Matt McClintick spent 10 years in the Marine Corps, much of that time in charge of a maintenance shop with 50-plus Marines working under him and responsibility for keeping a half-billion dollars’ worth of helicopters in top mechanical order. But two years ago, when he made the transition to civilian life, McClintick couldn’t get hired.
“I had proven leadership, supervisory and management experience in the aviation field, as well as general industry and production,” he says. “I sent out resumes to firms who said they were ‘veteran friendly’ — applying for jobs that I was more than qualified for — and no one even requested an interview.”
McClintick used the career resources his state of Michigan had to offer, some that were even designed specifically to help veterans. The career agencies want veterans to send resumes and emails, but it’s hard to explain a veteran’s skills in the traditional resume template. “Veterans don’t know how to translate their military experience into salable skills for a job,” he says. “Veterans don’t want to email. We want to be active. We want to show up. There are definite holes in the programs available to help vets find jobs. It’s easy to get lost.”
Employers want someone to fit a certain mold, and most vets aren’t easily recognizable as a perfect fit, McClintick explains. “But they can be molded and trained into the person you need — and even better — because of the intangible skills and work ethic that a person learns in the military,” he says. “What happened to hiring people based on character, the old-fashioned ideals that made this country great? Unless you’re looking for a specialty position, all the rest can be taught.”
Months after leaving the Marines, McClintick did find fulfilling employment through a personal connection. But he didn’t forget how lost he felt when he first left the military, and he vowed to do something about it.
Today, as director of safety and workforce development for the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association, McClintick has found his launching pad. He spent the last six months meeting with the Workforce Development Agency of Michigan, the Veteran Services Office, and the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, brainstorming ways to get information to returning Michigan veterans about job opportunities in the construction industry (which MITA serves). He is developing a “career transition toolkit” for veterans leaving the service and the companies that want to hire them, a program that could be duplicated in other states.
McClintick is passionate about the need for structured, streamlined career help for veterans. “For a smooth and successful transition into civilian life, realistically, a veteran has about 90 days to find work,” he says. The heavy construction industry is a good place to channel veterans because “no country is going anywhere without roads and infrastructure.” He says that today’s construction industry is “so far forward technologically that language has not been able to keep pace,” adding that MITA members have people with engineering and master’s degrees, as well as workers in their early 20s making six-figure salaries.
Soon, a link on the new MITA website will allow the association’s member companies to find veterans looking for a good career. “We’ll have a red, white and blue button on our site that says ‘Hire a Veteran.’ We’ve got to focus on the veterans who are separating now, before they get lost in the system and miss outstanding career opportunities.”
“Am I looking to change the world?” he says. “Yeah, I guess I am. One vet at a time.”
Carla Kalogeridis is special reports editor for the Washington Examiner.
