MINUTES
OF KNOWLEDGE
SUCCESSSTORY
How did you successfully make the transition from the military to this industry ?
I started by venturing out on my own in the “ logical ” directions , which was not successful . I looked at using my diving skills by applying to NOAA , my ship-driving skills by becoming a tugboat skipper , and my patriotism by entering the selection process for the Secret Service . For a variety of reasons , I didn ’ t find what I was looking for along any of these paths . Beyond the three “ first choices ” I also sent out dozens of resumes in response to job ads . This yielded one or two live interviews – not great . Luckily , I met a JMO ( Junior Military Officer ) recruiting firm at a job fair in the Hampton Roads ( Norfolk ) area . The JMO recruiter was by far the best route . They were happy to help at no cost to me – other than my time . This is the way it should be as the best recruiters are paid by the companies that employ them , not the job seekers .
Eric Bevevino
Contributing Host , Veterans Connected Podcast
QUICK FACTS
n 27 years in the business of heavy-duty maintenance and reliability
n Graduate of Penn State University
n 4 years of active military duty as a Navy Surface Warfare Officer with a Diving and Salvage specialty
n Married father of two
n Been in almost every type of commercial and industrial operation in over 10 countries around the world
Through this process , I discovered that many corporations seek former service JMOs with technical backgrounds for field sales and technical support positions . Apparently , self-discipline and mission-driven are qualities that made this combination a good match . This resulted in my first job out of the Navy . I ended up with Castrol Industrial North America as a Tech Service Engineer in the lubrication industry . In parallel , I also decided to become a Navy Reserve Officer so as to not lose the camaraderie felt and unique skills acquired during my time in the service . I kept going in the reserves for another 18 years and found it a key to transitioning . Serving in the reserves helped me greatly and I ’ d recommend it to anyone going through the transition from active duty .
What challenges did you face ?
Early on , going to an individual contributor role from a leadership role felt a bit awkward . That said , I found adapting to corporate America as a reliable teammate was natural . I had to learn and get past any preconceived notions of the private sector while my co-workers attempted to do the same with me . Stereotypes , though common , are fundamentally useless . Most veterans , like me , have seen both sides of this coin . While we ’ re assumed to be people who thrive in highly structured environments few appreciate the amount of creativity and leadership required to accomplish missions after orders have been assigned .
Since the Navy teaches the core concepts of maintenance & reliability , I came into the world of lubrication with a solid baseline . Equipment failures can lead to loss of life or mission degradation in the military and , as such , are taken very seriously . This foundation was reinforced and continued to grow as I was exposed to new processes and industries . I was fortunate and enjoyed performing as an individual contributor for a couple years . As a newly established team player with management experience , I was quickly tapped on the shoulder to lead in the business world . This entailed getting familiar with the language of business and learning about how firms make money .
Through the years , I found some things that I took for granted in the military less common in the corporate world . First and foremost , the armed services support continuous learning tied to advancement with a relatively clear , merit-based promotion system . In my experience , this is not always the case in the civilian world and can be a source of frustration . Promotions can be based more on who you know rather than how good you are as a contributor or leader . It ’ s also more common ( and accepted ) to go around the chain of command than I ever expected . I sense that this is a common reason why veterans feel undervalued and unnoticed , opting to leave their first job after active duty , on average , in less than two years .
I believe that all transitioning veterans need to be prepared for a civilian world that has very few , consistently used , and effectively deployed leadership development programs . The US military is one of the only institutions across the world that I ’ ve seen who does this with repeatable
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