On January 31st we co-hosted a live webinar with AdvaMed titled “Overcoming Veteran Employment Hurdles”. We had 30 participants register for the event where our three Med Tech industry panelists talked about the need for understanding how instrumental and valuable military service is, to continue to propel companies forward.
Military service members and Veterans are often faced with an uphill battle as they transition to the civilian world. First and foremost, most want to find a career they are passionate about where they can continue to serve a purpose. Getting into those careers can be challenging without the right knowledge or support. Veterans can serve in several different roles because of their diverse training, making them great team players, leaders, and the next round of industry professionals.
“Get to where you want and your passion and purpose will get you on track to where you want to be.”
Michael Minogue
The Panelists
Our webinar was moderated by Patrice Sutherland, Enterprise Executive Director at Integra Lifesciences and Chairwomen of the MedTechVets Board.
Our Panelists of Med Tech leaders included:
- Mike Minogue, Founder of MedTechVets and Former President & CEO of Abiomed
- Brian Earl, Talent Acquisition and Talent Management Leader for Integrated Supply Chain, Becton Dickinson
- Brandy Maranian, CPO and Supply Chain Executive (Retired), Board Member, Colorado Veterans Project
“Let’s come together and host career services and see if we can help these transitioning service members along their journey. It’s not just a BD effort, it’s a community-wide effort”
Brian Earl
Inside the Webinar: Overcoming Veteran Employment Hurdles
The main focus of our webinar was to shed light on how to effectively bridge the gap between Veterans, their military transition, and the initiatives companies have put in place to recruit military talent and create more opportunities for hiring.
An important topic of conversation was: “How can Veterans match their skills for roles within the industry that may not always be at the forefront for veterans when thinking MedTech?”
“We want our transitioning veterans to apply the skills they have and their ability to learn new skills and focus on a mission and take care of the people. They just have to be a little bit more focused on telling their story. It’s not being arrogant, it’s about telling what they’ve done. That’s one of the great things about the military It drives the leadership where you are a servant leader and it’s about humility, but when they translate that over we have to make sure that they tell the positive impact of things they’ve done. So they can then follow their passion and their purpose to get into the right job.” It’s usually a win-win for both parties.”
Michael Minogue
Next, we discussed hurdles that companies are seeing in matching job openings with a veteran’s background. What are ways to work through it to recognized the struggles that veterans are facing when looking to enter the Med Tech industry.
“As organizations and Corporate America, we focus a lot on behavioral-based interviewing: tell me about a time, tell me about an experience. Maybe part of that, as we are considering intentionally interviewing transitioning service members is, let’s pause and reflect on competency-based interviewing. What are the competencies that this position needs and we can train the skills.”
Brian Earl
Our panel then proceeded to discuss how companies can improve their involvement and consideration in hiring veterans. Specifically, what has worked well for their companies and team members so far.
“Companies look for college athletes because that person had the discipline to balance both, but also the competitiveness. In many ways, we should get that similar feel and benefit with veterans. Sometimes I think people look at it the other way and could be more concerned that veterans are too rigid, they need rules, suffer from PTSD, whatever it is. When in fact, they’ve shown maturity and leadership. They also know what a good leader is and how to follow the plan and the mission. To be a part of it, so they are not only good leaders but they’re good followers.”
Michael Minogue
Finally, we discussed education that was provided to team members in terms of interviewing and hiring Veterans.
As I grew my career I then built teams and had them go out and start to hire. A lot of them were not prior military, so they were a bit more nervous and they weren’t sure what questions to ask. There wasn’t a military translator during the interview. I tried to listen to the veteran’s stories and understand, how did they maneuver through success, what did success look like for them, and how would that translate into the company’s culture and the roles we were trying to fill. We need to provide education to teams that may not necessarily have a military background or a translator in the room.”
Brandy Maranian
“A lot of folks who enter the military are really about the mission, helping, and being a part of something bigger. The thing I love about the MedTech industry, you are doing what you’re doing for the good of people. It is a really strong tie for veterans. The MedTech industry is both feeling your part of something bigger while you’re doing good for those around you.”
Brandy Maranian
Wrapping Up!
Thank you to everyone who joined our webinar live in January! A special thank you to AdvaMed and their team for co-hosting this event with us to continue the important conversation surrounding Veteran Employment.
Missed the Webinar? Watch the full webinar here or below!
About MedTechVets
MedTechVets is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving Veterans during career transition and beyond.
Our Vision is to build a bridge to help Veterans find meaningful employment in the Medical Technology Industry.
We bridge the gap for Veterans by providing personalized career transition services, mentorship, and career development guidance. We serve Veterans who plan to enter the MedTech, Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical, or Medical Device industries.
MedTechVets is proudly to be endorsed by Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed).
When a Veteran’s military skills and experiences are translated to civilian language, recruiting managers see the benefits of hiring a qualified Veteran. Veterans are able to see the roles within the MedTech, Medical Device, Life Sciences, and Pharmaceutical industries that would best suit their skill set and career aspirations.
MedTechVets Foundational Program is a specialized program that provides more than generic advice about transitioning into medical-related career fields.
If you would like to learn more information about MedTechVets, please go to our page: medtechvets.org
