Human Resources

BTU #350 - The Semiconductor Industry & Micron Technology (Art Behnke)

BTU #350 - The Semiconductor Industry & Micron Technology (Art Behnke)

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

BTU #316 - Navy to Nebraska State Government (Jason Jackson)

BTU #316 - Navy to Nebraska State Government (Jason Jackson)

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.

BTU #291 - Recruiting Advice & ADP (Jason Goroff)

BTU #291 - Recruiting Advice & ADP (Jason Goroff)

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.

BTU #254 - Lessons learned from GI Jobs & VIQTORY (Darryl Williams)

BTU #254 - Lessons learned from GI Jobs & VIQTORY (Darryl Williams)

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.

Behind Beyond the Uniform - important updates

Behind Beyond the Uniform - important updates

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.

BTU #222 - Career Transition Advice from 16 Years of Recruiting (George Randle)

BTU #222 - Career Transition Advice from 16 Years of Recruiting (George Randle)

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

BTU #98 - Jared Wymer: Marines to Amazon & a PhD... simultaneously

BTU #98 - Jared Wymer: Marines to Amazon & a PhD... simultaneously

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.

BTU #90 - Dan Piontkowski: Navy to Recruiter at Marriott, Amazon, KPMG, HP, and more

BTU #90 - Dan Piontkowski: Navy to Recruiter at Marriott, Amazon, KPMG, HP, and more

Dan is the Manager of Sourcing for all the hourly roles at Marriott in the US. He has worked in a variety of recruiting capacities at Amazon, KPMG, Hewlett-Packard, and Booz Allen Hamilton to include leading and launching many of the veteran recruiting pipelines and initiatives. Dan started out as a Corporal in the Marine Corps, before going to the Naval Academy and then serving as a Surface Warfare Officer. His last tour in the Navy was as an Officer Programs Recruiter stationed at Penn State that got him hooked on recruiting.

BTU #76 - Liz McLean: Air Force to Recruiter and Senior Director at Military.com

“Veterans rush into their first job. They worry so much about the changes that they don't pause and really think about what the next step is. Now, not everyone has the luxury of preparing for six months. Sometimes they are medically discharged or there are other extraneous circumstances that make their transition come upon them much quicker. But there are so many times that I see veterans rush into a role without looking at the broad picture first."– Liz McLean

Liz McLean is the Senior Program Director of Veteran Employment at Military.com, as well as the Owner & President of Liz McLean Veteran Solutions. She started out at the Air Force Academy where she served for five years as a Logistics Readiness Officer. Since 2010 she has worked as a recruiter for civilians and veterans, with multiple companies including positions at Booz Allen Hamilton and Hewlett-Packard where she worked to refine veteran programs. Liz holds a bachelors in behavioral science and a Masters of Science in Industrial Organizational Psychology, where she focused on the people versus the product for program efficiency. Her passions are fueled by ultra-running and up to the ironman distance triathlon

The top three reasons to listen to today's are:

  • #1 Transition Advice - Liz has worked as a recruiter for top companies including Booz Allen Hamilton and Hewlett-Packard. Each of us only make a transition from the military once, but Liz has worked with hundreds of veterans in their transition. Her advice on this is really worthwhile.
  • #2 Recruiting - a career path that not a lot of veterans consider is being a recruiter. Liz talks about what it's like, and how you can succeed in this career path.
  • #3 Starting a company - Liz chose to start her own recruiting company rather than join an established company. She's got some great advice for vets thinking of starting their own organization.

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Selected Links

Show Notes

  • 1:43 - Liz's background in the Air Force until today
  • 2:30 - Liz's decision to leave the Air Force and how she approached this decision
  • 3:50 - What Liz learned in her first job search outside of the Air Force
  • 8:03 - How Liz thought about agreeing to 100% commission based salary, and why she wouldn't recommend that veterans consider a commission based salary for their first job
  • 12:07 - Liz's current role at Military.com and what her day-to-day life looks like
  • 14:58 - With so much experience recruiting, a few common mistakes that Liz sees veterans making in their first job search outside of the military
  • 18:30 - Resources that Liz would recommend to veterans to help in their civilian career
  • 20:48 - Liz's advice for veterans interested in starting their career as a recruiter, and an overview of the career of a recruiter
  • 24:26 - The most challenging part of Liz's job
  • 26:06 - How Liz started her own company, and why this was an important career decision for her as a recruiter
  • 28:08 - The Pros & Cons of starting your own company as a recruiter, vs. joining an established company as a recruiter
  • 31:33 - Liz's advice to any veteran interested in starting their own company
  • 33:00 - One of the biggest mistakes Liz made since leaving the Air Force and what she learned from it
  • 34:54 - What habits Liz tried to maintain from the Air Force, and habits she needed to break to be successful in her civilian career
  • 39:15 - What surprised Liz the most about her transition from the Air Force to civilian life
  • 41:24 - Liz's final words of wisdom

BTU #20 - Tony Zamora: Electronics Technician to Human Resources

“Something that was surprising [about the transition to civilian life] is that not everything is really laid out for you. In the military a lot of things are laid out for you; you go through specific trainings and checklists, you have a criteria on how you’re going to grow your career and take the test to advance and everything is defined by points and very structured in the military. When you get out, it’s nothing like that. You’re as successful on the outside as you want to be. you have to be hungry for those opportunities and seek them, because nothing is really laid out for you." – Tony Zamora

Tony Zamora is the Director of Human Resources at Ipsos, a company with over 17,000 worldwide employees. Tony started out as an Electronics Tech in the US Navy, and also served as an Electronics Repair Technician with the Coast Guard. He has worked in Human Resources roles at the Sierra Nevada Corporation and The San Jose Group.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

  • An overview of Human Resources and why you might find it appealing
  • What it’s like to be a Director of Human Resources, and what day-to-day life looks like
  • Common mistakes that veterans make in their transition and job search
  • How to improve your resume
  • What someone on active duty can do right now to start preparing for their transition to a civilian career
  • And much, much more…

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QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Show Notes

  • 1:20 - Tony’s background
  • 2:25 - Tony’s decision to leave the military and how he approached it
  • 3:31 - How Tony researched what he wanted to do outside of the military
  • 5:41 - An overview of Human Resources and what appealed to Tony about this career
  • 7:01 - What it’s like to be a Director of Human Resources, and what day-to-day life looks like
  • 11:10 - In what ways Tony felt ahead of his peers in Human Resources, and where he had to catch up based on his military service
  • 13:07 - What was most surprising to Tony about his transition to civilian life
  • 14:40 - Advice to veterans based on Tony’s experience in Human Resources (HR)
  • 16:35 - The best advice Tony received about how to transition to a civilian career
  • 17:40 - Advice on how to network
  • 21:45 - Common mistakes that veterans make in their transition and job search
  • 22:16 - How to improve your resume
  • 23:50 - What someone on active duty can do right now to start preparing for their transition to a civilian career
  • 27:35 - Final words of advice to veterans