PHOENIX — Each year, hundreds of thousands of veterans leave the military for civilian life, exiting a world of regiment and order for one of uncertainty.
Inside Grand Canyon University Tuesday, veterans there banded together for support sharing their experiences, and more importantly, how life outside the branches of service is going now.
Employment was a major focus.
“Warriors to Work is simple, you bring your resume and then they’ll help you walk through the resume review process,” said Sven Olsen telling the group about Warriors To Work, an organization within the Wounded Warriors Project helping veterans land jobs following their military career.
The Army veteran spent 27 years serving all over the world. But when it came time to find a job following his service, he struggled to translate his military skills into civilian terms for employers.
“And here I am with over 20 years of leadership and incredible experience all over the world, and I was the one having a hard time finding employment,” said Olsen.
“His resume spoke military and it’s hard for a lot of civilian employers to understand that vernacular the terms we use in the military,” said Tony Smith.
Smith is with the Warriors to Work program. He says translating the skills our soldiers learn during their service is key to landing a job. That’s where his expertise comes in.
“Everything from resume writing, interview preparation, networking, connections to local companies within the area that the warriors are in,” said Smith.
“I was a leader. I was a military officer at the U.S. embassy. And he’s like 'ok we need to quantify that, as leadership,'” explained Olsen of his meeting with Smith. “How many people were on your team that you supervised? What was the budget? Those were the things I would never have dreamed of putting on a resume.”
A couple of tweaks here and there and a master's degree in hand, Olsen soon nabbed his dream job as a professor at GCU. Army veteran Dean Rogers says not only does Warriors to Work help military members find a job but their families too.
“When you get out of the military, you have spouses that also don’t know where they belong, or you have to move back home after your military service,” said Rogers. “They’ll help them through the whole process as well.”