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Following my time in the military, I found myself working in the private sector as an IT Contractor for several companies. Now that I find myself crossing over to a permanent role with American Eagle Outfitters, I find myself reflecting on the things I learned from working within the staffing industry.
Lesson 1: Relationships are everything!
When I first found myself transitioning from Soldier to Civilian, two issues came to the forefront almost immediately. The first was I was awful at crafting a resume, and the second was I had no relationships in the IT field in Pittsburgh. This is where my first interactions with the staffing industry came into play.
Shortly after Christmas of 2007, I got a call from a recruiter who was excited to meet me - not because he had a great opportunity for me, but because he saw the chance to help out a fellow Veteran craft a better resume. We met at his office and, like my high school English teacher, he marked up my resume and sat with me for several hours until finally, I had a well-crafted resume. I then took that resume and posted in all the popular job boards.
A few days later, the next important relationship began when I got a call from a recruiter who saw my resume and actually had an opportunity for me. We met for lunch, discussed the job, and a few days later I found myself working on a help desk.
And these little victories are what I mean by, "relationships are everything". The staffing industry offers a unique chance for employers and candidates to meet and learn about each other in ways you can't find by just applying to jobs on job boards. The staffing recruiter who works as the go-between should have the skills to look at the candidate and pair him/her with a company that will not only be a good fit for their professional skill set, but for their soft skills as well. I sometimes come off as blunt which, in some work environments can be a good thing, while in others can be a bad thing. I thrive on seeing a problem and fixing it - or as I say, “watching red lights go to green.” I'm not afraid to push for better answers to find a fix that will last rather than revisited 3, 6, 12 months down the road. I work much better in a team environment where I can leverage collective knowledge to find these ideas. As a recruiter, they can see this and do their best to find opportunities that match that. They know the company, the hiring manager and sometimes even the team members. They can look and sometimes know how successful the partnership will be even before the interview.
Lesson 2: Test Drive
Working as a contractor has allowed me some amazing opportunities. I have had the chance to grow and improve my skill sets with some amazing companies. I've worked for a small start up and large international companies. I've worked in companies that love new technology as well as companies that like to take things a little slower. All of this was sort of a test drive for me to find where I enjoy working the most. These assignments allowed to me pin my skills against large and small issues. And, I quickly found that I enjoy sort of a middle ground between a slow environment and a high pace one.
Lesson 3: Don't Burn Bridges
We have all heard this before. You never want to burn the bridges you built, you never know when you will need that person again. Working as an IT Contractor showed me this first hand.
The first example comes from when I was assigned to help Alcoa divide into two companies about a year ago. On my first day, I was being introduced to the team when a gentleman walked by and looked awfully familiar. It was my team's boss from my first job after the Army. I found myself excited to learn that, after several years, our paths crossed again and I would have the chance to work with him again. It made the experience on that contract so much better.
The second example was demonstrated two times. While I have worked with several different staffing agencies when I found myself either at the end of a contract like I did with my assignment at Alcoa or without a job following a "personnel realignment" or unhappy with an opportunity, I found that I was much more successful going back to the agencies that had proven themselves as the best. I found that not every agency that may contact you is the best to work with. I decided to go back to those that I knew had my best interests in mind. I was more than a number. I was me, I was Ben.
Final Lesson: Never Forget Where You Come From
The last lesson is something that I was taught by my family, and further ingrained in my head in the military. We often find ourselves excited for new opportunities; this is definitely true with my opportunity to join the American Eagle Outfitters team. However, I cannot and will not forget everyone that helped me get this far. From all the amazing people at the American Staffing Association (http://rly.pt/2wT94zj), to everyone I worked with at my different assignments, to all the recruiters and staffing professionals that put in countless hours to help ensure I was as successful as I could be, to my family who dealt with me moving assignments. I cannot say thank you enough.
Veterans and the Staffing Industry
The is one postscript to all this when it comes to the veteran community. Time and time again, we hear how some veterans struggle to find meaningful employment. These struggles are real and we, as Veterans, find it hard to ask for help. But, I am here to say that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. The staffing industry is in a unique position to help veterans. As I stated earlier, these recruiters are well-trained and have the relationships with these companies that can help veterans like they did for me. They can help you with your resume and targeting it towards the job you want. Working as a contractor can allow you the chance to find your footing in a company, and then demonstrate to them why hiring a veteran like you is probably the best thing that company will ever do.
Lesson 1: Relationships are everything!
When I first found myself transitioning from Soldier to Civilian, two issues came to the forefront almost immediately. The first was I was awful at crafting a resume, and the second was I had no relationships in the IT field in Pittsburgh. This is where my first interactions with the staffing industry came into play.
Shortly after Christmas of 2007, I got a call from a recruiter who was excited to meet me - not because he had a great opportunity for me, but because he saw the chance to help out a fellow Veteran craft a better resume. We met at his office and, like my high school English teacher, he marked up my resume and sat with me for several hours until finally, I had a well-crafted resume. I then took that resume and posted in all the popular job boards.
A few days later, the next important relationship began when I got a call from a recruiter who saw my resume and actually had an opportunity for me. We met for lunch, discussed the job, and a few days later I found myself working on a help desk.
And these little victories are what I mean by, "relationships are everything". The staffing industry offers a unique chance for employers and candidates to meet and learn about each other in ways you can't find by just applying to jobs on job boards. The staffing recruiter who works as the go-between should have the skills to look at the candidate and pair him/her with a company that will not only be a good fit for their professional skill set, but for their soft skills as well. I sometimes come off as blunt which, in some work environments can be a good thing, while in others can be a bad thing. I thrive on seeing a problem and fixing it - or as I say, “watching red lights go to green.” I'm not afraid to push for better answers to find a fix that will last rather than revisited 3, 6, 12 months down the road. I work much better in a team environment where I can leverage collective knowledge to find these ideas. As a recruiter, they can see this and do their best to find opportunities that match that. They know the company, the hiring manager and sometimes even the team members. They can look and sometimes know how successful the partnership will be even before the interview.
Lesson 2: Test Drive
Working as a contractor has allowed me some amazing opportunities. I have had the chance to grow and improve my skill sets with some amazing companies. I've worked for a small start up and large international companies. I've worked in companies that love new technology as well as companies that like to take things a little slower. All of this was sort of a test drive for me to find where I enjoy working the most. These assignments allowed to me pin my skills against large and small issues. And, I quickly found that I enjoy sort of a middle ground between a slow environment and a high pace one.
Lesson 3: Don't Burn Bridges
We have all heard this before. You never want to burn the bridges you built, you never know when you will need that person again. Working as an IT Contractor showed me this first hand.
The first example comes from when I was assigned to help Alcoa divide into two companies about a year ago. On my first day, I was being introduced to the team when a gentleman walked by and looked awfully familiar. It was my team's boss from my first job after the Army. I found myself excited to learn that, after several years, our paths crossed again and I would have the chance to work with him again. It made the experience on that contract so much better.
The second example was demonstrated two times. While I have worked with several different staffing agencies when I found myself either at the end of a contract like I did with my assignment at Alcoa or without a job following a "personnel realignment" or unhappy with an opportunity, I found that I was much more successful going back to the agencies that had proven themselves as the best. I found that not every agency that may contact you is the best to work with. I decided to go back to those that I knew had my best interests in mind. I was more than a number. I was me, I was Ben.
Final Lesson: Never Forget Where You Come From
The last lesson is something that I was taught by my family, and further ingrained in my head in the military. We often find ourselves excited for new opportunities; this is definitely true with my opportunity to join the American Eagle Outfitters team. However, I cannot and will not forget everyone that helped me get this far. From all the amazing people at the American Staffing Association (http://rly.pt/2wT94zj), to everyone I worked with at my different assignments, to all the recruiters and staffing professionals that put in countless hours to help ensure I was as successful as I could be, to my family who dealt with me moving assignments. I cannot say thank you enough.
Veterans and the Staffing Industry
The is one postscript to all this when it comes to the veteran community. Time and time again, we hear how some veterans struggle to find meaningful employment. These struggles are real and we, as Veterans, find it hard to ask for help. But, I am here to say that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. The staffing industry is in a unique position to help veterans. As I stated earlier, these recruiters are well-trained and have the relationships with these companies that can help veterans like they did for me. They can help you with your resume and targeting it towards the job you want. Working as a contractor can allow you the chance to find your footing in a company, and then demonstrate to them why hiring a veteran like you is probably the best thing that company will ever do.
Civilian Career
Jobs
Career Advice
Transition
Command Post
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 12
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From experience... upside, a ton of higher pay for doing the same job. You MIGHT get full benefits if you work as the employee if a gov't contracting firm. Downside, if you're an independent contractor you get the pay, but you have to pay your own SocSec (self-employment tax) and when the project us over they'll give you a hearty handshake & show you the door.
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SGT Ben Keen: Sergeant Keen: consider your post shared with my Facebook groups! -Most Sincerely, Margaret
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