SuccessVets: Advice For Veterans On Life After The Military

Melissa Washington is a Navy Veteran, small business owner, speaker, author, and LinkedIn workshop trainer who is passionate about connecting with people to engage, educate and inspire others across the nation. Melissa was laid off from her job in 2009, marking the beginning of a nearly two-year journey and career reinvention that allowed her to use her passion for helping others. She wrote, Get Back to Work: Smart & Savvy Real-World Strategies to Make Your Next Career Move, to help people find and get jobs in today's market. In this interview, we talk about her journey after losing her job, how she leveraged LinkedIn to network online and offline to get a job, why temp work is the future of the job market, and much more in part 1 of this interview.

For insights and resources talked about in this interview, check out SuccessVets.com.

How do you start a new career after the military?

Molly (Harris) Laufer is a former Navy Surface Warfare officer, having served on the USS Samuel B. Roberts and Destroyer Squadron 23 as a Divison Officer, Public Affairs officer and Training and Readiness Officer. After leaving the military she networked her way to becoming hired as employee number 1 at Naturebox, a Bay-area startup that delivers carefully sourced and nutritionist-approved foods like sriracha rice crackers and watermelon fruit chews. Today she is the Senior Manager of Digital Marketing at Naturebox. In this interview, find out why Molly says it's important not to rule yourself out of positions because of job requirements, how networking influenced her transition, how she approached working in a new industry, and how her military skills translated to her civilian career.

Check out insights and resources from this interview at SuccessVets.com.

Need some great interviewing tips?

Tom Wolfe is an author, columnist, career coach, veteran, and an expert in the field of military-to-civilian career transition. During his career he assisted thousands of service members in their searches for employment, placing more than 3000 in their new jobs. In this interview, I get to ask him directly what veterans should be thinking about when they prepare to answer interview questions when trying to snag a job. We talk about preparing for the interview, developing empathy with the interviewer, asking the right and wrong questions, and hitting all the key items on the interviewer's checklist.

For more insights from the interview, check out SuccessVets.com.

First time negotiating your salary?

Tom Wolfe is an author, columnist, career coach, veteran, and an expert in the field of military-to-civilian career transition. During his career he assisted thousands of service members in their searches for employment, placing more than 3000 in their new jobs. Prior to civilian life, he graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy and served as a surface warfare officer. He teaches transition courses, gives seminars on career and job change, writes about the career transition process, and continues to counsel current and former military personnel. In this interview, I get to ask him directly what veterans should be doing when it comes to salary negotiation.

To get insights from the interview, resources, and more, check out www.SuccessVets.com

What is side hustle?

It's the skills, activities, and relationships you develop to protect yourself from future volatility in your career and life. Find out what I'm working on in the podcast.

This is a short one just for those that subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

Check out more at www.SuccessVets.com

Why isn't there a better way to find and support veteran businesses?

What is a career in contracting like and how do you get it?

Rick Yost is a former Army Ranger and Armor Officer. Since leaving the military in 2001, he has gone on to various roles in consulting and program management for various software and cybersecurity companies and was the Chief Operating Officer for two different consulting firms. He has an MBA and Law degree and was an online faculty for the University of Maryland. He is currently Government Business Lead at Durabante, a process improvement and operational excellence firm comprised of successful business professionals and military veterans. He is also working on starting VeteransList, which will help people find and connect with veteran owned businesses.

Check out insights from the interview at www.SuccessVets.com

How does this veteran build location independent businesses with his writing and publishing?

Tom Morkes is a graduate of West Point, a former Army Officer, and an Iraq war veteran. Since leaving the military in 2013, he has been traveling the world and has gone on to write 3 books. He is currently the CEO of insurgent publishing, a boutique publishing company that makes books for the creative outliers of the world. He, along with two other veterans, just launched HighSpeedLowDrag.org, a transition resource for aspiring veteran entrepreneurs.

For more advice on your career and life after the military, check out:

www.SuccessVets.com

Bringing military members together in their communities and neighborhoods...

Greg Call served four years in the United States Marine Corps as a Ground Intelligence Officer and deployed to Afghanistan and Africa in support of Operation Enduring freedom. Prior to the Marine Corps, Greg worked in corporate management consulting and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Michigan. Since leaving the military, Greg has focused on creating employment and entrepreneurship opportunities within the post 9/11 veterans community. He is a Program Manager for Transition Edge, a veteran transition program focused on veterans seeking a career in accounting, finance, HR, or technology. And today, he is the founder and CEO of PatriotMove, an online military community and resource providing support and relocation services to the service members.

For more advice on your career and life after the military, check out:

www.SuccessVets.com

How does a coffee shop help veterans?

Matthew O'Dell is a Marine AND Army Veteran. He is the owner of Reveille Joe, an award winning coffee company in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Reveille Joe provides a “comfortable, tranquil, living room atmosphere” where veterans can find all of the information they need and speak openly about their issues. The coffee shop was inspired by Matthew's personal experiences after leaving the military. His vision includes building a successful business that incorporates his passion for supporting veterans.

How does this veteran work on a startup from Afghanistan?

Matt Helbig is a graduate of The American University in Washington DC and a former Army Infantry Officer. He’s currently working on Valid8: A Social Network for Startups. Prior to Valid8, Matt worked in sales, marketing and business development for both Startups and at least one Fortune 500 Company. He has also been a fundraising campaign manager at Project Welcome Home Troops; a non-profit dedicated to preventing veteran suicide.

http://www.successvets.com/2014/08/18/matt-helbig-army-infantry-pharma-sales-defense-contracting-and-entrepreneurship/