As U.S. military forces draw down in Afghanistan, hundreds of soldiers will return to Westchester County.
When they arrive, small business owners hope to provide meaningful support beyond a welcome-back rally. They”™d like to provide mentorship opportunities to help veterans start successful careers.
In an event sponsored by The Westchester Bank, representatives from nearly 40 small businesses gathered at the Hilton Westchester Feb. 25 to kick off an effort to mentor returning veterans. Whether it”™s providing employment opportunities or general career advice, attendees agreed to do what they could to “give back.”
“They served us, it”™s time we served them,” said John Tolomer, CEO of The Westchester Bank, at the event. “A small bank like The Westchester Bank can”™t go out and hire a bunch of veterans. But businesses all together, by hiring veterans, can make a difference.”
Hiring managers report several barriers to hiring veterans, such as unconventional backgrounds and “poor” interviewing skills. But keynote speaker Duncan Niederauer, CEO of the New York Stock Exchange, said it”™s important for managers to appreciate the differences and meet applicants “half way.”
After reading about the high unemployment rate for veterans, Niederauer spearheaded a 10-week training program at the NYSE in 2012 to help veterans launch careers in the financial sector. About 40 veterans have enrolled in the program and many have been hired for permanent positions.
Listing personal quality traits like leadership, high integrity, ability to improvise and a high tolerance to stress, Niederauer said veterans already posses many of the traits managers look for in job applicants.
“You can”™t teach those traits,” he said, calling knowledge of financial markets “the easy stuff.”
“I”™m hard pressed to find a twenty-something that has all the traits a veteran has,” he said.
When Matt Pizzo transitioned out of the Air Force in 2005, he said he struggled to impart his experience in the military to others. During his job search he met with many companies that had good intentions about helping veterans find employment, but found little follow through.
In one of Pizzo”™s first job interviews out of law school, a recruiter”™s first question asked for the scariest thing he had ever seen in Iraq was.
“I wasn”™t even prepared,” Pizzo told event attendees.
Then he met with a NYSE representative, who introduced the company”™s training program to him. Recruits can choose a department to work in for 10 weeks and simultaneously learn about the company and finance in general. Six weeks into the program, he was hired for a permanent position in the compliance department. He”™s now a senior compliance associate there.
“It was the first time I met successful professionals willing to share their knowledge and teach about the financial industry,” Pizzo said.
Business representatives in attendance aren”™t required to create an extensive training program like the NYSE. However speakers stressed the importance of being proactive when managers offer mentorship opportunities to veterans.
The more senior a potential mentor”™s title is, the less likely a veteran will respond to the opportunity, Niederauer said. They”™ve been trained to think in hierarchical terms and don”™t see themselves on equal footing. Often CEOs will offer to start a mentorship, but find veterans don”™t respond to scheduling times to meet, he said.
“It”™s like an out-of-body experience for them,” Niederauer said. “The times a superior officer has offered to go out for coffee to a subordinate is exactly zero.”
When considering job applicants for an open position, Niederauer said managers can expect veterans to stand out from the others.
“Expect them to be different,” he said. “They”™ve done different things, seen different things and experienced different things. They are different.
“It”™s your job to appreciate the way they”™re different,” he added.
Following keynote speeches, business attendees met with more than 60 veterans for a networking event. Event organizers hope the introductions will inspire future jobs.
