I Never Thought I’d End Up Here After Leaving the Military. Now, I’m Leading Software Implementation at John Deere

Whether you’re coming to the end of your first contract or hanging up the uniform after 20+ years of service, a transition from the military to the civilian world can be a daunting prospect. Suddenly you’re faced with a job market and the need to translate your experience in the armed forces into something relatable for a civilian employer. What does an infantryman with three combat tours in Afghanistan have to offer a global marketing firm? How can a naval radar operator let a potential employer know she will be an essential asset to a technical sales team?

That’s where RecruitMilitary comes in. They know that military experience provides unique skills that can’t be found in a civilian talent pool, but more importantly they employ veterans and family members who have lived the life you’re departing. The team understands what employers are looking for, and how to find the perfect pairing of military skill sets and civilian job requirements, setting you up for success on the next stage of your life’s journey.

Recently, U.S. Navy veteran Claire Wilson began her own transition to the civilian workforce, and like many others who are faced with the prospect of civilian life she found herself uncertain and rudderless (see what we did there?) in a crowded hiring market. If that wasn’t hard enough, life responsibilities had pushed her to settle about as far from the ocean as a sailor could be: Paton, Iowa.

Fortunately for Claire, RecruitMilitary specializes in helping veterans find meaningful career opportunities all over the world – including Paton, Iowa. While the thought of leveraging naval experience into a job thousands of miles from the nearest ship would seem like an insurmountable job to some, Claire was able to land an internship position at John Deere, right in Paton at their planter manufacturing facility.

During the internship Wilson shadowed factory leadership and learned industry best practices for manufacturing supervision, quality control, supply management, material logistics, and data analytics. 

“The internship with John Deere allowed Claire to gain on-the-job training with an organization that values military experience, and we’ve found that something our clients have in common is a strong desire to work alongside committed and impactful teams. Transitioning from active duty into a company with a positive global mission helped Claire maintain the sense of service that she found in the Navy.” said Chris Newsome at RecruitMilitary.

After completing her internship, Claire began a full-time position as a Connected Software Company Implementation Specialist. Now her military experience continues to provide a foundation for success at John Deere, where she has found many more similarities between the Navy and manufacturing industries.

“A ship runs because of the hard work and drive of a very special collaboration of sailors, programs and processes,” Claire explained. “Similarly, a manufacturing factory meets business goals and customer needs when employees, programs, and processes work together.” Claire’s placement coordinator knew that, in addition to growth potential and a team-focused environment, other veterans who joined John Deere found a familiar sense of fulfillment in serving a mission larger than themselves and was able to leverage that knowledge into providing her a new career path where she could not only succeed but excel.

RecruitMilitary coordinated with John Deere’s Military Employment Resource Group to ensure Claire’s transition was the perfect marriage of Navy skills and drive to learn with an organization that knows how to get the best out of their employees.

If you’re a transitioning veteran, do yourself a favor and reach out to RecruitMilitary. Even if you already have some idea of where your next adventure will take you, their resources have successfully paired thousands of veterans with their dream careers, many of whom didn’t realize how many options were truly available to them.

Remember, the experience you gained in the military was not free, it was earned through time, blood, sweat, and tears. Don’t sell yourself short; work with the experts at RecruitMilitary.

Good luck, thank you for your service.

This article was sponsored by RecruitMilitary.