Spotlight: Billy Flagg- Transitioning from a Military Role to a Civilian Role at Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield is a provider of Department of Defense Skillbridge programs; a partner of Hiring Our Heroes External Link and the Corporate Fellowship Program External Link which provides veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses with training and hands -on experience in the civilian workforce.

Billy Flagg is a military recruiting specialist and focuses on military programs and military spouse/veteran hiring. I spoke with Billy about transitioning from a military role to a civilian role, and his post-military life at Cushman & Wakefield.  

1. What is it like to transition from a military to a civilian role?

It can be absolutely terrifying if you don’t prepare, but even if you do prepare well-it's still fairly terrifying. The hardest part I think is figuring out what you actually want to do, because for the first time in a long time, you have a choice. Learning to translate your experience from the military to something that corporate America is looking for is troublesome too because we often don’t understand how to speak to our experience in terms nonveterans understand.
Pile the VA medical process, potentially moving across the country or into a new home in general, other major life changes, and furthering your education on top of finding your new career creates a huge wave of emotions and stress. Luckily, I was able to participate in a Skillbridge opportunity here which alleviated a lot of that stress and made my transition so much easier.

2. Do you believe that your military background has provided you with any unique perspectives or talents that aid in your career today? 

I certainly believe this is the case. In the Army, I was in maintenance and recruiting, and I use lessons learned from each specialty daily. The ability to think outside the box, overcome challenges and provide solutions to problems has been especially useful in my role here. I am constantly searching for new and sometimes overlooked ways to target the military community, and that takes some creativity and determination. Always being willing to turn stones over and see what works and what doesn’t and adjust as needed has helped me in my career here.

3. Tell us about the veteran community at C&W.

We have a great veteran community here at C&W. We recently completed a call with every veteran who came through the Skillbridge program, and it was fantastic hearing about everyone’s background in the military and what role they are in here. 
Veterans are spread across the entire business which is fantastic. Teams across our company are getting a different perspective, solid team players, and top talent. I think our veteran community here is well engaged, and they are always willing to assist if there is a military career fair near them or participate in other veteran focused get-togethers throughout the year. We had a great showing for the Veterans Day parade in NYC, and it was great to spend that time with everyone. 

4. What’s your best advice for veterans who are looking for jobs right now?

Networking is vital whether you’re getting out in a few months, or you have been out for years. Connect with Veterans who currently work where you want to work, and who do what you want to do. Reach out and ask how they got to where they are and add those tips to your tool bag. Learn as much as you can about what you want to do, and the company you want to do it at.
Ensure you can tailor your resume to a job description, don’t just send a master resume out to every job you apply to. You’ll get crickets. When the recruiter is looking at your resume, you want to make yourself the obvious choice. There are resources out there to assist you during this process, make sure you use them.

5. In general, what are your favorite aspects of C&W's culture, and how does your company help you succeed?

My favorite aspects of C&W’s culture would be the flexibility and collaboration. I find the flexible schedule allows me to complete my tasks and still be able to take care of any VA medical appointments or family duties that I have without it interfering. 
The collaboration here is amazing. Often as I was transitioning out of the Army I heard “it’s every man for themselves out there”, or “it’s not a team environment”, but I haven’t faced this at all. Even those on teams outside of mine are more than willing to help in case anything comes up. I feel very lucky, and this flexibility and collaboration makes my life and job that much easier, allowing me to succeed in my role.