From Leading Troops to Leading Technology Teams: Delta Dental’s Ross Carkeet

In 2015, I completed a 20-year career in the U.S. Army and transitioned into the civilian sector. After 15 years as an Army Signal Officer and retiring as a Major/O4, I felt confident about my options moving into a leadership role in the civilian world. I had led both small and large teams in special operations units throughout my career and had gained years of leadership experience but moving into a civilian role was a new and exciting challenge that also came with some anxiousness.

It took me a few years and several roles to really find the right fit for me – which I now enjoy as a technology manager with Delta Dental of California. I wish I had found Delta Dental when I was leaving the service, but each role in my post-military career has taught me a lot. My military experience provided all of the technical and tactical knowledge of my profession, and on the flip side, my civilian jobs taught me things that are difficult to learn in a military setting, including hard skills like business language and processes, and soft skills like collaboration and gaining consensus towards decisions.

I did not learn these things on my own, though; I looked to mentors around me in my peers, my leadership, and in my fellow team members. My advice is to seek out mentors now before you separate from the service; these mentors may also be able to open the door to job opportunities in their companies or within their professional networks. As you embark on your civilian career, trust that employers value the qualities that you have hard-wired into your Veteran DNA. Tenacity. A focus on outcomes (the mission). Alignment to leader vision (commander’s intent). Honesty. Sense of duty. Sense of urgency. Decision making. Putting others before self.

All of these traits translate into a civilian career; it’s up to the Veteran to be able to articulate that to recruiters and hiring managers and to ensure job applications and resumes reflect those skills in business language. Make your service’s transition assistance program a priority and seek out a professional resume specialist to draft various versions of your resume tailored towards the jobs and industries in your field.

My journey led me to Delta Dental, a company that has a tremendous culture, embraces diversity of experiences and ideas, and supports growth and development in every employee – all values which are very important to me and my career. We have great leaders that empower our employees to make decisions and work together to help improve the health of others and each other. Delta Dental embodies a culture that I value and appreciate, and I would recommend to Veterans evaluating companies to take time to discuss company culture with recruiters, use resources such as Glassdoor reviews and LinkedIn connections, and check out their social media presence.

As a last bit of advice, go to as many job fairs as you can, and practice your interviewing skills; you can never over-practice interviewing!

If you’re looking for your next great opportunity, Delta Dental might be right place for you! Check out our career page and see if there are any openings that suit your needs: https://rly.pt/3tzgsJw