companies for positions with employers.

He entered the job fair with the confidence of his experience in military intelligence and having earned the trust of hundreds of soldiers, including generals, over his career. Quinn was wearing his sharpest suit. He recited his elevator pitch, an introductory summary of his skills, countless times to potential employers.

But after meetings with the potential employers, his confidence wavered. Everyone told him to submit an application online. No one offered him an interview or gave him a phone number.

“By the end of that job fair, I was defeated,” Quinn said. “I was demoralized. “

The last employer Quinn spoke to that day told him he loved his resume, but he didn’t know which position or department he would best fit. When Quinn asked him how to follow up, the recruiter referred Quinn to his Linkedin profile.

After the job fair, Quinn said he continued to apply to companies with little success. He hadn’t explored the job market since taking a gap year from college in 1993.

“I had some really tough (military) assignments, and nothing compared to the stress of finding a post-military job,” Quinn said. “There were times that year when I was in tears, curled up in the fetal position in my basement.”

Then Quinn started brainstorming. He found Linkedin a powerful tool to get in touch with employers.

Quinn traveled to Army installations and attended some Army transition assistance programs to gather information.

Quinn learned to tailor his resume, motivation letter and pitch to the position and company he was applying for.

He said he discovered how to filter only relevant information to specific positions.

“It wasn’t that companies don’t hire veterans,” Quinn said. “It was that companies couldn’t see what I would bring to them.”

Ultimately, after trying to apply to more than 50 companies, he used Linkedin to reach veterans for advice and company recruiters for screening interviews.

This career exploration led to job interviews.

Finally, a month before Quinn separated from the military, he met with the CEO of a growing IT services company. The CEO, impressed by Quinn’s resume, which included being a command sergeant major at one point and responsible for more than 17,000 soldiers, offered Quinn a leadership position on the spot.

Quinn joined the Army during his transition leave. Around the same time, two other companies offered him high-level management positions.

He said he had chosen to step down at the end of 2020 after three years. The former sergeant major believed he had found the secret to finding work that suited his skills after the Army. And he wanted to share his lessons with others.

Quinn said he saw a gap in the way companies matched jobs to the skills of former soldiers and potential employers. Quinn sympathized with soldiers who struggled to find a job or find a career after military service after experiencing combat firsthand. That’s why he decided to invest his savings in developing a service and website that allowed companies to hire veterans directly.

Now he is the Chief Growth Officer of Tenova LLC, a company he founded that brings teamwork and innovation through partnerships in the corporate, government and veteran communities with services in education and training, consulting, staffing, advertising and marketing and contract workforce management.

Their HireMilitary brand helps connect veterans with potential employers. It specializes in veteran-based recruitment, with an emphasis on digital marketing and professional skills training. Quinn said his company helps many of the 60,000 soldiers who leave the military each year.

His company helps soldiers land SkillBridge internships with the Department of Defense, which connects transitioning service members with industry partners to receive hands-on training and skills in civilian employment positions.

Quinn travels around the country speaking at TAP centers and job fairs. He also organizes job application sessions during online interviews.

He gives three tips for soldiers transitioning to civilian life:

Start early

Soldiers must start their transition early. He said soldiers can start taking job search and TAP classes two to three years before their last day of service. He encourages soldiers to do more than the minimum training required before separation. TAP offers courses on advanced job interview techniques.

Build connections

Soldiers should start building connections with potential employers by attending job fairs and contacting veterans directly through LinkedIn messages or emails. Quinn said soldiers should be prepared to talk to employees, HR specialists and managers about the skills they look for in applicants.

“A big part of this is having conversations with industry people to find out what they do,” he said.

Soldiers can also seek internships or spend time with employers to get a feel for a job and see if the position matches their skills and preferences.

Brainstorm about the possibilities

Quinn said many soldiers who leave the military struggle to find a new career field. He has a simple formula for helping troops brainstorm a new career field.

He said soldiers should make a list of passions or hobbies they enjoy, which could include a wide range of topics: construction, working outdoors or working with social media. They should also list places where they would like to work, both in the United States and abroad.

Once soldiers have narrowed down three to five fields and places that interest them, they can contact veterans and supporters who fall under those categories to determine what they want and what they are qualified for. This network will also help them find a meaningful career in that field or location, he said.

“My entire career has been about helping others,” Quinn said. “As I navigated this transition, I realized that I can’t just keep everything I’ve learned to myself.”

RELATED LINKS:

US Army Transition Assistance Program

Army News Service

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