Silicon Valley likes veterans. Or at least some of the biggest tech companies do. They appreciate veterans not just for their technical or administrative skills, but also basic habits like just showing up to work on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCompared to non-veterans, veterans have the combination of technical, operational and analytical background and experiences coupled with a high level of maturity, leadership and followership that most civilian college new grads do not possess,\u201d said David Cross, a senior vice president at software company Oracle who served in the U.S. Navy and the Army Reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In particular, veterans are well-suited for fast-moving or crisis situations that often occur in information technology (IT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith the rapid transformation to Cloud services and applications, veterans are uniquely skilled and experienced in how to operate, respond and lead in high spaced, tense and stressed environments, which can often encounter events requiring incident commander leadership and poise,\u201d Cross said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chip-maker Intel has hired across from a variety of military specialties, from infantry and finance, to cybersecurity and pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cApproximately 80 percent of our veterans are in our manufacturing, supply chain and operations, and technology development organizations, which are the core of Intel\u2019s business,\u201d said Gisele Bonitz, a retired Navy captain who is now Intel\u2019s director of risk and controls for data centers and AI, and co-chair of Intel\u2019s Veteran Leadership Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Veterans don\u2019t have to restrict themselves to technology positions at technology companies. Even the most tech-driven company still needs employees in infrastructure, support and other roles to ensure that the company is operating efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost think about Intel for technical positions, where those coming from technical fields like damage control, electronics tech, communications, computers, cyber security are a great match,\u201d said Chris Tobias, a former Air Force command and control officer who is now an Intel general manager for sales and marketing, and co-chair of the company\u2019s veterans council. \u201cHowever, we also have positions in contracting, supply, human resources, and construction where we\u2019ve seen just about every military career field have success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cross noted that veterans are often hired based on their \u201ctransferable skills,\u201d and then trained for a specific position in a company. \u201cFor example, veterans at Oracle are brought on board as program managers, then transition to technical program managers in a short amount of time. Another example is a veteran who interned as a software developer, which is a specialty that the military is not readily known for producing, and was then offered a full-time role as a software engineer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oracle is a member of DoD\u2019s Skillbridge program, which sponsors private sector internships for veterans. Meta \u2013 the parent company of Facebook \u2013 runs a Veterans Engineering Program that offers a paid 12-month career development program for veterans and their spouses with a background in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science or supply chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVeterans are not only users of technological advancements, but also consumers, which give them a unique perspective to business, and a global outlook to any organization,\u201d said Wil Williamson, who manages Meta\u2019s veteran recruiting program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Big tech companies suggest veterans identify what commercial jobs they want prior to separation, and then obtain any necessary training and certification before they should leave the service. They should also tailor their resumes to the position that they\u2019re applying for, including specifically linking their skills and experience to the job in question. For example, \u201cyou can say \u2018I designed the IT infrastructure for a $1 billion command center delivered $5 million under budget and three months ahead of schedule, and being recognized as the Department of Defense\u2019s most effective facility,\u2019\u201d Bonitz said. \u201cRather than just saying, \u2018responsible for the IT design of a command center.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey should get comfortable with the interview process and explain, without acronyms, how their accomplishments in the military would support the role they are interested in,\u201d Bonitz said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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