Why Listen:

A lot of Veterans I speak with are interested in technology. Most of us in the military get a fair amount of experience with technology, and we hear about the high growth this industry has seen. It’s a pretty broad industry - to me, 10 years out of the military, hearing someone refer to Tech feels like someone referring to “the military” - it’s a great catch all phrase, but there is so much beyond that high level term - branch of service, MOS, warfare speciality, etc.

Today’s interview feels like a gateway to that world of tech. My guest, Art, works at a company called Micron Technologies, which is in the semiconductor industry. Which, as you’ll learn, is a foundational element in pretty much every technology industry: drones, autonomous vehicles, tablets, social media… it’s everywhere.

I don’t think I’ve ever had an interview that has packed in so much information at the end. I really try to keep these interviews to 45-50 minutes, based on feedback I’ve received from listeners. Today was a rare case where we kept going because there was so much richness in what Art was sharing. We talk about translating one’s experience on both a resume and interview. We talk about diversity of perspective as a strength when one is applying to a job. We talk about three things I rarely hear on these interviews: how important it is to evaluate a company by the size of the company and what this offers to you in terms of a community and mentorship opportunities, evaluating a company’s team and how those individuals will challenge and support you to grow, and also looking at how a company behaves in a crisis… like the one we’re going through right now. All of these are fantastic lenses through which to evaluate a company and job opportunity, and they’ve never come up in the 349 episodes that precede this.

As always, at BeyondTheUniform.org you’ll find 350 other free episodes, just like this one. You’ll find show notes with links to everything we discuss today. And you’ll also find a special, limited time offer at BeyondTheUniform.org/micron, where Art is graciously offering to connect with 20 of you to help you with your resume, and answer your questions about job transitioning (side note: he has conducted thousands of interviews), the semiconductor industry, and Micron Technology.

About Art Behnke

Art Behnke is a Manager of Talent Acquisition at Micron Technologies, which is a world leader in innovative memory solutions that transform how the world uses information. Micron Technologies has over 37,000 team members in 18 countries who work with the world’s most trusted brands, delivering memory and storage systems for a broad range of applications and sparking countless possibilities in technology.

Art served in the Marine Corps for 21 years as a FA/18 Hornet WSO and is a graduate of the TopGun program. He has held a wide variety of roles throughout his career and has completed 173 combat flights, with 2,500 total flight hours. He has completed an MBA and is a graduate of the Naval War College

Why Listen:

I’m embarrassed to say this, but my interview with Jason was an eye opening reminder of how many positions there are in public service that are not elected office. When I think of public service, I think of previous guests I’ve had on the show, like Sean Barney from episode #66, who ran for a seat in the House of Representative. However, as Jason points out in this interview - for every one of those positions, there are thousands of others, working behind the scenes, making things run efficiently, all serving their country in their own way. Jason makes some great points about why Veterans might love a career in public service. He is also an exceptional example of someone who has done the heavy lifting to uncover and identify his personal values. As you’ll learn in this interview, this has helped him keep an open mind when new and unexpected opportunities arise, and decide whether this is the right change for himself and his family. Changes such as leaving Intuit after over 8 years in the private sector to make the switch to public service.

About Jason:

Jason Jackson is the Director of Administrative Services and Chief HR Officer to the Governor for the State of Nebraska. He started out at the Naval Academy as part of the illustrious class of 2002, served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the Navy for over five years, worked in a variety of roles at Intuit for nearly nine years, and has been working for the State of Nebraska for nearly four years. He holds an MA in Political Science from San Diego State University and a Juris Doctorate from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

Why Listen

Jason has an immense amount of experience in recruiting, both in and out of the military. He gives a WEALTH of knowledge in this interviewing about networking, job fair prep, applying to jobs and more. At ADP, he leads a team of 12 who help companies institute a Veteran hiring program, as well as a Veteran training program once they start to hire Veterans. We talk about the step back that most Veterans need to make in terms of pay and seniority when they leave the military. We talk about continuously learning and building a skill set to progress one’s career. And we talk about a whole host of topics relevant to any military Veteran.

About Jason

Jason Goroff is a Military Recruitment Manager at ADP, which gives companies of every size the tools to help their people thrive. From payroll, benefits and regulatory compliance to talent management and analytics, ADP helps their clients succeed. Jason started out in the Army, where he served for 11 years. He started his civilian career in the staffing industry before moving on to the First Data Corporation and now ADP.

Why Listen:
Darryl is a kindred spirit, and has an exceptional depth of knowledge about the Military Veteran transition process based on his work with VIQTORY. In this interview we talk about entitlement, which is the most dangerous challenge facing Veterans as they approach their transition to a civilian career. We talk about branding - why it’s so important, how to do it effectively, and why this may be a challenge to Veterans. We talk about expanding your job search, taking time to aim before firing on your first job search, how to network effectively and more.

About Darryl:
Darryl Williams is the Manager of Strategic Partnerships at VIQTORY, which since 2001 has been connecting the military community to civilian opportunities. VIQTORY includes G.I. Jobs, Military Spouse, and Military Friendly. Darryl served for over 20 years in the US Army, most recently as a Regional Director of Recruiting Operations in Fort Worth, TX. He holds an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management, and a BBA from the Columbia Southern University.

In this episode, I share two important career decisions I’ve made in the last 18 months, and how I approached each. My intention in doing so is to give you a real world sense of how - even 10 years after my service in the military - I continue to evaluate what the right career move is for me and my family. I also share a few upcoming changes at Beyond the Uniform.

Why Listen:
Today’s interview is an absolute goldmine of career advice for transitioning military Veterans. George has spent his entire post-military career in recruiting and has some of the best answers about career transition I’ve had on the show. We talk about the two  biggest mistakes Veterans make in their transition to a civilian career. We talk about how to break down your job in the military. We talk about the black hole in recruiting, where your resume will never bet seen. We talk about the toughest question you will get in an interview and how to prepare. We talk about what to do after your interview, how to respond to a job offer, how to acclimate to a new job after your military service and more. George and I will be doing a follow-up interview, so if you have questions for George, please submit them on the BeyondTheUniform.io website.

About George:
George Randle is the Senior Director, Global Talent Acquisition at Forcepoint, the human-centric cybersecurity company that understands behavior and adapts security response and enforcement to risk. He started out in the Army, where he enslisted in 1984, and was commissioned via ROTC. He served in the Army for 21 years, with over 11 years on Active Duty. Since his military service, he has worked in the recruiting space at companies including BearingPoint, BoozAllen Hamilton, HP, and Millennium Management

Jared Wymer is a Program Manager for Global Talent Management at Amazon. Jared started out by enlisting in the Marine Corps, where he served for eight years in logistics, supply chain management, and intelligence, while also pursuing and receiving an undergraduate degree and MBA. Jared transitioned from the Marines into a PhD program, working concurrently in finance and as a Fellow for the Department of State. Since that time Jared started his own consulting company, Wymer & Associates, and joined Amazon. Jared is currently one year away from obtaining his PhD.