rely on an experienced - United States Naval Academy

RELY ON AN EXPERIENCED
Mentor
TO JUMP-START YOUR CIVILIAN SUCCESS
Connections often pay immediate dividends for entrepreneurs
and job-seekers. By Molly Blake • Photography by Bill Bernstein
Z
A mentor helped
get Zach
Steinbock’s
military gear to
market. Pictured
right is the
Tree-GO IZLID
1000 Pouch,
which is
designed to
carry the IZLID
1000 “Light
Saber” when
not attached to
a weapon.
The IZLID is a
high-powered
infrared laser
used to mark
targets by
ground troops
so that pilots
can identify
the target and
drop ordnance
on them.
ach Steinbock’s biography reads like a
Hollywood screenplay.
A Naval Academy graduate joins the
U.S. Navy SEALs, where he spends six
years fighting for his country. He returns from war
and uses his mechanical engineering training to
conceptualize gear to address battlefield operational
deficiencies. With the guidance of a mentor – who
happens to be an IBM executive – he develops
sophisticated prototypes.
His inspirational tale could have taken a different,
less uplifting turn, Steinbock acknowledges, had he
not reached out for help from a mentor early on.
“We were winging the business side of things,” he
says, and hit roadblocks over product licensing,
distributor rates, pricing and trademark issues.
When Steinbock heard about American Corporate Partners, a yearlong nationwide mentoring
18 USAA Magazine SUMMER 2013
program for vets, he signed up and the connection
with his mentor yielded immediate benefits.
Steinbock’s company, MATBOCK, began to sell
some of his creations, including a dual air-and-water
survival pack and a lightweight personnel evacuation
kit. More products are in the pipeline.
For the one million vets projected by the Defense
Department to be entering the civilian workforce in
the next five years, mentoring can be a lifeline, says
James Schmeling, an Air Force veteran and the
managing director and co-founder of the Institute for
Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University. The process of working with a professional can
help a vet adjust to a culture far different from the
one he or she is accustomed to, Schmeling says.
And because practicalities like stringent uniform
codes, neatly shorn heads and gym time are no
longer as important in the civilian world, shifting
out of the military can lead to upheaval, Schmeling
and other transition specialists say.
Likewise, and perhaps more difficult to address,
are the ingrained codes so inherent to the military:
saluting senior officers, rigid rank and command
structure, acronym ubiquity and deferential greetings
such as “sir” and “ma’am.” For this, ACP and other
programs like the Syracuse institute are a living,
breathing manual parsing out advice on successfully
assimilating into civilian workplace culture.
Veterans are often hustling for the same jobs that
civilians are seeking in an employment situation still
fragile from the Great Recession. An annual report
800-531-USAA (8722)
ZACH STEINBOCK,
a USAA member
since 2001, puts
his ideas in a
sketchbook. More
of those sketches
are turning
into products.
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SUMMER 2013 USAA Magazine 19
from the Institute for Veterans and Military Families
noted that Gulf War era II veterans (post-9/11), ages
20-24, had the highest rate of unemployment of all
age groups at 20.6 percent. Overall, the 2012 unemployment rate for veterans was 7 percent.
“Mentoring helps vets understand expectations,
the way workplaces function, as well as information
on how you interact to obtain jobs and promotions,”
Schmeling says.
Bill Smith, the IBM executive who is Steinbock’s
mentor, says he imagines a service member who joins
a traditional company may feel much the way he
once did on a business trip to Paris. “I didn’t speak
French or have any idea how Europeans conducted
business,” Smith says.
“I’ve been able to help with my skills and
knowledge. But I’ve also been able to connect
proteges with people in my network.”
leaders and executives, an experience McDaniel says
was “as scary as it was powerful.”
After completing the V-WISE program,
McDaniel opened Bravo Delta Consulting to help
vets adapt to private industry. “I’m more successful
than I ever could have imagined,” she says, “and it’s
all because of the Syracuse program.” McDaniel
keeps in touch with her mentor, CJ Scarlet, a
motivational speaker and business coach.
“Everything from filing paperwork, marketing
materials, strategizing and networking,” McDaniel
says. “I feel supported.”
Transitioning service members and spouses have
other outlets for professional assistance, such as the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes
program. The goal of the nationwide hiring initiative,
begun in March 2011, is to help veterans and military
spouses find meaningful employment. USAA
recently became a sponsor
of the Hiring Our Heroes
program and is now a
“I’ve been able
member of the Chamber’s
Veterans Employment
to help with
Advisory Council.
my skills and
Noreen O’Neil, deputy
knowledge. But
director of the Military
Spouse Employment
I’ve also been
program for Hiring Our
able to connect
Heroes, says networking is
proteges with
a natural extension of
mentorship. “Mentoring
people in my
can be done in so many
network.”
different ways,” she says.
BILL SMITH, IBM
Many vets and spouses
executive and Zach
also
have taken advantage
Steinbock’s mentor
of online communities —
posing questions and
sharing answers about
interview techniques, resume specifics and social
media best practices, including how to utilize
LinkedIn, Twitter and VetNet. (See sidebar for tips.)
More than 2,000 vets have graduated from ACP
since its inception in 2008, which along with other
programs supports many budding entrepreneurs.
“I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart,” says
Dawn McDaniel, an Army vet who dabbled in
different careers before signing up for V-WISE, one
of six educational tracks at the Syracuse institute.
An intense trifecta that includes online coursework, textbook assignments and a residency program
culminates in a pitch presentation in front of business
20 USAA Magazine SUMMER 2013
USAA STEPS UP
Recently named the top military-friendly employer
in the nation by G.I. Jobs magazine, USAA has
founded three transition programs: Combat2-Claims, Boots to Suits and the Junior Military
Officer Career Development Program. USAA also is
helping wounded warriors transition with its inaugural Wounded Warriors Externship program. Today,
one in four new USAA hires is a veteran or military
spouse, and USAA is now working to meet a new
800-531-USAA (8722)
BE SOCIAL,
RESOURCEFUL
AND PERSISTENT
Job seekers looking to network and establish their bona fides have some
helpful options in the form of social media and online communities. Here
are a few of the most useful tools to help you connect with peers, employers and information that can jump-start your job search.
USAA The USAA Military Veterans Community and USAA Military Spouse Community at usaa.com/
community are places where veterans and spouses can connect with one another, share tips and tricks,
engage in discussions, and look for helpful resources. Each community hosts ongoing discussions around
topics submitted by members. Have a question? Jump right in and ask.
VETNET This platform, supported by Google+, is laden with resources and instructional videos. Three
tracks are easily navigable and combine classes with networking opportunities, workshops and inside
information on companies looking to hire vets and spouses. Participate during live training sessions, or
access archived training. Visit vetnethq.com to get started.
LINKEDIN This is the go-to network for professionals. Visit learn.linkedin.com for a tutorial. LinkedIn
groups are a great way to meet other people in your chosen career field. Transitioning service members should start with local veterans groups, military unit alumni groups and alma maters. Check back
regularly and set alerts for updates. Your profile doubles as a sort of resume, so edit carefully.
TWITTER Through the power of Twitter, vets and spouses can establish an entire mentoring cohort. Listen
to the advice of peers; learn from their experiences and their shared content. Visit twitter.com to get
started. Use hashtags — a keyword or topic set off with the # symbol — appropriately, like #MilitaryMon (a
nod to military Mondays) or #military, and choose a handle that says something about you. (You can always
list more personal details in your profile.)
Connect and network with other spouses and veterans through the communities at usaa.com/community to share tips and resources.
For more information about military life, visit usaa.com/militarylife.
internal goal that 30 percent of its new hires be veterans or military spouses.
Eric Engquist, USAA’s executive director of
the military transitions program, says “establishing
relationships is key to success in a new environment,” and USAA recognizes the need for a mentor.
To that end, junior military officers are assigned a
peer mentor during their immersion. The mentors
are former JMOs who have successfully made the
transition and work to ensure the newer JMOs
adjust smoothly and can hit the ground running,
Engquist says.
“We want to make sure former service members
can reach in that kit bag they’ve been building over
their lifetime in the service,” Engquist says, to use
“the tools appropriately at the right time.”
members transition out or are in between jobs, the
need for income is paramount and often falls into
spouses’ laps.
“Spouses have been networking before networking had a name,” O’Neil says.
It’s easy to see why online communities like
USAA’s Military Spouse Community and the Blue
Star Spouse Networks — online platforms for
military spouse health care workers, educators and
entrepreneurs — are so popular. USAA’s milspouse
community is a place for spouses to get in touch and
help one another. Blue Star’s network is open to
active-duty spouses, National Guard and Reserve,
and fosters peer-to-peer mentoring.
“It’s in our nature to support and help one
another,” O’Neil says. “Now we have a place to
share resources, advice and job opportunities.”
NETWORKING WORKS
Molly Blake, a USAA member, is a freelance writer
and Marine Corps spouse. She writes about issues
that affect military families. Molly, her husband, an
AV-8B Harrier pilot, and two daughters live in Arizona.
Not everyone has a brilliant business plan in his or
her back pocket. Either way, as soon as service
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SUMMER 2013 USAA Magazine 21