Journey from E8 in the Air National Guard to recruiting Veterans and transitioning service members for jobs at Sandia National Laboratories

Even after spending 17 years of my 31 years in the military in recruiting, I didn’t necessarily envision myself working in that field in my civilian career. Like many other service members, I didn’t see right away how my military training would translate to a private-sector position. I figured I’d try something new, maybe related to my beer-brewing hobby, or need to uproot my family to land work outside my home base of Albuquerque.

Luckily, I listened to my family programs representative ( https://rly.pt/3HssIFl ), who recommended I take the Department of Defense (DoD) Transition Assistance Program (TAP) the year prior to my retirement, in February 2023. I signed up for various TAP trainings on navigating life after the military.

That’s when I learned about SkillBridge, a DoD partnership with private industry that pairs transitioning service members with industry-specific training, apprenticeships and internships. I looked over the SkillBridge opportunities page ( https://rly.pt/3VDY3uI ) and saw that Albuquerque-based Sandia National Laboratories sponsored opportunities for service members like me: https://rly.pt/3LmM4gb

My thinking started to shift: Maybe I could find my post-military career right here in my hometown?

In the year prior to retirement, I started working with Sandia’s Tony Lona, a diversity recruiter who also oversees the organization’s participation in SkillBridge. I worked with my commander and installation education center to submit my SkillBridge application, and got accepted.

Tony looked over my resume and saw that I was a potential fit for Sandia’s recruiting team. Did I want to pursue that avenue? he asked. When I said yes, he connected me with the Sandia talent acquisition manager for a discussion, and we hit it off.

I began my Sandia SkillBridge partnership within 180 days of separation. My success led to a permanent role as Sandia’s Veteran and Unique Abilities recruiter. A big part of my work involves traveling the country to find talented service members and Veterans for open jobs at Sandia, which is strongly committed to employing former military personnel.

In my position, there are many similarities to what I did in the military, beyond Sandia’s focus on national security. I practice leadership skills, work on a team and collaborate with colleagues.

I love my job, but the transition wasn’t easy. I had to learn how to recruit for different disciplines, related to Sandia’s science and technology mission. I had to adjust to the tempo change.

Showcasing your value

One bonus of that is I now have more work-life balance — time I spend with my family and in my studies to become a certified master brewer. Best of all is being able to work with so many transitioning service members and Veterans, helping them to showcase what they bring to the civilian side — and what recruiters like me want to see in a candidate.

I tell service members — whether they’re retiring after a long military career or separating sooner — to know their value without being cocky. You have to educate employers about your abilities, in words they understand. That means fine-tuning your resume to describe your accomplishments in nonmilitary language and using the keywords noticed by online application systems.

In the military, we lead, manage projects and budgets, meet deadlines, work under pressure, serve on teams, interact with others, travel and practice all sorts of other hard and soft skills that employers value and relate to. But recruiters may not understand your qualities or your fit for the position if you pepper your resume with military jargon.

I also recommend that all service members in transition take advantage of — and take seriously — your service branch’s TAP ( https://rly.pt/3uAS1Ox ).

TAP offers far more than resume-writing lessons — although there’s plenty of training to help you identify which positions you’re qualified for and how to present your skills to get noticed. TAP also reviews internship and apprenticeship opportunities through programs like SkillBridge and provides counseling related to education, health, finances, family, Veterans’ benefits and other areas you need to manage when separating from the military.

As you explore TAP, hit me up on RallyPoint to ask me anything — about life after the military, networking and finding mentors, resume building or applying for a job at Sandia (we love hiring Veterans!) or at another organization.

You have what it takes to thrive in life after the military — it’s just up to you to make sure everyone knows it.

Learn more

• I’m thinking about transitioning from the military and am interested in learning about DoD TAP: https://rly.pt/3uAS1Ox
• I have transitioned from the military and am interested in exploring a position at Sandia National Laboratories: https://rly.pt/3LmM4gb
• I am interested in learning more about Sandia National Laboratories: https://rly.pt/Sandia
• I am serving in the U.S. military and would like to learn more about VA benefits: https://rly.pt/42dJcsY