My Amazon Warrior Story: How I found success as a former battalion commander embracing humility and uncertainty

LTC Jonathan Kluck — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 09:45:48 -0400

In 25 years in the U.S. Army, I can’t remember going to a meeting without a plan of action. Yet when I made the decision to retire my uniform last year and first started building a civilian career mentoring network, I wasn’t prepared when a corporate vice president I had contacted asked me how she could help me in my job search.

After serving in positions that included executive trainer of senior Army leaders and battalion commander of the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, I had failed to master the art of the cold call.

From then on, my career networking calls involved preparation homework, having my “asks” ready and concluding by requesting another point of contact. I built connections via LinkedIn, tapping business leaders in my planned retirement location in the Denver area who may have attended West Point or had other similarities to my background. I also applied for Hiring Our Heroes (HOH), a U.S. Chamber of Commerce program that connects military job seekers to employment opportunities at companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Cold call leads to a corporate fellowship

It didn’t take long for these efforts to pay off. One of my connections recommended me for an HOH corporate fellowship at AWS. I was in, and had three months to demonstrate my value and skills. I sought out projects to lead. I sought ways to collaborate with colleagues. I built relationships with influential mentors. I mastered the company’s 16 leadership principles, many of which are similar to the Army’s seven values.

This work led to my supervisor recommending me to my current position, as planning and execution leader at AWS, a role I’ve had for about three months. I support the chief of staff to is the vice president of Worldwide Public Sector Partners and Programs. We compile, crunch and analyze vast amounts of data so our VP has full insight into business trends and can make strategic decisions.

I make sure to set aside time for activities outside of work as well to maintain a healthy work-life balance. When I’m not at work, I like to hike and travel with my wife, and enjoy reading the news, woodworking and playing video games.

I am excited to be one of the 40,000-plus U.S.-based Amazon employees representing the military. Some are like me, former members of the military embarking on new careers after lengthy tenures in the service. Others are newly transitioned service members or Veterans representing more distant service eras. We also work with spouses of those who served or are serving now.

Career journeys united by service connection

Despite our service connection, our journeys to Amazon took different twists and turns. My early stumble on that cold call taught me to have more humility and be better prepared. It is okay to ask others for help in your transition, not only fellow veterans but also new networking contacts you make along the way. I sharpened skills in relationship building and self-promotion.

And where I was once in command, I now recognized that I didn’t have every answer, every skillset or every experience for every civilian role. It was OK — in fact, expected — to seek out advice and mentorship.

I could also take advantage of programs that employers like Amazon offer specifically for the military community. Through its participation in HOH, DOD Skilsbridge, and other offerings, Amazon provides opportunities to gain skills in areas such as cloud computing, robotics and many other fields.

I can’t emphasize enough how much the HOH fellowship program enhanced my military transition experience — quite literally, it put me on the path to my new career at Amazon. I wish military leaders across the service branches could offer more fellowships to service members in transition, while they are still earning military pay and benefits.

I get it — commanders don’t advocate for these programs because they are counted against force readiness. I am a former battalion commander who was responsible for readiness, and I understand the demands of maintaining high personnel readiness numbers.

But there are ways to structure these initiatives so that they do the best for our service members and our military. I know military leadership can find a solution that allows transitioning service members to gain the skills and experience that they’ll need for success in civilian life before they leave the military.

As you explore your transition options, Amazon offers virtual hiring events geared to Veterans, service members and military spouses. If you end up working here, you have access to virtual platforms like Warriors@Amazon and the flexibility to continue to serve in the reserves.

Starting your post-military career search

These are programs that are furthering Amazon’s goal of hiring 100,000 more Veterans and military spouses by 2024. If you’re interested in being in this group, and early in the networking and career search process, here’s some of what I learned on my way to landing a position here:

Build your network. When I decided to retire from the Army, the biggest piece of advice I received was to start early in creating a career network of mentors and contacts. I’m glad I took that advice. Remember that not every call ends in a job offer — each connection leads to another connection, and opportunities arise in time.

Ask about what you don’t know. Do your research and prepare for calls. However, networking calls are about asking about what you don’t know. Let your networking sources educate you about a business field or a specific company. Be sure to listen, take good notes and consume as little airtime on the call as possible.

Be the right fit. In networking calls (and in job interviews), ask about the values of the company, and make sure you fit the culture (and that the job fulfills your, and your family’s, life goals). With Amazon’s leadership principles being similar to the Army’s values, I felt familiar with the culture. But does your target firm live by the values it espouses? Don’t be afraid to find out in networking calls and in interviews.

Show how you can contribute. If you don’t have the exact skillsets required by the job description, ask your networking group for advice in marketing yourself to companies. You may not know everything about cloud computing. But your military position may have taught you how to assemble and lead teams, how to complete complex projects on deadlines, and many other facets of a technical career.

Are you a Warrior in Transition? See if a career at Amazon works for you.

Learn more:

Read about Amazon’s pledge to hire 100,000 Veterans and military spouses by 2024: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/amazon-will-hire-100-000-veterans-and-military-spouses-by-2024.

Check out Amazon’s hiring and skills development programs for transitioning service members and Veterans and military spouses: https://www.amazon.jobs/en/landing_pages/mil-transition.

Get more information about roles at Amazon through the Amazon Military Webinar Series: https://amazonmilitarywebinarseries.splashthat.com.

Search and apply for more than 38,000 open positions based in the United States: https://www.amazon.jobs/en/military.

Explore Amazon’s Warriors@Amazon military affinity group and other employee-run affinity groups: https://www.aboutamazon.com/affinity-groups.

Discover more about Amazon: https://www.aboutamazon.com.

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Response by PFC David Foster made Oct 31 at 2021 4:43 PM

PFC David Foster — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 16:43:44 -0400

Interesting read, thanks for the share.

Response by SPC Terry Page made Nov 1 at 2021 11:26 PM

SPC Terry Page — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 23:26:49 -0400

That's a lot of insightful advise there LTC Jonathan Kluck

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Nov 14 at 2021 8:29 PM

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 20:29:58 -0500

Amazon has an awesome internal Veterans network. Thanks for sharing your story!

Response by Sgt Jennifer Locker made Nov 27 at 2021 8:10 AM

Sgt Jennifer Locker — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 08:10:57 -0500

Very real. Thank you for sharing. For many, the transition to civilian life and work in the civilian corporate world is a culture shock. VA Peer Support Specialists also help with this transition. The more we support and share with our fellow veterans, the easier the transition.