Military Vet Finds Career Success in Power Generation Industry - POWER Magazine

U.S. Air Force Veteran William Newell recently transitioned from a 20-year military career to the civilian power sector. His story was recently featured in a POWER Magazine article by Aaron Larson, Power Industry People: Finding Top Talent in the Military, as well as on The POWER Podcast. Larson discusses Newell’s job search journey, how military experience prepares candidates for civilian success, and the unique skills military veterans bring to the power generation industry.

Military to Civilian Transition

Newell was an aircraft maintainer for his first 10 years in the military before moving into a research and development position. Throughout his career, he had the opportunity to work on nearly every aircraft in the Air Force’s inventory, except fighters. He enjoyed solving power problems encountered while testing aircraft systems. His military training and on-the-job experience led him to pursue a degree in project management and consider a career in the power sector.

Yet despite his training, experience, and formal education, Newell felt nervous about the military-to-civilian transition. He found hope speaking with his brother-in-law, who had already transitioned from the U.S. Army to the civilian world with the help of Orion Talent and found that his technical skills and proficiencies brought a lot of value to his employer.

Translating Military Skills to the Civilian Workplace

Newell wasn’t sure how his military experience would translate into civilian employment opportunities, but he discovered he was a natural fit for a wide range of positions and successfully transitioned into a meaningful career in the power generation industry.

Technical talent is in high demand, and nothing prepares a candidate to work on technical systems like the military. “The military offers the best technical training program, in my opinion, in the world,” says Orion recruiting team leader Amy West. Part of the challenge is broadening a candidate’s job search criteria from their specific military role to the variety of positions they could pursue based on their interests and skill set.

Veteran Potential in the Power Generation Industry

Veterans are well-prepared for careers in the power generation industry, leaving the military with years of hands-on experience and training as well as leadership skills, critical thinking and decision making capabilities, a strong work ethic, and a honed ability to perform under pressure. They’re dedicated and reliable workers who offer needed skills to an industry with an aging workforce. Military training produces unmatched technical expertise, making veterans an ideal fit for various positions across Nuclear Power, Utilities, Thermal Power, and Power Generation industries.

Read the article or listen to episode #111 of The POWER Podcast for more about Newell’s transition from the Airforce to the power sector. You can learn more about Orion Talent’s best-in-class recruiting for the Power Generation Industry here.

Archives

RSS Feed

Subscribe to Orion's Blog