Beyond the Uniform

This is the second part of Episode #175, in which I give more examples of storytelling in an interview and how to translate your military experience in a civilian interview.

In this episode, I share clips from four Veterans in previous who interviews who had exceptional advice about storytelling in both networking and interviewing. They share advice for Veterans about how to prepare for and excel at their interviews.

This is a quick episode about a new goal where I need your help: to get to 1,000 listeners per episode, which is just about double our current audience. Part of the reason I am aiming for 1,000 listeners is based on an incredible essay I read four years ago and think of often: 1,000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly. I also read an excerpt from this essay, as it directly relates to anyone who seeks to create something new or be an entrepreneur. 

This is a skills episode about a common topic with guests on the show: how to get ahold of people to ask for advice, find out about a job, or get an expert opinion. I'll sure a few quick tips that have helped me raise over $3M in Venture Capital, close multiple 6-figure contracts with Fortune 500 brands, and even find my current job.

This is a quick update episode about two new aspects of Beyond the Uniform coming soon to a website near you, as well as a few other random updates, rants, and thoughts.

Jack Carr is the author of the book, The Terminal List. He served for twenty years as a Navy SEAL, where he led a special operations teams on four continents as a Team Leader, Platoon Commander, Troop Commander and Task Unit Commander. He served with SEAL teams two and seven, and retiring as a LCDR. 

Why Listen: 

Jack spent 20 years in the Navy SEALs and went on to write a book published by Simon and Schuster. This is not just a great episode for aspiring authors, but for all Veterans. Jack has a great  perspective about tenacity and not taking no for an answer, as well as for setting out clear guidelines for the type of career and lifestyle he wanted after his military service.

Drew Morris is a Residential Real Estate Broker at the New Era Group at Your Castle Real Estate. He started out at the Naval Academy, after which he served as a Marine Corps officer for seven years. He transitioned directly from the Marine Corps into his current position, where he has worked for nearly five years.

Why Listen: 

Drew went directly from the Marine Corps into Residential Real Estate. However, beyond this just being an episode pertinent to other Veterans interested in Real Estate, there are two reasons to listen to this episode. The first is our conversation about commission-based jobs. Drew does the best job I've ever heard about why Veterans should consider a commission-based job. I know most members of the military have a negative association with this sort of job, but Drew has some compelling points. Second, Drew has great advice about sales. Sales is the most cited challenge in my interview with Veterans - selling oneself, networking, and sales in general. Drew's advice will hit home for many listeners.

In addition to talking about the Quantitative Analyst position and Data Science in general, Ryan and I also talk about two advantages to being in a position where you work market hours. One advantage is that the work week is fairly predictable - for Ryan, he generally works 6:00 am - 2:00 pm MST, rarely having to work on the weekends. Second, every single day Ryan and his team get a "report card" on how they performed - they get immediate feedback from the financial markets on how they are doing. If you love numbers, this is definitely an episode worth listening to.

Aaron Stachel is a Principal at PV Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund that primarily invests in Colorado-based software companies prior to their first institutional venture round. Aaron started out at West Point, after which he served as an Aviation Officer in the Army for 10 years. Aaron holds an MBA from the University of Denver.

Why Listen: 

Thank you to all of you who completed my survey in March about what type of guests you would like to have on the show. The #1 requested career path was Venture Capitalist... and it took me a long, long time to finally connect with a Veteran in this career path. We talk not just about Venture Capital and entrepreneurship, but we talk about topics relevant for veterans in every career path: networking, risk taking, and more.

Steve Colley is a Professional Staff Member on the Senate Committee On Veterans’ Affairs. He started out at the Naval Academy, after which he served in the Marine Corps for six years. After his military service, he worked as a Congressional Fellow at the U.S. House of Representatives, as a Researcher at the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, and attended the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Why Listen: 

After his military service, Steve sought out a career in Public Service, and has worked as a Staff Member on the Senate Committee On Veterans’ Affairs. For those of you who are interested in a career in politics or public service, this is a great episode. Also, if you’re curious about what is going on in Capital Hill as it relates to Veterans Affairs, this is also a great interview to check out.