Spartanburg Herald Journal - Sen. Tim Scott Speaks at Workshop to Help Veterans

News Article

By Jason Spencer

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., spoke to a number of veterans, human resources managers and community leaders in Greer on Wednesday as part of his statewide initiative to help military servicemen and women reintegrate into the civilian workforce.

"We are all benefitting from our veterans who are coming home and making a difference," he said.

Wednesday's workshop, held at Greer City Hall, was designed to give human resources managers the chance to talk about what qualifications and skill sets they were looking for in potential employees, Scott said. The senator plans to hold more workshops in December and January -- focusing on resume writing or interview tips, for instance -- before hosting job fairs in February in the Upstate and on the coast.

Two years ago, Scott held similar job fairs. He said he learned from those that veterans sometimes had trouble explaining the years of training and experience they had in a way a civilian would understand and see as beneficial.

A common question among infantrymen is how to list their skills on a resume, Scott said. To someone who hasn't been in the military, those skills translate into the ability to make decisions under pressure, meeting objectives, or working with or leading a team.

John Warren, the founder and president of Lima One Capital and a retired U.S. Marine captain, talked about how his men in Iraq worked in extreme conditions, navigating tribal systems to win people over from al-Qaeda. He told stories of veterans being denied jobs back home because of a lack of "industry experience," saying that a smaller percentage of Americans enlisting in the armed forces acts to perpetuate misconceptions about what skills are required of U.S. troops.

"Not hiring a veteran because he or she lacks 'industry experience' is the most absurd mistake I see made today," Warren said.

Vets are trained in disciplines like engineering, law, finance, maintenance and administration, among other areas, he said. They are easy to train, have a solid work ethic and require little oversight.

"We did not return home to never work again, receive handouts or not be productive members of society," Warren said. "If a vet chooses to re-enter the workforce, they will make an average company good and a good company great."

Greer Mayor Rick Danner talked about instances he knew of where vets had trouble getting hired.

"For all that we do and say as a state to make it easy for people to get a job, it is not often easy," Danner said. "It can be daunting, especially for someone who doesn't know the system. … Sometimes, what you need is nothing more than a friend. And you've got a friend in Tim Scott."

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