Mentor Veterans For Career Transition
“If I have seen further than others it is by standing on the shoulders of giants” – Isaac Newton
Mentors accelerate innovation and excellence in any industry, and are an integral piece of the MedTechVets Academy as well.
Veterans are paired with mentors during a 7-week career training program – the MedTechVets Academy.
As a mentor, you provide the individualized guidance, career development support, and industry knowledge that formal education misses. Textbook knowledge is important… but lessons from your lived experiences are unbeatable.
You can leverage your wisdom and mentor a Veteran entering the MedTech, Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical, or Medical Device industries. You are the guide that helps them avoid roadblocks, reach their fullest potential, and become a future industry leader.
MedTechVets Mentors Change Lives
Think back for a moment to when you were new in business.
A bit unsure or overwhelmed, or maybe you came in thinking you knew everything and you had a wake-up call when you realized how much you didn’t know. Either way, you needed a mentor to help you gain traction in your new career.
Veterans in the MedTechVets Academy have been hand-selected and demonstrate great potential for growth and leadership. They have the drive and many valuable skills — but they need an expert guide to help them transition from the military to the civilian world.
When you mentor a MedTechVets Academy student, you’ll have a mentee that already embodies discipline, respect, honor, and loyalty. They also have the drive to learn and succeed — all you have to do is get them going in the right direction and share your wisdom.
“Show me a successful individual and I’ll show you someone who had real positive influences in his or her life. I don’t care what you do for a living—if you do it well I’m sure there was someone cheering you on or showing the way. A mentor.”
MedTechVets Mentorship Program Details
Introductions
Establish rapport and understand the Veterans short and long-term goals.
Identifying Needs
Review resumes, experience, knowledge and their network connections. Identify where the Veteran needs guidance for growth.
Career Interests
Discuss their interests and experience to discover the best-fit niches within the industry.
Desired Location
Identify the best cities for the Veteran’s desired career path and the logistics for relocating to start their post-military career.
Consider Challenges
Use your experienced perspective to identify potential barriers of entering their desired field. Then be a guide and support the Veterans through those challenges.
Personal Brand
Support and educate about personal branding and self-promotion to network and market themselves digitally.
Veteran Mentorship Benefits Your Company
You know mentoring benefits the mentee — mentoring also has benefits for the mentor. Being a mentor provides opportunities for growth and self-discovery for everyone involved.
You may choose to become a mentor yourself, or you can have another member of your leadership team become a mentor. Mentoring a Veteran through the MedTechVets Academy is a 7-week commitment that can have lasting positive impacts for you and your company.
- Communication skills — Explaining industry knowledge and working with someone with a different professional background improves communication skills.
- Deeper knowledge — Review knowledge of the industry and push youself to learn more as your mentee asks questions.
- Philanthropy — Enhance your CV and contribute to corporate social responsibility. Doing good feels good.
- Broaden your network — Your mentee has a network and connections to share, and you’ll grow your network during The Academy graduation conference.
- Gain recognition — MedTechVets appreciates and promotes our mentors and partner companies because your contribution is invaluable.
- Sense of fulfillment and purpose — The daily grind can get tedious. Mentoring brings a new form of purpose and fulfillment as you walk with a Veteran through a successful career change.
- Improve leadership skills — Mentoring helps you develop and hone your leadership skills in a new way compared to working with current employees.
"MedTechVets played a key role in helping me get into Medical Device Sales. They trained and prepared me for interviews, paired me with a well-connected mentor, and offered continuing support during my journey. I have been in medical device sales for six years now and the entire trajectory of my life has changed. Mentoring is my way to clear a path for the veterans standing where I once stood."
Abiomed
"MedTechVets presents one of the few holistic, Mentee-focused, industry-specific, programs that I have found. It’s focus on the key principle of “network to a role” while equipping the transitioning Military member with a host of supportive transition strategies through active industry and alumni mentors, continues to present an invaluable awareness package that can be effectively leveraged to hiring success."
RSI Security
"Mentorship is integral for anyone in their professional and personal lives – its even more important when transitioning roles or entertaining a new career. MedTechVets has filled an incredible gap in supporting re-careering, preparing and connecting veterans with MedTech employees. It’s been a true honor for myself, to give back to those who have devoted their lives to service and sacrifice for me. Not only do I hope I have supported individuals through the Academy and mentorship, but I know that I have been inspired in so many ways by the Academy Fellows themselves."
Stryker
“Re-careering after military service can be intimidating and challenging. I am honored to be a part of providing advice and accelerated networking, coaching and mentoring in life sciences, and improving the probability of professional success for fellow veterans!”
X-Vax Technology, Inc
"With the help of numerous mentors, I learned a lot during my transition and now I'm proud to pay it forward as a mentor for transitioning veterans and their spouses."
Philips
"I really want to thank you for the wealth of knowledge you were willing to share regarding the medical industry and how to better prepare for entering it after I leave the military."
Cleveland Clinic International Operations
"Project management in the military is completely different than the civilian world. When it came to finding a job post-military, I really hit the ground running. I knew the one thing holding me back was my familiarity with the industry. A can-do and proactive attitude is what got me to where I am."
Edwards Lifesciences
Mentorship Is Vital to Veterans’ Success
Mentorship is vital to the success of the Veterans in the MedTechVets Academy. You have the industry connections and knowledge to help Veterans transition well and start their new mission in the MedTech, Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical, and Medical Device fields.
Mentorship results in greater industry awareness, a broader network, career search strategies, resources, and an increase in self confidence as Veterans pursue meaningful careers.
Too many Veterans fall through the cracks during the transition from the military to civilian careers. There is a significant culture gap that keeps skilled, driven Veterans from breaking into civilian workforces.
Veterans don’t have to struggle to start civilian careers — you can be part of the solution.
Change a life. Be a mentor.
Join MedTechVets Academy as a Mentor.
“I think the greatest thing we give each other is encouragement… knowing that I’m talking to someone in this mentoring relationship who’s interested in the big idea here is very, very important to me. I think if it were just about helping me get to the next step, it would be a heck of a lot less interesting.”