Women Who Rock—My Salute to the Vets
First Lady Michelle Obama Addressing Female Veterans in Arlington, Virginia. Photo: Getty Images
Whenever I meet women in the military, I am in awe of their courage, confidence, and bravery. They are fighting on the front lines of battle, leading as 4-star generals and flying fighter jets—all in a day’s work. I am so grateful for their service and sacrifice. They leave their families to go fight for our country, and when they come back they return to rebuild their lives, which is not always easy.
I was so honored that First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden asked me to be part of the Women’s Veterans Career Development Forum hosted by Redbook magazine yesterday in Arlington, Virginia. The event highlighted some surprising truths about the issues faced by our female veterans. “Last month, the unemployment rate for women veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan was 11.2%, 5 points higher than men who served in the same conflicts, and double the rate for civilian women. And that’s just wrong,” the First Lady told the audience. “After everything you have done for this country, the fact that any of you are worrying about where your next paycheck is going to come from, or struggling to put food on the table, is not OK.”
Veteran Dawn Smith (left) with her mentor Sandy Smith.
While there were a lot of success stories from the forum, the struggles many of these women face when they return to civilian life is shocking. I met Dawn Smith, who, in spite of having two masters degrees (an MBA and a masters in accounting), didn’t find a job for eight months after leaving the Air Force. “I was sending out my resume and getting nothing,” says Dawn, a single mom. “I was at a breaking point. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong.” One headhunter suggested only putting her first initial on her resume to hide the fact that she was a woman since her experience would appeal to male dominated industries. Dawn eventually landed a job as a teacher, but after a move to be closer to her sister who had a terminal illness, could only find work as a secretary. The job didn’t provide enough to support her and her four children, and Dawn often went to bed hungry so that her children would have enough to eat. Four years after she left the military, Dawn found the Business and Professional Women’s Foundation online. They provided her with a mentor who, through a twist of fate, had the same name as her late sister, Sandy Smith. Sandy revamped Dawn’s resume and helped her polish her interviewing skills, “I told Dawn, ‘Employers need to know you! You are incredible.’” Within a few months, Dawn had a job working for the Department of Defense as an auditor. On the side, Dawn is an entrepreneur with an online herbal tea site Mystic Reme Teas. “I couldn’t be happier,” she says. While her story has a happy ending, it highlights how difficult how tough it is for many veterans to transition.
Getting ready to talk to the veterans, with Creative Director of Ann Taylor Lisa Axelson and Redbook Editor-in-Chief Michelle Rollins. Photo: Getty
The Career Development Forum was aimed at giving veterans the tools they need to find the right jobs. About 200 women networked and got advice on where to find jobs and how to interview, translate their military experience to their resume, get a career wardrobe on a budget, and brand themselves.
It was so special to be part of the day, meet so many inspiring women and hear their powerful stories. Mrs. Obama was a tough act to follow. Speaking on the same stage made me nervous, but looking at the women gave me the courage to do the best job. I spoke to the female veterans about finding confidence, how to look great for an interview, trusting your gut, and becoming an entrepreneur. When one of the veterans came up to me at the end thanking me for giving her permission to break the rules and never take no for an answer, the opposite of what she had learned in service, I was so happy that my advice had resonated with her.
Photo: Getty Images
The First Lady had a lot of exciting announcements yesterday that I hope you will share with the veterans in your life. The first is a relatively new website, Veterans Employment Center, with over a million job postings, featuring hundreds of employers who have committed to hiring veterans. LinkedIn is also now offering all veterans a free one-year premium job seeker tool to be a featured applicant for employers. Finally Coursera, an online educational platform, is offering free online courses to veterans to improve and diversify their skills in high demand fields like data science. There is a lot going on, but we can always do more. Here’s to honoring our male and female veterans today, and every day.
