Veterans honed their professional development skills during a resume workshop specifically tailored to consider their military skills and experience in a civilian workplace.
Hosted by the University of Kentucky’s Graham Office of Career Management and Cintas’ veteran resource group, VALOR, the workshop on Tuesday, Nov. 11, featured veterans who have transitioned into civilian life, helping other veterans and active-duty members with their career endeavors.
The Graham Office was named after 2nd Lt. Jeffrey Graham, a soldier who was killed in action. Attendees heard from his father, Maj. Gen. Mark Graham, who is the director of Vets4Warriors, a 24/7 peer support network for service members.
Hayley Hollenberg, event organizer and assistant director of employer engagement at the Graham Office of Career Management in the Gatton College of Business and Economics, said employers may not fully understand veterans’ experiences and the extent of their skill set.
By speaking with people who have already made the transition from active-duty service to civilian careers, Hollenberg said attendees would be able to get advice from people who knew the “ins and outs” of their background.
“Obviously, that support can just be felt better when you’re talking to someone who has been in your shoes and who has done it in the years before you,” Hollenberg said. “I’m hoping that advice really resonates with them.”
Being able to contribute to the veteran community was a “touching” experience, Hollenberg said, having family members who served in the military.
“It’s a different level of courage to be willing to do what they have done and what some are continuing to do, and it’s just so, so honorable,” Hollenberg said. “I’m so lucky to have those service members in my family and hear their own stories, and I’m excited to give back in my own way through my job.”
Mike Schutte, a veteran and the president of VALOR at Cintas, said he was able to translate his military passions into a career outside of the service, explaining how that made his transition smoother.
“My passion was leadership, and they (Cintas) gave me the opportunity to continue to be a leader,” Schutte said. “That’s where my passion comes from, a desire to support, coach, train, make those around me better. And I got that desire, my passion, from being in the military.”
Schutte said he had access to opportunities similar to the resume workshop while transitioning from active duty to civilian life, inspiring him to provide other veterans with the same support.
“Any opportunity I get to talk to veterans or support them, or mentor them, share my experience with them, I will take in a heartbeat, no doubt,” Schutte said. “I look at it more as a privilege and an honor versus something I have to do. It’s definitely something I want to do.”
For veterans who are part of the UK community, such as Nathan Eapen, the workshop provided an opportunity to be around like-minded people, something he said is particularly important for veterans.
“A lot of veterans unfortunately get kind of stagnant, and that’s where it’s that lack of purpose and like they don’t feel like they belong anywhere,” Eapen said. “ I think that’s where it’s really important to surround yourself with like-minded people who are always trying to get better.”
Having resources on campus, such as the workshop and the Veterans Resource Center, not only fosters a sense of community but also helps inspire veterans, according to Eapen.
“If I was an infantryman in the army, I can see, like a doctor who is an infantryman, see what they did to get to where they’re at,” Eapen said. “You can find random people who came from your similar background, similar story, similar place and now they’re here, and how do they do that?”
