United Talent is proud to participate in SkillBridge, a program through the United States that provides service members civilian work experience through internships during their last 180 days of service.
We recently had the pleasure of working with Carlos Pereira, a retiring US Marine. Carlos came to us through SkillBridge to assist with recruiting at a United Talent branch during the last six months of his military contract. Carlos spent time in both staffing specialist and branch management roles where he interviewed and placed associates as well as making client visits to build and expand our relationships in the area.
Below Carlos shares his insights on the SkillBridge program and its profound impact on his integration back into the civilian workforce.
Q: What was the main reason you decided to participate in SkillBridge?
It was a way to connect with a company partner and learn through real-world job experiences.
Q: How would you describe the SkillBridge program?
SkillBridge connects transitioning service members with private and public sector organizations that offer internship opportunities to build their resumes, explore employment interests, develop job skills, and gain valuable work experience. This helps them prepare for their adjustment to the civilian workplace.
Q: What benefits have you seen from participating in the program?
Participating in the SkillBridge program allowed me to adjust and learn about the civilian workforce. For example, this program helped me move away from military lingo and learn how to speak to civilians in a way that is more appropriate in the workplace. I also learned to apply my leadership skills and work ethic to the everyday work schedule.
Q: What have you enjoyed the most about working with United Talent? What have you learned?
United Talent is a great military-friendly company with many veterans in leadership roles. They understood the process I was going through, and they allowed me to learn and, at the same time, take care of all the transitioning items I had to accomplish prior to concluding my contract. I learned how to recruit and place people in our various job openings.
I really enjoyed the many times I was able to place someone in a job, and they were very thankful because they could now provide for their family or handle a situation they were going through. Talking 1 on 1 to all the candidates and hearing about their situation made me work even harder to ensure I could find them employment. I also learned about the B2B sales aspect of our organization and worked on establishing accounts to increase our job openings.
Q: What recommendations could you give other service members thinking about participating in SkillBridge?
DEFINITELY DO IT! Having the 3-6 months available to start transitioning, networking, resume building, and getting ready for the civilian workforce will prepare you better than someone not participating in the program.
Q: How did participating in SkillBridge prepare you to transition to the civilian workforce?
By participating in the program and working at United Talent, I was able to learn new skills that ensure my transition is seamless and is the right step forward for civilian life. I will always be grateful for United Talent and everyone I worked with there.