Posted at: 08/02/2012 7:55 PM
Updated at: 08/02/2012 7:57 PM
By: Chris Egert
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Email to a FriendJob Fair Helps Local Veterans Transition from Battlefield to Boardroom
Some warriors cam dressed in cammo -- others like Franklin Rich, came in a business suit.
Rich, an Army vet described what kind of work he's looking for, "Right now I'm trying to find something mid management level area... I like working with people, and I have a wealth of customer service skills."
What veterans say they often need help with, is translating their military skills to the professional world.
Lt. Col. Charlie O'Connell is retiring soon after 23 years in the National Guard, "Leadership -- the ability to work with the latest and greatest of equipment -- from the computer side -- the interpersonal skills also.."
From CenterPoint Energy, Siemens, General Electric, Phillips Medisize, Mayo Clinic, TCF Bank, to Minneapolis Police, some 60 companies were on hand looking for a few good men and women.
"They took care of us, now we want to take care of them. We've found great success with our military employees. They've moved up from entry level positions to managers and district managers," said Liz Guerrero of United Rentals, another company with a booth set up on Thursday.
Gary Finne with Mayo Clinic says military careers can translate well to healthcare, "Quite honestly we are seeing a shortage in some of our other applicants, college students..we know those folks (military) are going to bring that to the table."
Another quality these former warriors possess: confidence. Heidi Lehto assured us that she WILL find a career outside the Air Force, "I plan on it -- within a month or two -- hopefully."
Not only was the event open to veterans, but also their spouses. Spouses often have to sacrifice their own careers, taking care of families and logistics at home, while their loved ones were off at war.
