Transcript by Scribie
Bryan Shue: Good afternoon or good morning maybe a lot sort of the…
I really wanna thank everybody for watching today. My name is Bryan Shue. I have with me Natalie from military talent partners, and I really wanna thank you all for taking time in your busy schedule. I know it’s probably a crazy time for you but taking time to consent down, chat with me in to share your thoughts on being a low-down as a thought leader, so I’m on turn over to you, I tell us about yourself, what you do and what you’re looking forward to as we go through this whole quanta together.
Natalie Oliverio: Superwoman?
Natalie Oliverio: Thanks so much Brian, first and foremost, thanks for giving me some of your time and inviting me to be on your podcast, I appreciate it and I’m happy to be here with you again. I am a Navy veteran and I’m the founder of military talent partners.
We help veterans and military spouses find meaningful careers at companies all across the country. And we also have a really unique method we’re very, very profit for a purpose, driven, so we have free mentorship opportunities within our organization and we partner with some of the biggest and best mentorship organizations in the world. And on top of that, we offer a six-week online cohort.
Natalie Oliverio: It’s an intense coaching program with curriculum, that’s unique to us. It’s not been done anywhere before and basically prepares transitioning service members or anyone going from one career to the next, with everything tap classes and teach you with everything you didn’t learn in college about how to get a job. We start with the basics of how to figure out who are what you wanna do, why you wanna do it.
So we got a lot going on of military talent partners, we work with candidates, every day, we’ve got thousands of veterans in our network and we work with a lot of employers as well, that’s how we do business, and Mayor profit is with the companies that we provide full life-cycle recruiting services for.
Bryan Shue: You did mention, did you work with organizations on mentorship? Can you go into that because that’s been a big topic for a conversation, especially in the veteran space but for civilian current parts, what the meters, like for them. And then of course, again, the mentorship here, and you guys partner with… ’cause again, that’s… I feel like that’s a great group. yes. I could not agree with you more.
Natalie Oliverio: I started volunteering as a mentor almost four years ago, I felt really unsatisfied at work and I felt like I wasn’t really living to my potential and I wanted to do more so I started volunteering as a mentor and I felt a lot with it, I was able to give advice and insight that I couldn’t really give in my day-to-day corporate role, and I was able to really help people get to where they were going as far as elevating their potential towards a meaningful career, and as time went on I fell in love with that.
I volunteered for just about every organization you can think of that does mentorship. And I wanted to create a company that combined the two things that I love mentorship and recruiting mentorship for me became even more personal when I got my own mentors and it was really interesting to see from the other side as a mentee all of the amazing benefits, the thought process, the mindset shift the narrowing of advice, I think the narrowing of advice is probably the single biggest return on investment, because there are, there are so many different pieces of advice out there that it can be more confusing than helpful.
You don’t know who is to take who’s the task, who to listen to. Sometimes it seems like an online competition, but the way I kind of break it down is it depends on what resonates with you most individually, uniquely as you, not all advice is one size, so it’s all… So if you hear something that sounds crazy, it probably is, but if you hear something that sounds a little scary. Not sure it’s for you, maybe you just need to push a little further down the boundaries that you have.
Natalie Oliverio (Cont’d): So I recommend finding a mentor or two or three that really resonate with who you are and where you’re going in your career industry experts, people that you feel you could trust or really listen to you, try them on for size have to select a mentor and marry them forever try a mentorship call for free, you can work with that a body which is basically mentorship on demand.
Natalie Oliverio: You can literally take your smart phone out of your pocket and book a call with hundreds of mentors at your fingertips. You can read about them, you can check them out on LinkedIn.
Are they in the industry that you wanna go into, what are they accomplished in their career? Pick a mentor, try them on, give yourself that time to kind of weigh it out and find the right person for you.
It’s kind of like dating, but with the higher states of your whole career in front of the… We also work with ACP love-ACP. I’ve been ACP mentor for several years. And we wanna make sure that for people who are more long-term mentee, protege, types, we wanna get them involved with ACP because they will pair you with a mentor for a year for free, in the professional arena, a… So you got a long-term commitment, not that you can’t get a long-term commit with venerate it’s just different mindset.
Natalie Oliverio: I think it’s kind of like mentorship on demand whereas ACP is a long-term relationship. If you are a special operator, a fighter pilot, navy SEAL, green beret, a PJ, whatever you do special operations, you can go through an organization and apply to be a member of Liane, and they also do incredible mentorship efforts and outreach in conjunction with the specific events they host across the country throughout the year.
Natalie Oliverio (Cont’d): There’s also higher here is USDA which is an amazing organization, that will pay you with mentorship opportunities as well as offer a slew of different career transition, support and also we work with trans-men in foundation with our goals, to families who may be retiring after struggling or suffering a loss of love to re-integrate them back in to work force through mentorship at MTP.
And it was a really long answer.
Bryan Shue: Wow, those are really great interesting. Those are organizations that are really crucial especially during the veteran community is really grab hold of and really go spend some time getting to know them, because those are really key pieces for you and those of you that are not military-related or not, as a military committee, having that time, the research can be valuable to you because you can find out so much great information. Both on the mentorship side and professional.
And about the cover you, I know you built your organization completely remote, what does that like for you? Now, with the whole quarantine lockdown COVID 19 outbreak. How has that changed your perspective as being a removed organization?
Natalie Oliverio: Being remote means we are really everywhere all the time. I live in West Virginia, from West Virginia, but I am constantly in DC so much so that people think I live there, so now all of my travel has been wiped out. I was supposed to go to a Veteran Hiring conference next week in New York City, I’ve arranged several events in the DC Metro and it looks like for the foreseeable future through Q2 all travel is cancelled.
And so, for extreme extrovert such as myself, this is my only contact with the outside world. So yes, I did wash my hair for this because it’s a big deal, right? It’s like my time to have human interaction, but in all serious, this, my husband is also towing and his office downstairs once a week, we do keep our daughter at home with us. And that becomes a real game-changer because I can’t do calls like this or on the phone as a five-year-old in the room because she wants to participate, too.
So how do you keep your business acumen, your professional mindset with all of these variables going on? Right, crazy.
But thankfully, I don’t know… Thankfully, luckily however you wanna phrase that we’re all going through this together. Everyone’s going to the same unique struggle in this crazy time of this pandemic. Just trying to stay healthy, keeping themselves and others healthy.
So it’s definitely difficult to navigate to give up. Don’t relate so much. You appreciate travel until take from you. But it also has given us the gift of time, time that we would never take if we were just stuck in our daily routines and traveling all over the US and doing all the things we do every day so time to take on a different strategy for the rest of this quarter and building into quarter Q3 as well because who knows how long this is gonna last?
Natalie Oliverio: And you brought some great points about that having that time. And I think that’s one thing we should all sell it with this is that we’re now spending more time connected to those people that we conserve family now, for me, family is more than just your blood just what your tears is the people that you really connect with.
So having that time to be able to spin together can be really crucial for you especially if you’ve been in an office environment in now you’re at home, working with your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever evening, your kids be able to say “Hey I know you’re at home, but he… How are you doing, what’s going on at work today that can easily change that outlook on the day, because you’re actually having that physical connection saying, I see you working, I see you struggling.
Natalie Oliverio (Cont’d): Let me understand what’s going on with you. And I think that’s really valuable today and especially today’s environment, when you’re dealing with the Al break, like it is… You’re now has that you haven’t really see because while they’ve been doing this, an office and now they’re doing it at home. And that’s a really interesting perspective that you see on this individual level. So, for you being a home was like goes nuances and changes in your family dynamic.
Bryan Shue: I missed what you said you were breaking up there. What’s the last part?
Natalie Oliverio: But your family dynamic like what has been the big difference for us? The husband in a home with the kid. And then you typically never see these two toothless. But with the kids, I think it really is a lesson in patience. Just last night, my husband asked me, he’s like… Do you remember when you were five? And I said no, and he said, “Well you, your parents have more patience with you because you’re five and you’re little and I’m like…
Yeah, I guess you’re right, so I don’t care where you live, and if you live in a one-room studio or a mic Mansion, when you are in close proximity to your love on a morning you tonight, the smallest things can get to you. This is not a complaint this is an observation, but my husband does push-ups every hour, and even though he’s downstairs, his office in her him making the push-up sounds right.
And it was like trying to record a video or… I’m trying to concentrate I’m trying to think it. All I can hear is your little sound from two floors away. Why are you doing that? Do you do this work? So there’s this little thing. Do you have to really make in sessions for that sounds so dumb to the outside world, but to you, it’s in your little bubble that you’re now isolated in or relegated to and you just have to make reasonable accommodations within your own family, unit and your own home.
Things to be more patient, which is something I definitely struggle with but I’m actively working on and that, and that also brings up another point about the work-life balance for a lot of us, that’s been controlled into us in the sense you got balance, you work in your life. But now it’s… Now, not natal imbalanced.
I, I’d say blending of the two.
Bryan Shue: So how are you dealing with that blending of the two environments is such a unique way, especially for those, they’re watching. How would you cope for example, you’re an office to Allens and your keto go home work, you’re like, Wait, man, tell me. I got work from home, that’s not unusual. So how do I do that? Ending up Thomas?
Natalie Oliverio: So fortunately, throughout my career as a corporate recruiter there, were a lot of instances where I would work from home either as a part of a daily or a weekly rhythm, or government shut down depending on what was going on. So I’m used to working from home.
And then, almost two years ago… Two years almost, when I launched MTP started working from my home office full-time.
I can tell you a downside to it. A couple of downsides. There would be many days, and I would just roll out of bed and go into my office and sit in my computer and work until all of a sudden I was so hungry or dying of thirst or my butt hurt from sitting so long, and all its sons. Three o’clock, so I let 7 am to 3 PM, fly by without drinking water or moving my body or having a meal.
So you have to be… It sounds silly to those who’ve never experienced it, but you have to be… You have to make a conscious effort to care for yourself throughout the day.
And then, my friend Jordan, a at the recon network made this post that was so true, of the other dating Dan and she said, Don’t watch Netflix. It is a trap. You think you’re gonna watch one episode on your lunch break before you know what you’re like, halfway through a season, don’t do a laundry because you can’t just stop with point something in the washer dryer you’re gonna…
Natalie Oliverio: Like do the whole basket right you’re do all the baskets, it is a trap it’s great to use a timer if you happen to have an Apple Watch, to remind you every ten till the hour to stand up, use that time to actually stand up, grab some water, make some coffee, walk around, go outside, see the sun breath fresh air make an effort to be simple, everyday things because they can make all the difference.
And I know many of us have taken that for granted to be able to work from home. And also it’s like you’re right when you’re working, you’re so concentrate in that work space, you forget what we can serve. Monday, things, let’s become so routine for us, especially those their office rowers that we just get on the total going to chat with your friend, at the cubic two holes down.
You’re so used to that, but now you’re being thrown into a new reality. Let’s call that a new reality of working from home and working in your own space.
You would have really gotten to that point of use to it because it is so new for a lot of us, and the Inferno.
Natalie Oliverio: I’m okay with that. I want… How to adjust my routines to that. But those of us that are not and have not been… We’re being in Hong to a new reality and it does the container. Well, with that, just my period. So kudos for that.
But for those that are losing their jobs or have lost your job, would you tell them to get through this period and to maybe figure out that new path for themselves?
So a couple of things, if you’re not used to working from home and now you’re isolated away from your co-workers that you enjoy. Back when I worked at a corporate business, my coworkers were daily joy.
And we looked forward to an amazing lunch hour every day. It was a big thing.
Natalie Oliverio shares her lockdown survival tips for extroverts
Natalie Oliverio (Cont’d): So when you have the kind of camaraderie that you’re used to and it goes down to just you, it’s more important than ever before. To reach out, purposely and intentionally for human connection. Get on Skype get on face time get on a zoom call, whatever it takes to have face time with the people that you wanna interact with and I really recommend that everybody do a buddy, check every morning reach out face-to-face and whatever app works for you.
And do about a check. How are you, what’s going on now if you’re among someone a military transition or among the 3-3 million who are unemployed to to CO1. This is a scary time because it seems like all of a sudden you’re out you don’t have anywhere where you belong, you’re not writing out a company salary, that maybe other people are able to and your income is gone.
There are so many things that are crushing down on you, you have to remember is this is 100% temporary. This is not how it is for you, there is an opposing and it will happen for you will happen for everyone.
So now is the time to really make some goals.
What do you wanna take away from this time?
Where do you wanna work next what do you wanna do, how do you wanna do it and why?
That’s what I always focus on with people that I work with because we don’t really ever stop to think about what we actually wanna do or just pressured to formulate resume and summarize our life experience and then just go get a good, a good job.
Natalie Oliverio (Cont’d): But if we actually take the time to think about what we want, who will become in that position, how we’re gonna do it differently or a little bit better than somebody else who does the same job and why we want that now we can create a new fresh identity and personal brand, we can catapult ourselves to a meaningful career by doing this hard part first. And now you’ve got the time to do it, so take some time every day to work on this, Don’t hunker down and put the pressure of yourself on working 10 to 12 hours in one session, if they hear it all out, that’s not good. Either. Give yourself some time to read.
Job searching, it can be very traumatic. So give yourself time to create that process. You’re gonna go to denial you’re gonna go through anger or gonna go through sadness you’re gonna go through acceptance and all the stages of grief and you’re gonna feel all these things, but your human you’re supposed to.
This is awful as a terrible time for everyone.
So you were not alone remember that you are not alone. That’s a major, major element because “jobless-ness often translates to hopelessness, and hopeless is often too often in in trauma or suicide or things that we can’t take back.
So you need to know: Number one, This is not forever, this is temporary. Number two, you’re not alone. There is help out there.
We can reach out to me at MTP or one of the many organizations that have your back for career advice join groups on Facebook, on LinkedIn, interact with people every single day, and make an effort to take care of yourself.
And I think that brings up a great point, is we get so focused on everything around us that now we’re just going into that now you can focus more to… Really become a great adventure for you, especially you are dealing with job boss, this is your time to re-event yourself, and recreate that professional image for yourself and create that professional brand. And you brought another point about Ray interest is, you now instead of having a separate personal and professional brain “juha a blended brand of open and personal in to…
Bryan Shue: I’m sorry, we’re raking up again. I count her.
So the pool A to make sure the… But I think one thing I’ve thought about recently since everything’s happened, a blood “pantogr and they’re on the same instead of instead of having a separate personal brand in a professional brand you’re now blending those into one brand. Just really tell your story from both aspects and I wanna hear your thoughts on that of blending the two together.
Just like your work-life balance is no longer work. Like once we then work life blend, I think really if we tell our story in the right way, then our brand is holistic, it encompasses everything that we are personally and professionally. Maybe not so much personally more professional… Maybe like 8020, right?
Natalie Oliverio: You wanna focus on the important piece of what you wanna do with your career, someone that you’re pitching to, or interviewing with or networking with really doesn’t need to know so much about your personal life, but they do need to know specifically what you wanna do, how you’re gonna do it and why, so that they can remember that about you, so that when they have access to a job or they’re talking about you to somebody else, they can accurately represent who you are, what you do and why you do it so they may be able to put you into a job or internally refer you or make a connection that’s gonna help you get closer to what it is you are looking for.
So I think that’s the most important thing being articulate. We’ll make you confident and competent and they’re talking about yourself if you’re not confident and competent. That’s a red flag, right? So gonna be so familiar with what you’re saying that is authentic, and second nature.
Otherwise, you’re gonna come across this genuine or to rehearsed and stuff, and that makes people uncomfortable. You only have five to six seconds to grab their attention anyway, so give them a punch line, about you first, when you absolutely want them to know it’s not high on Natalie. I was the military now, I have a company I was recruited for genus. They don’t wanna hear that. Not rehearsing Beach, they wanna hear. Hey, I’m not all… And I hope that’s in positive meaningful careers. A meaningful career can change your life, and I believe in elevating human potential to get them where they wanna be.
Okay, well maybe they’re in… Listen to me now. They don’t really care where I’ve worked and how many years of experience I had as a recruiter. Do you see the difference?
Bryan Shue: Absolutely, and that brings up a great point, of authenticity because especially now with a day in today’s environment, being authentic can be a game changer for you, especially, you’re in the job surgery, you’ve lost your job, El tell the authentic story about yourself, both on a personal and professional level to be valuable because I gain you. It gets them to pay attention and that’s what we need in today’s environment, is to be able to stand to help to in the action, he possible in the most authentic way possible, to…
So as leaders in the military, especially we’re used to chaotic environments, and our civilian count parts may not be… So if I was a civilian, leader and maybe never spent a day in the military, what would you tell me to be more effective? Dating my teams through this type of situation.
Natalie Oliverio: Active listening, I think, is one of the most important traits of a good leader. I can’t tell you how many people… And it’s so painfully noticeable when someone I interject and talks over you, or anticipate your response and just cut you off or just lot out is not listening. It just takes all of the respect and the momentum out of that environment. So it’s tough, but unfortunately not all leaders have the same leadership acumen or training.
So I think if you take on the mindset of less leadership, more service, how can you serve your team, how can you serve your customers, your company, how can you provide service instead of leadership, you will lead from the right place because you’re getting to the importance of what you wanna accomplish, not so much doing what you were that… Or told or what sounds good because you’re a big fancy leader, however you wanna say it.
Becoming more of a player’s coach.
We’ll allow you to be my to level up with everyone that you work for and list and who people who report to you and you’ll get so much more authentic respect and effective attention when you approach it in that way.
Bryan Shue: And you brought a great point about the veteran space being able to handle those situations. And if I was a civil employer listening to this and watching this series, what would you wanna tell me about the Veteran concert?
I got to be that where the view inform does was to put the e-form on myself included.
But their spouses, or their dependent children, what would you tell that employer about those people about those professions that are trying to connect with the organizations and build that relationship?
Hiring veterans and their families is good for corporate America
Natalie Oliverio: I would tell organizations who are interested in learning more about vets and spouses and their benefit to organizations that they do everything.
There is no one job, career path or demographic that is tailored for… And with that or in our spouses, they literally do everything. Can you imagine for a second what the biggest veteran job title at LinkedIn is?
Project Manager, the then the or a really who of our engineer… You cannot put a label on employment for vets and spouses also, military spouses are also men, they’re not all women, they’re not all homemakers. Not that there’s anything wrong with being a home maker but these women are professional, they have degrees and they need to be evaluated, like anybody else and not seen as a flight risk because they’re supporting their spouse who serves in the military, there are military spouses have been stationed in the same location for more than a decade.
Natalie Oliverio: So, having an open mind and understanding that veterans and spouses should be equally evaluated with their civilian counterparts, and that they can do everything. And on top of that, they bring a set of unique talented skills that other people don’t.
You cannot teach resilience, you have to experience so much in your life that you cultivate that, internally, you cannot teach grit, you have to be so used to doing things you don’t wanna do, but you do them anyway, that you cultivated from within. Those are just two small examples out of the million different things that we could talk about and that’s in spouses can master over their civilian counterparts.
Natalie Oliverio: So, I would urge all companies, all employers if you’re hiring look at America’s best and brightest talent, look at the veterans and military spouses who are interested in working for you have a conversation with them and learn more about them before you think you know what they can do and that brings up a great point about the resiliency factor and I think that’s the one that kid gets overloaded and it’s not because there’s just so many other things, but just resiliency in hasn’t really been brought to the forefront.
Bryan Shue: So I wanna hear some more about that piece, because I think that can be a great conversation starter, especially if you’re a leader in corporate America that’s looking to hire the veteran community order. Spouses think about your military career, and how many times you were told especially coming up or work smarter, not harder.
Natalie Oliverio: Do you know how many failed attempts, it takes before you actually figure out what smarter is that is resilience that is formulated calculated experimental resilience. You have been knocked down. So many things have not worked. And we’ve been at war for a home 20 years. There’ve been plenty of situations that have been organically put in front of us where the only option was to become resilient. Otherwise we wouldn’t be here having this conversation.
So I really think that that’s an overlooked skill. It’s a misunderstood quality and it’s definitely undervalued absolutely 100% agree with that. And through my conversations it has been brought up multiple times about the resiliency part, and I encourage you guys, you are watching this to consider that resiliency piece of open strategy or if you have a interior spouse space, The resiliency factor that they bring to your organization can be paramount to your success. And I know what you…
Natalie Oliverio (Cont’d): Our organization has done a wonderful job expressing that value to corporate America and I encourage everyone that reaches that watches us reach out to all had a conversation in a conversation, how would they get in contact with… You can reach out to us and military talent partners, dot com. I personally answer that, in box so you can reach out to me there anytime you can find me on LinkedIn, or just email me directly, natalie at military talent partners, dot com every day, I can obviously I’ll meet myself.
Goodness, you think I know how to work in saying… But technology obviously, you wants to challenge me today but that’s also part of who I… How technology can impact our lives.
Natalie Oliverio: If you do this 10 years ago, you and I probably wouldn’t be having this conversation because there would be no zoom and LinkedIn. Maybe… Maybe not, probably not that was Be honest but the technology there is useful and it can be beneficial to you as whether you’re seeking a job or you’re in the middle of your career, you using that technology can be hugely impactful.
Not for you, but also for your organization. So I encourage you to use the technology. What’s in front of you is amazing.
Bryan Shue: Also a solely Eustace moment of change and that’s why I think another thing that the veteran come can bring is we embrace change very well, we live for change, we thrive and change, and for us, like me personally, when I’m looking at lot down in quarantine, I’m like, Oh, alright, cool. I can’t leave my house no big deal, don’t hurt my feelings.
It kinda sucks because I can’t pick a few things here and there, do need but then I can focus on what’s important to me. And again, for those few there are civilians that maybe never dealt in a harsh environment. It’s not the end of the world. Be light, the end the toe will get brighter. We’re all in this together. Thousand Rae this off real quick would be one inspiring thought that you would have to share with the community.
Natalie Oliverio: I think the most inspiring thought that I can share that will translate to anyone anywhere, no matter what situation you’re in, if you’re thriving in business, if you are suffering in a small business like ours, if you are unemployed, under-employed, or have your dream job no matter who you are, you didn’t come this far to only come this far. We will get through this together, we will be better for it, and so much in our life and in this world is ahead of us. All we have to do is reach out and get it so well said.
Bryan Shue: Thank you so much again for your time, Natalie. I know I’ve enjoyed our conversation throughout the years, and I look forward to future conversations and maybe in a much better times to… So again, you’re absolutely right, the darkest days are still to come, but we can get through that. So all you’ve been a city at to talk to human… Not to just talk to a wall, but I hope our audience reaches out to you and actually start that conversation, and I hope you provide some great insights timing your insights have been valuable today, and if you ever wanna come back on vital needs let’s do this again.
I appreciate it.
Check out Military Talent Partners here: Military Talent Partners
Check Natalie Oliverio out on LinkedIn here: LinkedIn- Natalie
Check out Fullmoon Digital’s awesome YouTube channel for more Lockdown with Thought Leaders here: FMDM YouTube
